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Welcome to the first installment of Bookgazing's Fairytale Feature (yep all that time looking for a name really paid off). During the last week of every month I'll be making assumptions about classic fairytales, reading and re-reading them, then shaking my head at how wrong my first impressions of that story were. I'll also be reading as many older versions of the story as I can and stuffing in some modern versions of that fairytale. I encourage you to read along with me and post your ideas about the fairytales I select (be sure to suggest plenty of stories we could read).
It’s time for my initial, uninformed impressions of Cinderella, before I go on to read the original story by Charles Perrault. Oh what fun we’ll all have discovering how Disney has stealthily infiltrated my brain.
For me Cinderella has always been the ultimate makeover story. Girl gets fabulous outfit and meets the man of her dreams who, after a bit of confusion marries her. I think that’s why I never had much time for Cinderella when I was younger. I liked chick-lit well enough but I want a bit more substance from my fairytales. The entire Disney film seems to focus on the heroine getting a dress to wear to the ball. The amount of chick-lit that is obliquely based on the Cinderella story has served to solidify the impression that Cinderella is just another girl looking for the perfect shoes.
As I’ve gotten older makeover montage scenes have become my favourite part of teen films and chick-flicks. I love a good makeover story, as long as it comes with a discussion of the conflicting ideas surrounding makeover culture. However the glass slippers remind me of the marketing message that dominates in our society, where women are encouraged to believe that if they find and buy the right kind of magical object, like a certain pair of shoes, or a dress, love will follow. This idea can be just as harmful to women as the idea that a makeover fixes everything. I think that when novels use Cinderella’s story as a basis they must include some responsible ideas about the limitations of makeovers, as well as a celebration of change.
Lots of books that feature poor girls making their fortunes are often tagged as ‘Cinderella stories’ as Cinders goes from a downtrodden girl in rags to the bride of a prince, but I’m not sure these stories really have that much in common with the fairytale. Cinderella may be treated like a servant, but her father is the king and she doesn’t make her own fortune, she marries into one with a little magical help. Cinderella embodies the spirit of a life makeover and shows how women might have changed their lives for the better at the time Charles Perrault was writing, but the narrative needs to be drastically reshaped to apply to most modern women. It’s also important to remember that the prince may not have been so keen to marry Cinders if she’d been genuinely poor, rather than a princess forcibly ‘disguised’ as a servant.
I think this is one of those fairytales where the villains are horribly punished. I can’t remember how but I’m looking forward to seeing some straightforward justice dealt out. There will be plenty of time for mitigating circumstances and some spirited revisionist fiction later but sometimes it’s nice to see some truly bad guys get what they deserve. Does that make me sound bloodthirsty?
If you haven’t read ‘Cinderella’ what impressions do you have about the story and where do they come from?
Next: Read-along with ‘Cinderella’ – tomorrow I clue you in on where to find free sources for the story and ask you to read along with me, posting your views as we go.
It’s time for my initial, uninformed impressions of Cinderella, before I go on to read the original story by Charles Perrault. Oh what fun we’ll all have discovering how Disney has stealthily infiltrated my brain.
For me Cinderella has always been the ultimate makeover story. Girl gets fabulous outfit and meets the man of her dreams who, after a bit of confusion marries her. I think that’s why I never had much time for Cinderella when I was younger. I liked chick-lit well enough but I want a bit more substance from my fairytales. The entire Disney film seems to focus on the heroine getting a dress to wear to the ball. The amount of chick-lit that is obliquely based on the Cinderella story has served to solidify the impression that Cinderella is just another girl looking for the perfect shoes.
As I’ve gotten older makeover montage scenes have become my favourite part of teen films and chick-flicks. I love a good makeover story, as long as it comes with a discussion of the conflicting ideas surrounding makeover culture. However the glass slippers remind me of the marketing message that dominates in our society, where women are encouraged to believe that if they find and buy the right kind of magical object, like a certain pair of shoes, or a dress, love will follow. This idea can be just as harmful to women as the idea that a makeover fixes everything. I think that when novels use Cinderella’s story as a basis they must include some responsible ideas about the limitations of makeovers, as well as a celebration of change.
Lots of books that feature poor girls making their fortunes are often tagged as ‘Cinderella stories’ as Cinders goes from a downtrodden girl in rags to the bride of a prince, but I’m not sure these stories really have that much in common with the fairytale. Cinderella may be treated like a servant, but her father is the king and she doesn’t make her own fortune, she marries into one with a little magical help. Cinderella embodies the spirit of a life makeover and shows how women might have changed their lives for the better at the time Charles Perrault was writing, but the narrative needs to be drastically reshaped to apply to most modern women. It’s also important to remember that the prince may not have been so keen to marry Cinders if she’d been genuinely poor, rather than a princess forcibly ‘disguised’ as a servant.
I think this is one of those fairytales where the villains are horribly punished. I can’t remember how but I’m looking forward to seeing some straightforward justice dealt out. There will be plenty of time for mitigating circumstances and some spirited revisionist fiction later but sometimes it’s nice to see some truly bad guys get what they deserve. Does that make me sound bloodthirsty?
If you haven’t read ‘Cinderella’ what impressions do you have about the story and where do they come from?
Next: Read-along with ‘Cinderella’ – tomorrow I clue you in on where to find free sources for the story and ask you to read along with me, posting your views as we go.