--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In England in the 19th century, advances…" description: "\"“In England in the 19th century, advances in printing methods, combined with the rise of a prosperous middle class, engendered a booming new industry o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/terri-windling-8504_books_in-england-in-the-19th-century-advances_177830.jpg" --- # In England in the 19th century, advances in printing… ![“In England in the 19th century, advances in printing methods, combined with the rise of a prosperous middle class, engendered a booming new industry of books published just for children. Casting about for cheap story material, English publishers laid hands on the subtle, sensual adult fairy tales…” quote by Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/terri-windling-8504_books_in-england-in-the-19th-century-advances_177830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/terri-windling-8504_books_in-england-in-the-19th-century-advances_177830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/terri-windling-8504_books_in-england-in-the-19th-century-advances_177830.jpg) > ““In England in the 19th century, advances in printing methods, combined with the rise of a prosperous middle class, engendered a booming new industry of books published just for children. Casting about for cheap story material, English publishers laid hands on the subtle, sensual adult fairy tales of the Continental tradition and revised them into simpler stories instilled with Victorian values. Although these simplified versions retained much of the violence of the older stories, elements of sexuality and moral complexity were carefully scrubbed away — along with the fiesty heroines who appeared everywhere in the older tales, tamed now into models of Victorian propiety and passivity. In the 20th century, the Walt Disney Studios watered down the tales further still in popular animated films like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, continuing the trend of turning active heroines into powerless damsels in distress. Walt Disney considered even the Victorian versions of the tales too dark for 20th century audiences. "It's just that people now don't want fairy stories the way they were written," Disney commented. "They were too rough." ”” [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Victorian and early 20th‑century publishers and Disney softened traditional fairy tales, removing sexual and moral complexity and turning strong heroines into passive figures. **In simple terms:** Old tales were sanitized for children, losing edge and agency. Key Takeaway Recognize how cultural values reshape stories over time. Themes literature culture gender media history Mood reflective critical nostalgic Type historical analytical commentary When to use this quote - publishing industry - family entertainment - educational curricula - media criticism Key Concepts censorship adaptation gender roles commercialization Questions to Reflect On - How does sanitizing stories affect children's perception of agency? - What is lost when complex narratives are made overly gentle? A Different Perspective Simplification can erase important cultural lessons and diverse character models. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animated Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animated-film/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairy stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-stories/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Fairy tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tales/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) ## Related quotes > [“I've been very influenced by folklore, fairy tales, and folk ballads, so I love all the classic works based on these things -- like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-ve-been-very-influenced-by-folklore-fairy-tales-and-folk-ballads-so/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [Alan Menken, for example, is one of my heroes for all of the music he's written for Disney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-koz/alan-menken-for-example-is-one-of-my-heroes-for-all-of-the-music-he-s/) [Dave Koz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-koz/) > [Fairy tales are more than true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/fairy-tales-are-more-than-true/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“I believe that the great stretches of forests in northern Europe, with their constant seasonal changes, their restricted views, their astonish biological diversity, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/i-believe-that-the-great-stretches-of-forests-in-northern-europe-with/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [“Now fairy stories are at risk too, like the forests. Padraic Column has suggested that artificial lighting dealt them a mortal wound: when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/now-fairy-stories-are-at-risk-too-like-the-forests-padraic-column-has/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [Though now we think of fairy tales as stories intended for very young children, this is a relatively modern idea. In the oral tradition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/though-now-we-think-of-fairy-tales-as-stories-intended-for-very-young/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“There were two things about this particular book ( The Golden Book of Fairy Tales ) that made it vital to the child I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/there-were-two-things-about-this-particular-book-the-golden-book-of/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“In the mid–path of my life, I woke to find myself in a dark wood,' writes Dante, in The Divine Comedy, beginning a quest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/in-the-mid-path-of-my-life-i-woke-to-find-myself-in-a-dark-wood/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Creators of literary fairy tales from the 17th-century onward include writers whose works are still widely read today: Charles Perrault (17th-century France), Hans Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/creators-of-literary-fairy-tales-from-the-17th-century-onward-include/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending; or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous "turn" (for there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/the-consolation-of-fairy-stories-the-joy-of-the-happy-ending-or-more/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/atheism-is-a-fairy-story-for-people-afraid-of-the-light/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [As a child, my mother told me lots of fairy stories, many her own invention. She, too, tended to reverse the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/as-a-child-my-mother-told-me-lots-of-fairy-stories-many-her-own/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [When my sister and I were very young, my father used to tell us fairy stories that he'd made up. My mother was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-my-sister-and-i-were-very-young-my-father-used-to-tell-us-fairy/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [“That girl has been listening,” she said. The culprit snatched up her brush, and scrambled to her feet. She caught at the coal box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/that-girl-has-been-listening-she-said-the-culprit-snatched-up-her/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More by Terri Windling > [“I've been very influenced by folklore, fairy tales, and folk ballads, so I love all the classic works based on these things -- like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-ve-been-very-influenced-by-folklore-fairy-tales-and-folk-ballads-so/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Don’t be afraid to be weird, don’t be afraid to be different, don’t worry too much about what other people think. Whatever it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/don-t-be-afraid-to-be-weird-don-t-be-afraid-to-be-different-don-t/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [What I find interesting about folklore is the dialogue it gives us with storytellers from centuries past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/what-i-find-interesting-about-folklore-is-the-dialogue-it-gives-us/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Lately, because computer technology has made self-publishing an easier and less expensive venture, I'm getting a lot of review copies of amateur books by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/lately-because-computer-technology-has-made-self-publishing-an-easier/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life," said Simone de Beauvoir. "I want to be a woman and to be a man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-said-simone-de/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I wish I could have known Barbara Bodichon -- and her whole vibrant circle of smart, fearless women friends. I'd like to gather them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-wish-i-could-have-known-barbara-bodichon-and-her-whole-vibrant/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Twelve years ago I left Boston and New York, and moved east and west at the same time. East, to a little village in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/twelve-years-ago-i-left-boston-and-new-york-and-moved-east-and-west/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I lived in New York City back in the 1980s, which is when the Bordertown series was created. New York was a different place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-lived-in-new-york-city-back-in-the-1980s-which-is-when-the/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Border crossing' is a recurrent theme in all aspects of my work -- editing, writing, and painting. I'm interested in the various ways artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/border-crossing-is-a-recurrent-theme-in-all-aspects-of-my-work/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/a-good-novel-editor-is-invisible/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [My book collection is primarily in America, since that's where I've lived most of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/my-book-collection-is-primarily-in-america-since-that-s-where-i-ve/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Trickster foxes appear in old stories gathered from countries and cultures all over the world -- including Aesop's Fables from ancient Greece, the "Reynard"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/trickster-foxes-appear-in-old-stories-gathered-from-countries-and/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Creators of literary fairy tales from the 17th-century onward include writers whose works are still widely read today: Charles Perrault (17th-century France), Hans Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/creators-of-literary-fairy-tales-from-the-17th-century-onward-include/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Oh, don't get me started! I love fantasy, I read it for pleasure, even after all these years. Pat McKillip, Ursula Le Guin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/oh-don-t-get-me-started-i-love-fantasy-i-read-it-for-pleasure-even/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [I'm an artist, I'm not an academic folklorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-m-an-artist-i-m-not-an-academic-folklorist/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) [Explore all 80 Terri Windling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In England in the 19th century, advances in printing methods, combined with the rise of a prosperous middle class, engendered a booming new industry of books published just for children. Casting about for cheap story material, English publishers laid hands on the subtle, sensual adult fairy tales of the Continental tradition and revised them into simpler stories instilled with Victorian values. Although these simplified versions retained much of the violence of the older stories, elements of sexuality and moral complexity were carefully scrubbed away — along with the fiesty heroines who appeared everywhere in the older tales, tamed now into models of Victorian propiety and passivity. In the 20th century, the Walt Disney Studios watered down the tales further still in popular animated films like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, continuing the trend of turning active heroines into powerless damsels in distress. 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