FAIRIES: A DANGEROUS HISTORY

Book ID/图书代码： 14932919C00018

English Summary/英文概要： Don’t be fooled by Tinkerbell and her pixie dust—the real fairies were dangerous. In the late seventeenth century, they could still scare people to death. Little wonder, as they were thought to be descended from the Fallen Angels and to have the power to destroy the world itself. Despite their modern image as gauzy playmates, fairies caused ordinary people to flee their homes out of fear, to revere fairy trees and paths, and to abuse or even kill infants or adults held to be fairy changelings. Such beliefs, along with some remarkably detailed sightings, lingered on in places well into the twentieth century. Often associated with witchcraft and black magic, fairies were also closely involved with reports of ghosts and poltergeists.

In literature and art, the fairies still retained this edge of danger. From the wild magic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, through the dark glamour of Keats, Christina Rosetti’s improbably erotic poem “Goblin Market,” or the paintings inspired by opium dreams, the amoral otherness of the fairies ran side-by-side with the newly delicate or feminized creations of the Victorian world. In the past thirty years, the enduring link between fairies and nature has been robustly exploited by eco-warriors and conservationists, from Ireland to Iceland. As changeable as changelings themselves, fairies have transformed over time like no other supernatural beings. And in this book, Richard Sugg tells the story of how the fairies went from terror to Tink.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 說到「仙子」（FAIRIES）這個詞，你會想到什麼？
你也許會想到童話故事或迪士尼動畫電影中有著迷人女孩外表、長著翅膀的可愛生物，然而，在人類歷史的演進中，曾經「仙子」是危險的代表，曾經人們真的相信仙子的存在，至少他們也會聲稱他們相信，以避免說自己不相信而引來危險，這種對仙子的恐懼有點像現代人對鬼的存在「寧可信其有」的態度。

在十七世紀，仙子可以讓人嚇死，他們曾經被視為是墮落天使，有能力摧毀整個世界，雖然現在它在卡通中被視為是迷人的玩伴，但在傳說的最早期時，人們對仙子的恐懼致使他們相信仙子會將人抓走，他們因此崇拜仙女樹，甚至因為害怕而殘殺被認為是仙子變形的嬰兒或成人。

從危險的存在到現在劃歸為兒童領域的「仙子」，在歷史中發生了什麼事？為什麼會有如此巨大的改變？曾經，在莎士比亞（仲夏夜之夢）以及彌爾頓（失樂園）的年代，人們至少會因為害怕而說自己相信仙子，到後來，「相信仙子」本身才變成一件危險的事，前者的危險來自於超自然的力量，而後者的危險則來自於社會的力量。

當女巫、惡魔、鬼魂、吸血鬼或殭屍，在現代持續承載著恐懼的象徵，「仙子」卻被貶入幼稚的領域，這是否是因為過去真正相信仙子的鄉野農村沒有人受過教育、有能力將仙子的傳說延續下去？

本書藉由探討「仙子」的歷史以及人類對於「仙子」觀點和態度的發展，以引人入勝的話題切入，討論範圍含蓋文學、神話、藝術、色情、童話、生態觀等等，寫出一部關於人類信仰、文化、思想和文明的發展史。 (Zoe)

Awards/获奖情况："Sugg’s book is in itself a kind of bewitchment, shimmering and eloquent, written with a certain ironic awareness and in the spirit of surrender to unknowing. As he notes: ’Magic was before science and will be after it. Fairies live longer than pedagogues.’" ― Australian

"[Delves] at length, and with admirable knowledge and insight, into contemporary media spins on [its] respective totems. . . . Thoroughly researched and richly illustrated chronicles of the folkloric and literary pedigrees of [its] subject creatures." -- Bob Duffy ― Washington Independent Review of Books

"Sugg . . . wants to disabuse you of any nonsense you may harbor about fairies being small, whimsical, and affectionate. The fact is, for much of recorded history they were regarded as dangerous and malicious. Traditional fairy belief has it that they were the original fallen angels, who accompanied the Proud Angel to a realm between Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Sugg writes well, and amusingly, about the evolution of fairies from Terror to Tinkerbell." -- Sarah Murdoch ― Toronto Star

"Far from the innocuous flutterings of Disney films, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries fairies were often regarded as dangerous creatures. Abduction, murder, being forced to dance to death: these were only a few of the fates they could hand out, and people lived in real fear of their otherworldly strangeness. This account of apparent ’sightings,’ and what they tell us about wider society, makes for compelling reading." ― History Revealed

"An intriguing book that makes you view nature’s unknown worlds very differently." ― Yorkshire Gazette and Herald

"Faeries. Fairies. The fae. However you spell it, nothing brings the warmer months to life like the mythical lore of fairies. . . . Brilliantly researched and compellingly written, this book delves deeply into the darker side of fairy folklore. From fairy poltergeists to fallen angels, Sugg takes us on a journey through a haunted garden of mythical delights." ― Moody Moons

"A refreshing look at the fascinating, dark, and dangerous folkloric fairy, . . . the book is a charming read for interested general readers and a timely scholarly update on the fairy problem. . . . It is a very useful addition to the modern fairy enthusiast’s Cabinet des Fées." ― Gramarye

"A richly detailed look at fairies in art and literature, emphasizing the Elizabethan period through our own. . . . Sugg is always careful to differentiate firsthand narratives from widely accepted legends and to note the source and date and circumstances of a given account, but he emphasizes sources that treat their subjects with personal interest rather than as a tool of academic analysis. He is interested in everything the fairies might mean, but especially in what they are: powerful, inscrutable beings at home in a world of their own and capable of significant incursions into ours." ― Weekly Standard

About the Author/作者介绍： Richard Sugg is the author of eight books, including Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires; A Century of Ghost Stories; and A Singing Mouse at Buckingham Palace.

Format:HARDCOVER

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：

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