Long before The Brothers Grimm, there was a sisterhood of writers who defied the patriarchy and launched a literary craze with their feminist fairy talesthese are their stories.

In 17th century Paris, a group of women who called themselvesconteuses(female storytellers) came together to weave the very first fairy tales. One of them, Marie-Catherine dAulnoy, coined the term fairy tale, and some of these stories contain many familiar elements that appear in tales likeRapunzelandBeauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, these women and their tales have mostly been forgotten to history.

Women of the Fairytale Resistanceuncovers seven of these writers biographieswhich are just as compelling as their fairy talesand retells 12 of their original stories. The women were mostly young noblewomen who were forced into undesirable marriages and did not have the freedom to give their opinions, travel, or choose who they wanted to love. They used their stories as a way of subtly complaining about their husbands and critiquing the oppressive reign of King Louis XIV. The female-empowering, gender-bending tales combine themes like romance, fantasy, escapism, and their protagonists control of their own destinysomething the writers deeply desired in their own lives.

Enchantingly designed with stunning full color illustrations throughout, this unique and entertaining book will have you rethink everything you know about traditional fairy tales.