A lot of the original versions of the brothers Grimm stories. For example Cinderella, one of the sisters chops off bits of her feet so that she can try and get into the shoe Cinderella dropped. I think the Prince only figured it out because she’s dripping in blood.
the Brothers Grimm versions were not the original versions of any of those fairytales! they were edgy remakes! idk why or how that thinking became so common or why I care so much!
A lot of those were meant to keep children in line. Also to teach girls that the only way they’ll be able to get ahead in life is to marry into money.
But it doesn’t pay off for the stepsister at all. She’s just bleeding, the story is about the triumph of The Grind- Cinderella stuck to virtue, hard work, etc.
Well the lessons there were a) don’t be a conniving bitch, and b) don’t be a stepmom or stepsister.
Struwwelpeter. We had an English copy handed down by my grandfather. It’s insane.
Example: “Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug (“The Very Sad Tale with the Matches”): A girl plays with matches, accidentally ignites herself and burns to death. Only her cats mourn her.”
Sounds like a German kiss story to me hah.
Holy shit
Mentioned by Dwight in The Office!
I still have my toddler books with the graphic Struwwelpeter running in with shears and cutting the thumbs off the boy who wouldn’t stop sucking them.
It’s a… “nostalgic” childhood trauma?
(“The Story of the Wild Huntsman”) is the only story not primarily focused on children. In it, a hare steals a hunter’s musket and eyeglasses and begins to hunt the hunter. In the ensuing chaos, the hare’s child is burned by hot coffee and the hunter jumps into a well.
lol wut?
With stories like this out there why are the only movies that get made recycled trash as they milk the 4th, 5th, 6th movies in a franchise?
I don’t remember it very well, but I know I cried for like 2 hours when I finished “A Dog Called Kitty.”
I would say almost all of them. At least the classics
No wonder we’re all empaths. And we used video games to escape our feelings.
= ADHD
Little red riding hood - wolf eats your grandma.
Hansel and Gretel - forced out by stepmother, forced to kill a witch to survive.
Three little pigs - wolf kills your brother’s.The “classics” are really bad
Watership Down.
:(
I read The Kite Runner as a kid, that was a fun one
Antek by Bolesław Prus
Yeah we just gonna shove a kid in the oven for three Hail Marys
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Actually just the art alone does the traumatizing really.
Have you seen those bullshit rerelease editions? SAD!
Did anybody else read tangerine as a kid? I still think about it pretty often and I’m 30.
My brother was assigned that in school and we had it in the RV on a camping trip, so I picked it up and read it one evening. Both the info on citrus growing, and the violence, are things I still remember. Fucked up.
Was it assigned reading? Where did you go to school? I’ve always wondered if that book made it into reading lists anywhere outside of Florida.
Yep, assigned reading in Florida
Coraline is pretty intense.
A quote from Neil Gaiman about his editor’s daughter, who served as the book’s first audience
I told her, “You know, we kind of have you to thank for all this, because you weren’t scared by it.” And she said, “Actually, I was terrified. But I wanted to know what happened next. I knew if I let anybody know I was scared, I wouldn’t find out.”
The children’s bible. /s
Virtually anything with a Newberry Medal is highly likely to have a traumatizing beloved character death somewhere in it. Maniac Magee and Bridge to Terabithia were good examples from my childhood.
I guess bridge to terebinthia I read late enough that it wasn’t traumatizing, and the beautiful image of a room that lights up gold in the sunset stuck with me until today.
Otoh we got an audiobook with a picture of two kids smiling riding bicycles for the car ride on a trip to the beach one year, and like 30 minutes in, one of the kids died and that was awful.
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. That author’s imagination was daaaaark.
Honorable mention to all Newbery Medal winners, AKA the Dead Dog Award.
Bridge To Terabithia goes a step further.
The Giving Tree
You need this: https://www.topherpayne.com/giving-tree
Amazing!! Thanks for sharing!
He fixed some other fairly-problematic titles, too. Check them out on that same site :)
This is great and all, but what I really need is an alternative picture of shel silverstein to put on the back of the book.
