Jack in the Wide World Part 1: Jack Tales in Literature
Posted by: Stephen Winick
We continue to explore the tradition of Jack tales, this time looking at the way they emerge into literature. In this post, we look at fantasy novels and short stories inspired by Jack, created by such authors as Leo Tolstoy, William Morris, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, Rachel Pollack, Charles de Lint, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Michael Buckley, Chris Colfer, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Gregory Mone, and Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. We’ll also look at a few works of more realist fiction, including the Jack Aubrey novels by Patrick O’Brian and the Jack Reacher series created by Lee Child, uncovering the folktale underpinnings of a lot of classic and contemporary literature. We include links to orally told folktales, as well as author talks at the National Book Festival.
Posted in: Jack Tale History, Jack Tales, Narratives, Storytelling