The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale

This is an innovative new study exploring the relationships between developments in the fairy tale and the Victorian periodical press.This title brings together two discrete areas of study (Victorian periodicals and the history of the fairy tale) for the first time. It examines the dynamic role of readers in the evolution of nineteenth-century fantasy. It uses analysis of production and reception contexts to engage with the fairy tale's appropriation in the context of a range of political/historical discourses, including Darwinism, colonialism, feminism, socialism and decadence. It brings a range of neglected texts back into critical debate, while also offering a new approach to the work of better-known fairy tale writers. It includes 12 illustrations, recovering forgotten visual material.This book offers a new history of the fairy tale, revealing the creative role of periodical publication in shaping this popular genre. The author explores the fairy tale's reinvention for (and by) diverse readerships in unexpected contexts, including debates over evolution, colonialism, socialism, gender and sexuality and decadence.