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Showing posts from May, 2012

Emigration of fairies to Australia

I am intrigued that a reviewer suggests that Australia was a better environment for European fairies and that they had migrated for a better life.  ‘It may be mentioned that it has transpired that the fairies were so much disturbed, during the last 50 years, by iron railways and ploughing in the Old Country that they left it for Australia, and it is told in the most interesting and simple language how much good they did in this country’ (Australian Fairy Tales, Australian Town and Country Journal 1879:16). Recognition of the merit of Australian fairytales by the Australian public   wa s certainly indicated by the presentation to the Duke and Duchess of York and Cornwall, on a tour of Australia in 1901, of a casket containing twelve Australian books for their children. Five of the twelve books were fairytales or fantasy: Fairy Stories, by Charles L. Marson; Australian Fairy Tales, by Atha Westbury; Spirit of the 'Bush Fire , by J. M. Whitfield; Australian Wonderland, by A.