Politically Correct Bedtime Stories - Hardcover

Garner, James Finn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0285640410 ISBN 13: 9780285640412

Publisher: Souvenir Press, 2012

Synopsis

In a collection guaranteed to provoke both laughter and thought, 14 timeless fairy tales are revisited and reworked to become relevant fables for more modern times. These hilarious adaptations satirize and sanitize the sexist, racist, nationalist, ageist, sizeist, ethnocentrist, and phallocentrist biases of classic bedtime stories. Familiar exploits of beloved characters are related from a respectful, prejudice-free perspective: the Emperor is no longer naked in his new clothes but “is endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle,” Snow White escapes to the cottage of “seven vertically-challenged men,” and Goldilocks is an ambitious scientist studying anthropomorphic bears. With a redesigned jacket and a previously unpublished story, this expanded edition is sure to appeal to readers of multiple generations who find political correctness is as topical as ever.

About this title

Review:

James Finn Garner has taken 12 time-tested tales and retold them with the newfound sensitivity of our times. Here's a snippet from "Little Red Riding Hood":

The wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."

Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."

Leap into a fairy-tale world where trolls are "dirt-accomplished and odor-enhanced," witches are "kindness-impaired," and Cinderella wears a gown "woven of silk stolen from unsuspecting silkworms." We can only regret that Garner had to exclude "The Duckling That Was Judged on Its Personal Merits and Not on Its Physical Appearance" for space reasons.

From the Author:

James Finn Garner is a writer and broadcaster with a background in improvisational comedy. He is the author of several books including Apocalypse Wow, Once Upon a More Enlightened Time, Politically Correct Holiday Stories, and Recut Madness. He lives in Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: Souvenir Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0285640410
• ISBN 13: 9780285640412
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 86