The Ridiculous Wishes
The Ridiculous Wishes, by Charles Perrault: A young man, tired of his mundane life, makes a series of absurd wishes to a genie, including the ability to fly without any training or practice.
By Charles Perrault · First published 1697 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature · 1,515 words
First lines
In days long past there lived a poor woodcutter who found life very hard. Indeed, it was his lot to toil for little guerdon, and although he was young and happily married there were moments when he wished himself dead and below ground.
One day while at his work he was again lamenting his fate.
What this Textopian page supports
The Ridiculous Wishes is listed on Textopian as a short story by Charles Perrault, dated 1697 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Charles Perrault
- Date: 1697 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Classic Literature, Adventure
- Length: 1,515 words
- Structure: 1 section, 28 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Ridiculous Wishes by Charles Perrault
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Ridiculous Wishes?
- How does this short story by Charles Perrault fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fairy Tale first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The White Cat by Gelett Burgess
- Little One Eye Little Two Eyes And Little Three Eyes by Dinah Mulock
- The Fairy by Charles Perrault
- The Water Drops A Fairy Tale by Charles Dickens
- Mr Wicked Wolf by David Cory
- Puss In Boots Jr And The Good Gray Horse by David Cory
Genres
- Fairy Tale — The book 'The Ridiculous Wishes' is a piece written by Charles Perrault, well-known for his fairy tales. The book features magic and folkloric characters, central to the genre of fairy tales.
- Fantasy — The book tells a story with supernatural elements such as talking trees and fulfilling of three wishes, which is a significant characteristic of the Fantasy genre.
- Children's Literature — As with most of Perrault's works, 'The Ridiculous Wishes' is intended for children, with its simple language, magical elements and moral teaching making it a part of Children's Literature.
- Classic Literature — This book, like Charles Perrault's other works, is considered Classic Literature due to its age, enduring popularity, and the fact that it has become a standard in its genre.
Tags
fairy tale · wishes · magic · humor · morality · consequences · fantasy · adventure · imagination · fable · cautionary tale · animals