alphadesigner's reviews
100 reviews

Rating a classic is tough. On one hand, it should be viewed in its historical context. On the other, to be truly valuable to a modern reader, it should also relate to the present in some way. There’s a lot of value in the Tale of Tales—the sheer amount of allegories used for the motions of the Sun across the sky alone makes it a baroque masterpiece. But then, there are the usual bitter pills to swallow—romanticization of rape, and blatant, passionate racism. Pretty much like the Arabian Nights, total immersion is impossible. But there’s enough beauty in here worth salvaging.

It's interesting to point out that in 1898, when this book was first published, there were still some minor blank spots on Earth's surface that remained unexplored. Another interesting thing is that Joseph Jacobs is a folklorist, and not necessarily a historian, which is what probably makes this book an easy read, since it lacks factual dryness and the main objective is exactly what is stated in the title, namely to tell a story. Last but not least, as a work conceived and published during the height of European colonialism, it obviously carries a lot of its shortcomings, one of which is the limited understanding of what civilization means. One the other hand, such shortcomings give us a better understanding of the age and a perspective on the described events which is uncontaminated by our contemporary points of view.