Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two young men from Germany who loved good stories. As university students, they became interested in folk tales (民间故事). They began to collect traditional folk tales from storytellers all over Germany. Many were similar to stories told in France, Italy, Japan and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the brothers published two books in German. These included stories like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. 这两本书一出版，很多人就爱上了他们。
| Fairy tales are for people of all ages √The main characters in these stories are very lovely. They are warm-hearted, innocent (天真的), honest, and brave, and nearly have all virtues(美德) of human being. Although they are close to dangers sometimes, they still have strong courage to meet them, and keep resisting till the victory. √And the endings of fairy tales are always happy. It teaches us that we must be optimistic, trust ourselves and friendship and believe in that we will have a bright future. |
The Grimm brothers' tales reflected (反映) traditional life and beliefs. For example, forests are common in Germany, and a forest often appears in the Grimms' stories. In the past many people believe forests were one of the most dangerous places. In the Grimms' stories, a forest is the home of some special people, talking animals, and other magical beings.
Although most people today think of these stories as fairy tales for children, the brothers first wrote them primarily for adults. Many of their early tales were dark and a little scary.
Later, the brothers changed some of the original stories. This made them more appropriate (恰当的) for children. Like the early tales, though, each story still has a moral (寓意).
