TheMotherGooseStoriessowellknowntochildrenalloverthewordarecommonlysaidtohavebeenwrittenbyalittleoldwomanforhergrandchildren.AccordingtosomepeopleshelivedinBostonandherrealnamewasElizabethVergoose.Herson-in-lawaprinternamedThomasFleetwassupposedtohavepublishedthefamousstoriesandpoemsforsmallchildrenin1719.Howevernocopyofthisbookhaseverbeenfoundandmostscholarsdoubtthetruthofthisstory—anddoubtmoreoverthatMotherGoosewaseverarealperson.TheypointoutthatthenameisadirecttranslationoftheFrench“MereI’Oye.”In1697theFrenchmanCharlesPerraultpublishedthefirstbookinwhichthisnamewasused.Thecollectioncontainseighttalesincluding“SleepingBeauty”“Cinderella”and“PussinBoots.”ButPerraultdidnotoriginatethesestories;theywerealreadyquitepopularinhisdayandheonlycollectedthem.
In1729thereappearedanEnglishtranslationofPerrault’scollectionRobertSamber’sHistoriesorTalesofPasttimesToldbyMotherGoose(London1729)whichintroduced“SleepingBeauty”“LittleRed-hood”“PussinBoots””Cinderella”andotherPerrault’stalestoEnglish-speakingaudiences.Thesewerefairytales(童话)。JohnNewberypublishedabookofEnglishrhymes，MotherGoose’sMelodyorSonnetsfortheCradle(Londonundated1765)whichswitchedthefocusfromfairytaletonursery rhymesandinEnglishthiswasuntilrecentlytheprimarymeaningforMotherGoose.AbookofpoemsforchildrenentitledMotherGoose’sMelodywaspublishedinEnglandin1781andthename“MotherGoose”hasbeenassociatedwithchildren’spoetryeversince.
【小题1】Whatissupposedtohavehappenedin1719?
