Inspiration Bonaparte? German Culture and Napoleonic Occupation. Edited by Seán Allan and Jeffrey L. High. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2021. 354 pages + 8 b/w images. $110.00/£95.00 hardcover, $29.95/£24.99 eBook.

Abstract

tions in fairy-tale scholarship, this third iteration would certainly make a cherished addition to any library. And yet despite these revisions, contemporary readers may find that the volume does not adequately engage with the problematic and gendered history of the Grimms’ collection. While the Handbuch includes what information is available regarding the sources and contributors for each tale, a definitive resource in Grimm and fairy-tale studies such as this one could do more to problematize the subtle erasure of female collaborators and further contextualize the imbalance between unsung female labor and male fame. Nevertheless, any version of Uther’s text is highly recommended to anyone interested in the German fairy-tale tradition, and for those encountering this handbook for the first time, three just may be the magic number.