The fairy tale is a more widely varied type than either of the others mentioned; it has wide ramifications, and has been loved by people in many times and places. At first glance, it may seem almost futile to include it here, for most fairy tales, folk lore, and mythology have sprung out of the imaginations of primitive peoples, and do not lend themselves readily to sophisticated invention. Nevertheless, the old favorites demand retelling for almost every generation, and we have some lovely modern tales in which the old elements are recombined most effectively. What these elements are, any child can tell you: that in fairy tales all sorts of kinships between people and animals may well be expected, that stepmothers are always cruel, that younger sisters triumph, and that beauty and virtue are vindicated through patience and fortitude. Besides these familiar rules, collections of folk lore or books on mythology will furnish a host of other stock situations and introduce a variety of superhuman characters from the Toomtegoobe of the Scandinavians to the Banshee of the Irish. The fairy tale is often written very simply, but it permits of a more elaborate style, and sometimes illustrates the effectiveness of refrains by the repetition of a formula such as the doves’ warning in _Cinderella_, “There’s blood on the shoe! There’s blood on the shoe!” Vivid descriptions help to create atmosphere, and a graceful and colorful style carries the modern reader into an appreciation of the imaginative material, which might otherwise seem only unreal. In _The King’s Barn_ are to be found one after another of the stock situations and characters of fairy lore, the maiden in distress, the lad subjected to magical tests, the supernatural smithy, and many others, bound into a radiant whole by the serenely picturesque style of the author. Not all people can appreciate fairy tales, and only those with sensitive and exuberant imaginations will be able to write them, but the selections in this section show something of the charm that may be given them by an artist’s hand. In beginning, it may be well to remember the following suggestions: 1. Make your style plain and simple in fables, dignified and serious in parables, and as graceful and colorful as you can in fairy tales. 2. Retell some of your childhood favorites without reference to any book, paying particular attention to style. 3. Try expanding proverbs into fables, using familiar animals, and remembering to keep each true to his traditional character. 4. From such a collection as _English and Scottish Popular Ballads_, choose a ballad and turn it into a fairy tale, retaining any suitable refrain. F. del P. THE KING’S BARN ELEANOR FARJEON