The Maid Of The North

Plot

The Maid of the North weaves together tales about a woman's right to freedom of will and choice. In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines successfully portray women as being spirited, courageous and smart. This type of heroine is not easily found in most collections; in most traditional folk and fairy tales we encounter women are portrayed as being good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful. These women—and girls—are resourceful; they take action to solve a problem and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve the dilemmas they face.The tales themselves are part of an oral tradition that document a generation according to the values of the time. Phelps has given these older tales a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readers, young and old. She shapes each story—adding or omitting details—to reflect her sense of a feminist folk or fairy tale. The twenty-one tales collected represent a wide variety of countries; approximately seventeen ethnic cultures from North America to Europe to Asia tell a story in which women play a leading or crucial role in the story. Ethel Johnston Phelps is the author of Tatterhood and Other Tales. In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines are refreshingly spirited, courageous, and smart. This type of protagonist is not easily found in folk literature; most such tales simplistically portray female leading characters as good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful.The Maid of the North, by constrast, gathers vivid and compelling stories concerning a woman's free will, free thought, and free choice. The women (and girls) in these tales are resourceful; they take action to address problems and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve their dilemmas. The tales themselves reflect an oral tradition in which a generation documents the values of its time, and Phelps has given these older narratives a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readers—both young and old. Thus she shapes each story, adding or omitting certain details, to create a bona fide feminist folk or fairy tale. These twenty-one tales represent a broad variety of countries and ethnic cultures: from North America to Europe to Asia. "Ethel Johnson Phelps sought out these twenty-one folk and fairy tales featuring women as heroic, clever figures rather than the usual roles of docile maiden in distress or villainous ogre causing distress. They are delightful tales from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including Scandinavian, American Indian, Japanese, Celtic, East Indian, and Russian."—American Library Association, Booklist"Here the fables are turned: women rescue men, outwit demons, and fight like Cossacks . . . Phelps celebrates females who have brains and energy . . . A collection that turns the fables—and fits the movement."—Time"Worldly enough to keep adults awake; soothing enough to put children to sleep without nightmares."—Elaine Kendall, Los Angeles Times"The child hearing these stories will know that girls, like boys, can be active rather than passive, and grow up to be productive people. Any feminist parent will be glad."—Carolyn Heilbrun, The New Times Book Review