Fairy tales - conte de fées (France)

Japanese: 妖精物語 - ようせいものがたり（英語表記）conte de fées[フランス]

In the narrow sense, it refers to supernatural stories featuring fairies, and in the broad sense, it generally refers to literary works full of fantasy and mystery aimed at children (similar to the German word "merchen" or the Japanese word "otogibanashi"). Its precursors can be found in the ancient myths and legends of European peoples, as well as in legends such as The Thousand and One Nights, but since the Middle Ages it has developed into a unique genre of oral literature, and gradually came to be written down. In particular, retellings and creations by certain authors became popular at the court and salons of France in the late 17th century, and these spread to other countries, exerting a major influence on the establishment of modern children's literature.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

狭義では妖精の登場する超自然的な物語を，広義では概して子ども向けの，空想と不可思議にみちた文学作品(ドイツ語の〈メルヘン〉や日本語の〈おとぎばなし〉に近い)を指す。古くはヨーロッパ諸民族の神話や伝説，また《千夜一夜物語》のような伝奇にもその先駆があるが，中世以来，独自の口承文学のジャンルとして発展し，しだいに文章化されるようになる。とくに17世紀末フランスの宮廷やサロンで，特定の作家による再話や創作が流行しはじめ，それらが各国にひろまり，近代児童文学の成立に大きな影響を及ぼす。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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