Kissing the Witch is a collection of reimagined and interconnected fairy tales written by Emma Donoghue. The book consists of thirteen stories, each building upon the previous one, creating a web of narratives that ultimately explore the themes of female empowerment, self-discovery, and the power of storytelling. Throughout the stories, Donoghue challenges and subverts traditional fairy tale tropes and archetypes. The characters are not the passive damsels in distress waiting for a prince to rescue them, but instead, they take their own destinies into their hands. They navigate their own paths and make choices that shape their futures, regardless of societal expectations. One of the central motifs in the collection is the portrayal of witches.
‘The Tale of the Kiss’ is not based on any source text, but suggested by various folk motifs about oracles and magic helpers, discussed in Marina Warner’s From the Beast to the Blonde.
Even where the witch is positively represented, her goodness is frequently contrasted with more traditionally malign witches, as in Preussler s The Little Witch 1961 , and Stevenson s similar though more light-hearted Yuck. Derek Newman-Stille Trent , Delusions about Happily Ever Afters Emma Donoghue s The Tale of the Shoe , paper delivered at ACCSFF York University Canada.
One of the central motifs in the collection is the portrayal of witches. Donoghue reimagines witches as complex and multifaceted characters who are not merely evil beings bent on causing harm. In fact, many of the witches in Kissing the Witch are the ones who hold the power to change the lives of the women they encounter.
Kissing tye witch
Emma Donoghue has managed to completely overwhelm me with her book of fairy tales, Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. Her writing in this stunning collection somehow channels the smooth and effortless voice of old, old tales passed down with the tongues of tellers around campfires, while at the same time infusing these stories with a raw, contemporary queer feminine/ist consciousness. Having read two of Donoghue’s other books (Astray and Landing), both of whose narrative styles are noticeably different than that in Kissing the Witch, I can confidently say that Donoghue’s versatility is impressively extensive. This book is truly a masterpiece. There is nothing in Kissing the Witch I did not think was gorgeous and revolutionary.
Perhaps one reason I loved this book so much is that I wasn’t expecting to. First, I had had mixed feelings about Donoghue’s most recent collection of short stories, although I had loved Landing. Second, I’ve never had a particular interest in fairy tales; in fact, my expectation was that I might not enjoy tales featuring archetypal characters rather than the realist folks that I usually read about. I am happy to admit I was totally and utterly wrong.
At first what drew me in and held my attention was Donoghue’s simple yet dazzling prose. Consider, for example, the opening of the first story, “The Tale of the Shoe”:
Till she came it was all cold.
Every since my mother died the feather bed felt hard as a stone floor. Every word that came out of my mouth limped away like a toad. Whatever I put on my back now turned to sackcloth and chafed my skin. I heard a knocking in my skull, and kept running to the door, but there was never anyone there. The days passed like dust brushed from my fingers.
There’s such a plethora of evocative, emotional language in just this short passage; I especially love the image of words limping like toads. The short sentences, mostly bereft of punctuation, have a fierce, visceral impact. The book incredibly sustains this emotional and visceral effect throughout. In fact, it’s very difficult for me to even isolate certain passages because, truly, the entire collection is flawlessly beautiful. All right, if I have to choose something, let me share the revelation at the end of the retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” titled as “The Tale of the Rose”:
I saw hair black as rocks under water. I saw a face white as old linen. I saw lips red as a rose just opening.
I saw that the beast was a woman. And that she was breathing, which seemed to matter more….
This was a strange story, one I would have to learn a new language to read, a language I could not learn except by trying to read the story.
I took me days to learn that there was nothing monstrous about this woman who had lived alone in a castle, setting all her suitors riddles they could make no sense of, refusing to do the things queens are supposed to do, until the day when, knowing no one could see her true face, she made a mask and from then on showed her face to no one. It took me weeks to understand why the faceless mask and the name of the beast might be chosen over all the great world had to offer. After months of looking, I saw that beauty was infinitely various, and found it behind her white face.
Amidst these narrative twists—that’s right, the ‘beast’ is not man but woman—these stories retain the raw violence, harsh conditions, and tender, crude bodies that you might recognize if you’ve ever read the unsanitized versions of the fairy tales airbrushed by the likes of Disney. Death happens as a matter of course, blood spills, lives are threatened and gambled, and women are vicious, jealous, and ambitious as well as noble, beautiful, and brave. In Donoghue’s tales, though, they are also achingly human: the villains as we know them are never simply evil, and the heroines are never portrayed as those ideal yet uninspiring women you can’t relate to. In fact, the dichotomy between heroine/villain slowly fades away, particularly as you read stories from the perspectives of evil stepmothers and ruthless work matrons.
