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Beastly
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16 February 2026

Everyone is familiar with the tale: a man marries a woman, and she transforms into a crane. Or a seal. Or a bear. Or a woman marries a beast, who transforms into a man; or a man who transforms into a beast. Tales of shapeshifting animal spouses have long been a staple of folklore around the world.
In this collection, fantasy and fairy tale scholar Jennifer Pullen selects fourteen classic tales that explore the boundary between the human and the beastly, showing how their telling and retelling reflects a constant longing for–and terror of–what seems to be “other.”
- Cupid and Psyche By Lucius Apuleius
- The Green Serpent By Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy
- Beauty and the Beast By Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont
- The White Cat By Madame D’Aulnoy
- The Little Mermaid By Hans Christian Andersen
- The Fisherman and his Soul By Oscar Wilde
- East of the Sun and West of the Moon By Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe
- The She-Bear By Giambattista Basile
- Mr. Fox By Joseph Jacobs
- Bisclavret By Marie de France
- The Good Man O’ Wastness By Walter Traill Dennison
- The Robe of Feathers By Grace James
- The Fair Melusina By Horace E Scudder
- Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride By Reverend Charles Swynnerton