In the wide range of storytellers who paved the way for the fairy tale as a genre of world literature, Charles Perrault, the French poet and writer, deserves the most honorable place. Few people now know that Charles Perrault, whose biography is closely connected with the political life of France of the 17th century, was considered a venerable poet of his era, was the head of scientific projects of the French Academy and the first clerk of the then Minister of Finance Jean Colbert. However, the worldwide fame and recognition of readers, especially the youngest ones, was brought to him not by these thick serious books, but by amazing wonderful tales: about Cinderella, Little Boy with a Toe, Puss in Boots, Blue Beard and Little Red Riding Hood. What was the life and career that Charles Perrault made? The biography of this wonderful writer is presented below.
From lawyers to writers
In 1628, the youngest Charles Perrault was born in a large family of Parisian intellectuals. The biography of this boy, at the age of eight, who entered college to study, according to the historian Philippe Aries, is worthy to be called the biography of a typical excellent student. Charles for all the years of study was not a bit of teacher's rods - a case at that time exceptional. After leaving college, Perrot enters a three-year law course, graduating from which he receives a law degree. At the age of twenty-three, he returned to his hometown, where he began his private practice as a lawyer. Charles's literary experiments took place at that time when among the representatives of high society a fashion for folklore appeared, in particular for children's fairy tales. Reading and listening to fairy tales was then given a value comparable only to the modern passion for detectives. It goes without saying that a mass of writers arose who sought to satisfy such requests. Among them was Perrault.
Fatherly concerns
The writer's merits as a caring father are mentioned in rare reviews of his life, including this short biography. Charles Perrault, being a court nobleman, sought to arrange the future of his children. And, wanting to introduce his eighteen-year-old son to the niece of King Louis XV, he prepared for her an unusual gift - a book with fairy tales. Presenting a notebook in which the first fairy-tale stories processed by Charles would be recorded was for Pierre Darmankur, the son of a writer. And so she saw the light signed not by the name of her real author. In addition, Charles Perrault, whose biography was decorated at that time with significant services to the country and society, was afraid that the occupation of "fabulous" entertainment would not cast a shadow on his authority as a serious literary figure.
Tales of Mother Goose
When did readers learn that Charles Perrault himself was the author of the tales of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood? A biography for children, telling about the work of the storyteller, and any one, necessarily contains a mention of a book published at the sunset of his life with “Tales of Mother Goose”. She was also signed by the name of his son, Pierre. The unprecedented popularity of this collection of fairy tales (the original was reprinted three times) caused the society to learn the truth about the true author, who became, in fact, the first writer to open the way for a children's fairy tale as an independent genre of literary art.