After you’re sunken into Donoghue’s writing as if it were a warm pool of mud, you’ll enjoy investigating and realizing which tale is a re-telling of a certain one that’s oh so familiar. Once you know you’ve stumbled upon, for example, the story of Rapunzel or the Little Mermaid, though, you continue reading in suspense to see how Donoghue has lovingly reshaped and respun the tale. Each story leads into the next, so that women who sometimes played only minor roles in the original versions of fairy tales, such as Cinderella’s fairy godmother, have a chance to tell their stories. This structure gives a wonderful, velvety flow that is often lacking in short story collections. The tales bleed effortlessly into one another, until the last one—coincidentally, the most explicitly lesbian—hands the reins over to the reader herself to continue the storytelling, both timeless and unique: “This is the story you asked for. I leave it in your mouth.”
Representations of the witch in the western European fairy tale have been stereotypically negative: the witch was depicted generally as an ugly crone and always as malevolent. The black cloak and pointed hat associated with the witch continue to be linked with a menacing expression and bad intentions. Although there have been some attempts to rehabilitate the witch in children's literature, until recently most of these have been superficial. In various picture books, for example, witches feature as central characters, but the stories generally play, usually to comic effect as in Freeman's 'Tilly Witch' (1969), on associations of the witch with mischief and ill-temper. Even where the witch is positively represented, her goodness is frequently contrasted with more traditionally malign witches, as in Preussler's 'The Little Witch' (1961), and Stevenson's similar though more light-hearted 'Yuck!' (1985). Nevertheless, there have been some advances: Stephens has observed the consciously revisory stance of some recent novels, which substitute for the crone-witch a conception of the witch as wise woman. As he notes, such fictions provide social critique (Stephens 2003, p.201). In many cases, however (notably in Furlong's 'Wise Child' [1989]), the wise witch is still portrayed as rejected by her society, underlining her role as outsider and emphasizing that she remains a problematic figure.
They are wise and enigmatic figures who challenge the conventional notions of good and evil. The title story, "Kissing the Witch," exemplifies this theme. The story revolves around a young woman who seeks the help of a witch to escape a forced marriage. However, instead of granting her a magic spell or a potion, the witch engages her in a series of stories. Through storytelling, the young woman discovers her own agency and learns to trust her instincts. The act of kissing the witch at the end can be seen as a metaphorical representation of embracing one's own power and embracing the unknown. Not only does Donoghue challenge traditional gender roles in Kissing the Witch, but she also explores themes of sexuality and love. The stories have same-sex relationships and explore the complexities of desire and attraction. By including these elements, Donoghue challenges societal norms and expands the possibilities of love and connection. Overall, Kissing the Witch is a thought-provoking collection that not only reimagines familiar fairy tales but also explores the intricacies of female power and agency. It invites readers to question and challenge the narratives they have been told, and to embrace their own stories. Through its exploration of witches, gender roles, and love, the collection offers a fresh perspective on the traditional fairy tale genre..
Reviews for "The 'kissing tye witch' in popular culture: How it has found its way into movies, music, and fashion"
1. Emily - 2 stars - I really wanted to like "Kissing the Witch" as I'm a fan of fairy tale retellings, but this book fell flat for me. The stories lacked depth and the characters felt one-dimensional. Additionally, the writing style was choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to fully engage with the narratives. Overall, I felt disappointed and underwhelmed by this collection.
2. Jason - 1 star - "Kissing the Witch" did not live up to my expectations at all. The writing seemed overly simplistic and lacked the kind of complexity and nuance that I look for in fairy tales. The retellings felt rushed and superficial, leaving me feeling unsatisfied after each story. I found myself constantly questioning the purpose of these retellings and struggled to find any deeper meaning or insight within them. Overall, I regretted picking up this book and would not recommend it to others.
3. Samantha - 2 stars - I found "Kissing the Witch" to be a rather underwhelming collection of retold fairy tales. While the concept of exploring the female characters from classic tales is intriguing, the execution fell short. The writing style was overly poetic, making the stories feel unnecessarily convoluted and confusing. Furthermore, the narratives lacked cohesion and failed to provide a fresh perspective on the original tales. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to fellow fairy tale enthusiasts.