The Fairest of Them All: Snow White and 21 Tales of Mothers and Daughters

The story of the rivalry between a beautiful innocent girl and her cruel and jealous mother has been endlessly repeated and refashioned all over the world. The Brothers Grimm gave this story the name by which we know it best and in 1937 Walt Disney sweetened their somber version to make the first feature-length animated fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then, the Disney film has become our cultural touchstone-the innocent heroine her evil stepmother the envy that divides them and a romantic rescue from domestic drudgery and maternal persecution. But each culture has its own way of telling this story. An acclaimed folklorist Maria Tatar brings to life a global melodrama of mother-daughter rivalries that play out in unforgettable variations across countries and cultures.