Philip Pullman on Retelling the Grimms' Fairy Tales

"But my interest has always been in how the tales worked as stories. So I decided to retell the best and most interesting of them, clearing out of the way anything that would prevent them from running freely... I just wanted to produce a version that was as clear as water. My guiding question has been: 'How would I tell this story myself, if I'd heard it told by someone else and wanted to pass it on?'"

 An excerpt from Philip Pullman's essay “The Challenge of Retelling Grimms’ Fairy Tales” found in The Gaurdian. An insightful examination of the fairy tale and how to keep it "true to form."