You’ll notice a pattern: I’m deep-diving into crime and violence, in fairy tales and beyond. Secrets Beyond the Door is a book of essays exploring the Bluebeard fairy tale and its influence. People are really obsessed with this fairy tale! I guess I’m as guilty. The book starts with Charles Perrault’s 17th century version that popularized the tale, then goes through its evolution in gothic literature (Jane Eyre, Rebecca), twentieth century literature (Vonnegut, King), women’s perspectives (Carter), and how it crosses over with true crime.
I have to say, the number of men who see themselves in Bluebeard is alarming. Even knowing Bluebeard is mostly an allegory about marriage, fidelity, and vice, it was eye-opening. I loved the discussion of how we keep nicknaming real-life serial killers after the folklore murderer, even though real-life serial killers are usually much less interesting people than their reputations imply.
Tatar is one of the more academic writers I read a lot, but her style isn’t stuffy at all. I’ve mostly read her annotated collections of fairy tales, so it was nice to dig into her essay work, and see her pull apart a single fairy tale from many angles. I look forward to reading more.
