Perrault, Charles. "Souhaites Ridicules." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-12.

Item

Book Title

Book Author/Editor

Perrault, Charles

City of Publication

Paris

Publisher

Jean-Baptists Coignard

Date

1695

Language

French

Fairy Tale Title

Souhaits ridicules

Author of the Chapter/Fairy Tale

Perrault, Charles

Fairy Tale Group

Foolish wishes

Summary

A woodcutter, Blaise, is disappointed with his lot in life, and in the forest one day, complains to himself out loud that not one of his wishes has ever come true. Jupiter appears, thunderbolt in hand, and grants him three wishes, urging him to wish carefully. He tells his wife, Fanchon, and she too urges reflection. That night, drinking wine in front of the fire, he innocently wishes he had a nice sausage to go with it, and the sausage arrives. His wife is furious, and screams at him for wasting a wish, at which point he wishes that the sausage would hang from the end of her nose. It is soon attached. With one wish left, he imagines asking to become the King, but sees his once-beautiful wife being crowned Queen with a sausage hanging from her nose, and realizes he must use his final wish to remove the sausage. Perrault concludes that few men are capable to put to good use the gifts that the heavens offer them.

Commentary

Les Souhaites ridicules is in verse. It is dedicated to Mademoiselle de la C... and begins by saying that he can tell her this story because she recognizes that the beauty of a tale is not in the content, but in how it is told. Jupiter is present in the story.

Page Range

1-12

Link to Digital Source

https://cudl.colorado.edu/luna/servlet/detail/UCBOULDERCB1~53~53~433486~132678:Griselidis-nouvelle?qvq=w4s:/who%2FPerrault%25252C%2BCharles;q:Perrault%2C%20Charles&mi=2&trs=7

Perrault Griselidis