Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault (1628–1703) was a French writer and member of the Académie Française, best known for helping establish the literary fairy tale as a popular genre. His collection Histoires ou contes du temps passé (1697), also known as Tales of Mother Goose, included enduring stories such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots. Perrault’s elegant retellings drew on traditional folk stories and became influential throughout European literature.