Characters in fairy tales are easy to identify with, yet are not highly individualized. Perrault does not describe the personality or appearance of his characters in detail; the heroes and heroines of his stories can easily stand for countless other young men and women.

Perrault ended his fairy tales with morals, but almost all critics feel that these lessons are not essential to his stories. In this edition the morals have been included in an appendix.

With the exception of "Little Red Ridinghood," the stories tend to end happily, with good triumphing over evil.

Another possible exception is "Puss in Boots," in which the hero triumphs, but is of questionable moral stature.

The most common theme in fairy tales is the process of maturation. Characters like Cinderella and Rickety Topknot marry and assume a place in their society. The fairy tales of Perrault have...