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The Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm, did not invent fairy tales, but instead collected stories (especially from literate, upper-middle-class women) and edited them to promote a strong, unified German culture in a time of French domination.

The term “fairy tale” can be traced back to Madame d’Aulnoy, who called her stories “contes des fées” (tales of fairies). Charles Perrault also referred to his own as “contes d’ogres et de fées” (tales of ogres and fairies).

Although some fairy tales were adapted from folk tales, there is a difference between them. A folk tale has no single identified author, as it originates within a community, and is passed down orally through generations. A fairy tale has an author and its own literary genre, consisting of fantastical elements and, usually but not always, a moral.

Tales from the Stars

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