![]() ![]() For example, Gaiman notes that the children don’t attend school because they’re simply too poor, the progeny of a rural wood cutter left impoverished by famine (supposedly the Great one of 1315) and thieving soldiers. Most of the innovation occurs in the story’s beginning pages. ![]() Within the tale of two lost, starving children who outwit an old woman in a house comprised of various desserts, Gaiman uses a newfound sense of context and logic that bolsters the whimsical elements of this classic yarn. Also unsurprising, the best parts of this lithe, 49-page picture book are often its least familiar. ![]() Reinterpretations, as far as fairy tales are concerned, are par for the course, especially considering that the Brothers Grimm were consumate collectors and retellers - not original authors. Commenting on editor Maria Tatar’s in-text commentary, Gaiman notes that “”Hansel and Gretel” is a tale driven by food and hunger from a time when, for the peasantry, eating until you were full was a pipe dream.” Unsurprisingly, the author behind such modern fairy tale classics as Stardust and The Ocean at the End of the Lane opts for a sharp, untempered fantasy with a foundation firmly rooted in harsh realities. Neil Gaiman foreshadowed his new rendition of Hansel & Gretel in, of all places, a review he wrote for The New York Times on The Annotated Brothers Grimm. ![]()
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