Cupid and Psyche for Children

Although the narrative of Cupid and Psyche contains many elements that feature in traditional fairy tales throughout the Western world, there are also aspects of the myth that may not seem particularly suitable for the young. Nevertheless, the story has long been beloved of authors of juvenile literature, and throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries the story has appeared in multiple versions for children, all of which must deal with the issue of how exactly to adapt or ‘censor’ the story foryouth.¹ In this paper I provide a chronological overview of the various retellings of the myth, examining how it has bee