Charles Perrault was a French Author who lived from 1628 to 1703. Perrault is best known for his collection of fairy tales for children entitled, “Contes de ma mère l’oye” (1697; Tales of Mother Goose). He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales.. Perrault was born into a wealthy bourgeois Parisian family, the seventh child of Pierre Perrault and Paquette Le Clerc. He attended good schools in the city and studied law before embarking on a career in government service.
Charles Perrault wrote several Fairy Tales, which are known to this day. The Brothers Grimm also collected some of his Fairy tales. Some of his most famous Fairy Tales are:
- Sleeping Beauty
- Blue Beard
- The Master Cat or Puss In Boots
- The Fairies
- Cinderella
- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
Gustave Dore’s illustrations contributed significantly to the popularity of Perrault’s fairy tales. Dore was a French artist who created magnificent engravings for Perrault’s fairy tales, which were richly detailed and beautifully illustrated. Dore’s illustrations were so popular that they helped to establish him as the foremost illustrator of his time. Gustave Dore’s illustrations differed from previous illustrations of Perrault’s fairy tales by being taken from engravings and they were in black and white.
Perrault died in Paris, France in 1703 at the age of 75. The exact cause of death is unknown. He is buried in the Carrières de Paris