MEDIA

Why Don’t We Talk About Race in Fairy Tales? Characters in fairy tales “are white not by chance, but by design,” Kimberly J. Lau writes in a new book.
Hyperallergic | Tamar Boyadjian | December 19, 2024
"In seeing these foundational texts in a new way and interacting with them in manners that go beyond the familiar, Specters delivers its promise of shifting our perception both of the genre and our interactions with it, no matter how disconcerting it might be."
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Racial History of the Fairy Tale, From Literary Classics to Modern Disney
BookTrib. | Contributor - Kimberly J. Lau | February 26, 2025

Editor’s Note: “In her book Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale, literature Professor Kimberly J. Lau observes the legacy of race in classic fairy tales. The following essay provides a glimpse of the fairy tale tradition modern audiences have inherited, the conclusion that “fairy-tale characters are white not by chance, but by design,” and an exploration of how retellings allow for a break from tradition.”

“Remaking fairy tales can be a risky business.

Just ask Disney. The studio’s recently released trailer for its live-action Snow White (2025) was met with some serious fan outrage, primarily focused on the supposedly “woke” changes Disney made to its 1937 animated feature.”
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Kimberly J. Lau’s music playlist for her book Specters of the Marvelous
Largehearted Boy | January 8, 2025

“As a literary scholar, I live in a world of texts, so thinking about my work through music has been a wonderfully provocative experience.”
LINK TO THE PLAYLIST

Life Elsewhere
Podcast on Spotify

Life Elsewhere
Blog: Once Upon a Time There Was Racism. The Same Question, Six Years Later.

History of Literature
Podcast: Race in European Fairy Tales (with Kimberly Lau)
Anyone digging into fairy tales soon discovers that there's more to these stories of magic and wonder than meets the eye. Often thought of as stories for children, the narratives can be shockingly violent, and they sometimes deliver messages or "morals" at odds with modern sensibilities. In this episode, Jacke talks to Kimberly Lau about her book Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale, which reveals the historical racial context that profoundly influenced these ubiquitous stories.

Diverse Voices Book Review
Kimberly Lau Examines the Manifestation of Race in European Fairy Tales: Hopeton Hay Podcasts
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Kimberly J. Lau, author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale.  In stories retold for generations, wondrous worlds and magnificent characters have defined the genre of European fairy tales with little recognition of yet another defining aspect—racism and racialized thinking. Engaging four classic fairy-tale collections, author Kimberly J. Lau connects close readings of the tales to the cultural discourses, scholarly debates, and imperial geopolitics that established and perpetuated ideas about racial difference and white superiority.

Fabulous Folklore with Icy
Interview
“In this chat, we'll talk about her new book, Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale, and the ways in which racist tropes and stereotypes are embedded in European fairy tales from France, Italy, Germany, and Britain.”

“Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale" Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales