Desperate times call for desperate measures. There is no other explanation for the unkindness invoked on two poor little children by their parents. The tale of Hansel and Gretel was first told during a time when famine was far from uncommon. Therefore, it quite obvious why it was the concept of famine and food that helped propel one of the Brothers Grimm versions, “Hansel and Gretel” and Charles Perrault’s “Little Thumbling”. However, after reading multiple versions of Hansel and Gretel, I’ve noticed that it wasn’t famine alone that shaped the tale. In fact the Brothers Grimm version “The Juniper Tree” and Joseph Jacobs “The Rose Tree” present the idea of the uncaring stepmother infamous with other fairy tales, and the cruelty and jealousy that comes with them. Like the tales of Snow White and Cinderella, the selfish stepmother conceives a plan with the attempt to bring down the hero, but as always the result of said plan is ultimately the death of the wicked person seeking revenge. This is not really the case in Charles Perrault’s “Little Thumbling”, instead the father who suggests his boys be taken out into the forest is not punished, but rewarded with a new position and the gold of an ogre. As important as parental figures, greed, and even witchcraft are to the tale, the most important idea, concept, item that helped shape the story of Hansel and Gretel was food.
The Classic Fairy Tales book discusses the importance of food in the introduction to Hansel and Gretel, “Food-its presence and its absence-shapes the social world of fairy tales in profound ways” (Tatar 179). Seemingly glutton children eating a house made of sweets and engulfing pancakes and stews, no doubt helped to show the struggles and strife faced by the young children in the stories. I would say that food definitely shaped the tale of Hansel and Gretel far more than in the other fairy tales we’ve read this semester, but nonetheless food was strongly present in the other tales and added to the story in some way or another. For example, in Delarue’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, Red eats her grandmother and drinks her blood, which was just the beginning of a series of missteps that Red took before finally escaping the Wolf. In “Donkeyskin” a version of Cinderella, the cake she makes which includes her ring helps the prince to find her after the whole village tries the ring on. Bread was the food of choice used in “The Frog Princess” and it was part of a test used by a father to see which of his daughter-in-laws was the best. Lastly, the iconic apple of the Snow White fairy tales unquestionably fashioned the tale, it was what led to her “coma” or sorts and was the reason for the evil queen’s short lived success story.
Food is or can be associated with family, friends, money, status, time, and culture. This just further proves why it was such a useful tool in propelling fairy tales. Ultimately the food shapes fairly tales as much as it shapes our day to day lives.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Time
Have you have uttered the words I wish I just had more time or there’s not
enough time in the day? Surely you have, we all have at some point or another.With
this week the clocks changing and being set back an hour, the hope by many is to gain
an extra hour of time, but will it really make any difference? No is the likely
answer because time is constantly shrinking as our days go on and our schedules
fill up. The concept of time varies from person to person, but in all reality are
the viewpoints really all that different?
According to Theory Toolbox, “we experience time in individual, often
idiosyncratic ways, but these experiences are also shaped by larger social
processes” (Bowman and Littlefield 111). I agree that we all do experience time
individually, but our concept of time is constantly being pulled backed and forth
between us and our place in society, whether it be school, work, family, etc. I
have my personal time, or at least what one could consider personal time, but that
is only when I am free of obligations to spend time at school or work. My time is
only a portion of what I have left after the rest of it has been occupied by
school, work, family, friends, and daily chores. I guess sleeping could probably
be considered “my time”, but in all reality the typical five to six hours a night
that I do get really don’t make me feel like free time or personal time, they are
more like intervals necessary for survival to make it through what the times of
tomorrow will bring. We all know what tomorrow will bring and that is waking up in
the morning or late afternoon, depending on age, to begin the rat race that is
called a day.
A day consists of 24 hours, but with a set portion set aside for sleeping, it’s
now down to around 16 hours. Society sets in place where, how, and when your time
should be spent, overall making it something that you, an individual, is not in
control of. For example, are kids at home between 8:00am and 3:00pm watching TV or
playing video games? No because society tells us that kids are supposed to be in
school learning during those times. How about that dreaded 9:00-5:00 time frame?
Well that is of course the typical work day, the time when people sit behind
cubicles or have business meetings or type so many words per minute on their
desktop. As these people all sit in their preset places they watch as the clocks
slowly tick by and wonder if they will have enough time to complete all that is
left in their day.
I think we like to hold on to the idea of having our own time, but aside from
sleep, time is ruled by everything we have to do for everyone else, not by us.
Most people find themselves in the same situations, days occupied by work or
school or family and just trying to get it all done. Our time is occupied and
therefore shaped by our surroundings and the experiences we have with the world
everyday. Basically, time has been neatly organized by the society we live in.
enough time in the day? Surely you have, we all have at some point or another.With
this week the clocks changing and being set back an hour, the hope by many is to gain
an extra hour of time, but will it really make any difference? No is the likely
answer because time is constantly shrinking as our days go on and our schedules
fill up. The concept of time varies from person to person, but in all reality are
the viewpoints really all that different?
According to Theory Toolbox, “we experience time in individual, often
idiosyncratic ways, but these experiences are also shaped by larger social
processes” (Bowman and Littlefield 111). I agree that we all do experience time
individually, but our concept of time is constantly being pulled backed and forth
between us and our place in society, whether it be school, work, family, etc. I
have my personal time, or at least what one could consider personal time, but that
is only when I am free of obligations to spend time at school or work. My time is
only a portion of what I have left after the rest of it has been occupied by
school, work, family, friends, and daily chores. I guess sleeping could probably
be considered “my time”, but in all reality the typical five to six hours a night
that I do get really don’t make me feel like free time or personal time, they are
more like intervals necessary for survival to make it through what the times of
tomorrow will bring. We all know what tomorrow will bring and that is waking up in
the morning or late afternoon, depending on age, to begin the rat race that is
called a day.
A day consists of 24 hours, but with a set portion set aside for sleeping, it’s
now down to around 16 hours. Society sets in place where, how, and when your time
should be spent, overall making it something that you, an individual, is not in
control of. For example, are kids at home between 8:00am and 3:00pm watching TV or
playing video games? No because society tells us that kids are supposed to be in
school learning during those times. How about that dreaded 9:00-5:00 time frame?
Well that is of course the typical work day, the time when people sit behind
cubicles or have business meetings or type so many words per minute on their
desktop. As these people all sit in their preset places they watch as the clocks
slowly tick by and wonder if they will have enough time to complete all that is
left in their day.
I think we like to hold on to the idea of having our own time, but aside from
sleep, time is ruled by everything we have to do for everyone else, not by us.
Most people find themselves in the same situations, days occupied by work or
school or family and just trying to get it all done. Our time is occupied and
therefore shaped by our surroundings and the experiences we have with the world
everyday. Basically, time has been neatly organized by the society we live in.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Cinderella
“Cinderella has been reinvented by so many different cultures that it is hardly
surprising to find that she is sometimes cruel and vindictive, at other times
compassionate and kind” (Tatar 102). It’s hard to take those words to heart
because for so long, the image of Cinderella, at least in American culture, has
been of a content beautiful blonde wearing a gorgeous ball gown dancing the night
away with Prince Charming. That description is the iconic one presented by Walt
Disney in the 1950 film Cinderella. However, after reading the different versions
of Cinderella’s tale, I must agree with Tatar in that she has been reinvented and
her tale does vary from culture to culture. For example, in some versions the plot
is formed around the struggle between Cinderella, the heroine, and her evil
stepmother and stepsisters, but in other versions the struggle is between
Cinderella and her father full of desire and lust. In any case as similar or
different as all the versions are, they have all helped taken part in shaping what
we now consider a heroine or an ideal princess.
The Classic fairy tales book mentions that the plots of Cinderella are driven by
two different things, depending on the tale. The first, and most commonly
associated with Cinderella, is the jealousy of Cinderella’s stepmother and
stepsisters and there uncanny need to put her to domestic work. The second, which
came as a completely new idea to me, is the idea of Cinderella’s father desiring
her to become his wife because she is the most beautiful, wise, and accomplished
of all women. The plot driven by jealousy makes the tale of Cinderella mirror the
plot in the tales of Snow White. However, I felt as though the focus of
Cinderella, at least in the versions we read for class, was less on the ongoing
competition between Cinderella and her stepmother and more on Cinderella making a
life for herself away from her familiar home. I think the same could be said about
the struggle between Cinderella and her father, with the exception that while
enjoying her new life away from home she still wants to check back in with her
father ad see that he is alive and well.
In the differing version there are different items that represent what we know
as the iconic glass slipper and the fairy godmother figure. In “Yeh-hsien” the
bones of a fish have the magical powers that help Yeh-hsien to get all that she
wanted. Charles Perrault’s “Donkeyskin” there is actually a fairy figure that
helps the princess and this time it was the ring that she baked into the cake that
was what all the maidens attempted to make fit them. In “Lin Lan” the bones of a
yellow cow and a magical giving tree to get her what she wants. The Brothers Grimm
version is the basis for the iconic glass slipper that is well-known today and
also the basis for the Disney film. Although differing from culture to culture the
tale of Cinderella remains an everlasting tale of a young maiden finding her place
in the world.
surprising to find that she is sometimes cruel and vindictive, at other times
compassionate and kind” (Tatar 102). It’s hard to take those words to heart
because for so long, the image of Cinderella, at least in American culture, has
been of a content beautiful blonde wearing a gorgeous ball gown dancing the night
away with Prince Charming. That description is the iconic one presented by Walt
Disney in the 1950 film Cinderella. However, after reading the different versions
of Cinderella’s tale, I must agree with Tatar in that she has been reinvented and
her tale does vary from culture to culture. For example, in some versions the plot
is formed around the struggle between Cinderella, the heroine, and her evil
stepmother and stepsisters, but in other versions the struggle is between
Cinderella and her father full of desire and lust. In any case as similar or
different as all the versions are, they have all helped taken part in shaping what
we now consider a heroine or an ideal princess.
The Classic fairy tales book mentions that the plots of Cinderella are driven by
two different things, depending on the tale. The first, and most commonly
associated with Cinderella, is the jealousy of Cinderella’s stepmother and
stepsisters and there uncanny need to put her to domestic work. The second, which
came as a completely new idea to me, is the idea of Cinderella’s father desiring
her to become his wife because she is the most beautiful, wise, and accomplished
of all women. The plot driven by jealousy makes the tale of Cinderella mirror the
plot in the tales of Snow White. However, I felt as though the focus of
Cinderella, at least in the versions we read for class, was less on the ongoing
competition between Cinderella and her stepmother and more on Cinderella making a
life for herself away from her familiar home. I think the same could be said about
the struggle between Cinderella and her father, with the exception that while
enjoying her new life away from home she still wants to check back in with her
father ad see that he is alive and well.
In the differing version there are different items that represent what we know
as the iconic glass slipper and the fairy godmother figure. In “Yeh-hsien” the
bones of a fish have the magical powers that help Yeh-hsien to get all that she
wanted. Charles Perrault’s “Donkeyskin” there is actually a fairy figure that
helps the princess and this time it was the ring that she baked into the cake that
was what all the maidens attempted to make fit them. In “Lin Lan” the bones of a
yellow cow and a magical giving tree to get her what she wants. The Brothers Grimm
version is the basis for the iconic glass slipper that is well-known today and
also the basis for the Disney film. Although differing from culture to culture the
tale of Cinderella remains an everlasting tale of a young maiden finding her place
in the world.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Snow White...Deserving of Being Iconic?
Growing up as a child I watched Disney films ranging from Pinocchio to the Lion King, including the iconic classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I didn’t realize it until a few days ago when I saw the film for the first time in probably ten years, but Snow White seems like a very plain character. There isn’t much to her. Also in the film version she is far more annoying than I remember. Don’t get me wrong I do think that Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a classic and should be seen by all, but I don’t think the character of Snow White should reign supreme on the top of any best character lists.
The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was based of the Brothers Grimm tale of Snow White and throughout the film there are clear correlations. However, there were points in the film where there were attempts to follow the Brothers Grimm version, but were presented in a way that came off as just confusing or strange. One such point would be early on in the film when Snow White is in the forest and just barely escapes the knife of the huntsman and the evil forest. She is naïve and ignorant to what all is going on, preoccupied with picking pretty flowers. In the Brothers Grimm version it has age seven that Snow White becomes a real threat to the queen, her evil stepmother, but in the film she is definitely older than seven. However, in the film her actions and reactions are seemingly innocent that she comes across as childlike. Was everything ranging from her voice to picking flowers to talking to animals just Walt Disney’s attempt to make a young adult seem like a young child?
The character of Snow White portrayed in the film is seemingly flat, but was she just that way in the film version? No. In the Brothers Grimm version it is more about the development of the stepmother into the evil queen than the peasant princess turning into a real princess. In “Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland’s Daughter” Lasair (Snow White) is a character with no concept of standing up for herself. She is constantly letting her stepmother and the malicious old woman place murder at her doorstep and she doesn’t even attempt to tell her father that she didn’t kill anyone or anything. Personally, I think that “The Young Slave” version is the only one that I’ve read that gives the character of Snow White some substance. Lisa, after being abused and becoming a complete stranger to her uncle is clever in her means of getting a doll, rock, and knife. She looms the threat of her uncle being engulfed if he doesn’t return with her gifts. She is the Snow White that has feeling and emotion, so much so that she almost kills herself. In different versions of Snow White there are different characters, settings, and situations, but in most it is the characters other than Snow White that propel the story and yet she remains the iconic figure. Should she really be one though?
The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was based of the Brothers Grimm tale of Snow White and throughout the film there are clear correlations. However, there were points in the film where there were attempts to follow the Brothers Grimm version, but were presented in a way that came off as just confusing or strange. One such point would be early on in the film when Snow White is in the forest and just barely escapes the knife of the huntsman and the evil forest. She is naïve and ignorant to what all is going on, preoccupied with picking pretty flowers. In the Brothers Grimm version it has age seven that Snow White becomes a real threat to the queen, her evil stepmother, but in the film she is definitely older than seven. However, in the film her actions and reactions are seemingly innocent that she comes across as childlike. Was everything ranging from her voice to picking flowers to talking to animals just Walt Disney’s attempt to make a young adult seem like a young child?
The character of Snow White portrayed in the film is seemingly flat, but was she just that way in the film version? No. In the Brothers Grimm version it is more about the development of the stepmother into the evil queen than the peasant princess turning into a real princess. In “Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland’s Daughter” Lasair (Snow White) is a character with no concept of standing up for herself. She is constantly letting her stepmother and the malicious old woman place murder at her doorstep and she doesn’t even attempt to tell her father that she didn’t kill anyone or anything. Personally, I think that “The Young Slave” version is the only one that I’ve read that gives the character of Snow White some substance. Lisa, after being abused and becoming a complete stranger to her uncle is clever in her means of getting a doll, rock, and knife. She looms the threat of her uncle being engulfed if he doesn’t return with her gifts. She is the Snow White that has feeling and emotion, so much so that she almost kills herself. In different versions of Snow White there are different characters, settings, and situations, but in most it is the characters other than Snow White that propel the story and yet she remains the iconic figure. Should she really be one though?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Freud and Dreams
This week the readings for class were about rhetoric and poetry, Freud and psychoanalytical criticism, and subjectivity. The Cullen chapter on rhetoric, poetics, and poetry examined literary techniques and how they were used. The one thing that stood out to me was that, in regards to the extravagance of lyric, “exaggeration is key”. I would have to agree. I mean let’s think about it, everyday we exaggerate the truth. We want to make ourselves look or sound better because if not is anyone really going to care? Without exaggeration you have those stories that go on and on and on, only to find out that nothing exciting happened, but then suddenly the story teller found twenty bucks and the story got a little better. Therefore I do agree with Cullen’s point and think that it is a valid one. The subjectivity chapter in The Theory Toolbox was overly repetitive and dragged on. The Beginning Theory chapter on psychoanalytical criticism and the infamous Freud was, in my personal opinion, the most interesting of this week’s readings.
Now normally when I have to read about Freud I find it incredibly strange and sex driven, but in this week’s readings there was a new topic that I had not yet come across and it peaked my interest. The concept of dream work, “the process by which real events or desires are transformed into dream images” made me stop and think…ah interesting. This was most likely due in part to the fact that just an hour or so before my roommate spent a few minutes telling me about yet another one of her inconceivable dreams. Seriously though dreams aren’t supposed to last a half an hour, but that’s how long it takes her to tell. Don’t get me wrong, I know it sounds a bit harsh, but I’ve had super unrealistic dreams too, the difference is that they lasted for thirty seconds tops. I don’t know, but Freud’s theory makes me beg some questions.
“Dreams, just like literature, do not usually make explicit statements. Both tend to communicate obliquely or indirectly, avoiding direct or open statement, and representing meanings through concrete embodiments of time, place, or person” (Barry 94). Okay, the first problem I have with this is the word usually. To me the word “usually” means that there is a ton of room for anything to happen and in this case that my dreams or anyone’s for that matter could be making explicit statements. I’d like to think that I know what my subconscious is trying to tell me, but it is far from clear. The other problem I have with that statement is that the concrete embodiments in my dreams are people, places, and times I don’t want to remember. However, if I agree with Freud’s dream work theory then I have to accept the fact that those are real things from my life, right? I agree with the possibility that dreams are formed from real events and can maybe accept that they sometimes represent desires, but I don’t agree with or better yet understand condensation. Normally I don’t have vast amounts of people in my dreams, but when I do they certainly aren’t all united representing the same idea. Going back to my roommate and her dreams, I don’t know how a guy pushing her down the hallway, me driving a car, and some girl smoking have anything to do with each other. After reading about Freud and then going back through my roommate’s dream in my head I could see how they were based of real people and real things that have happened at least in some sense.
Overall I think that Freud’s dream work theory is at least half right. I do believe that dreams are based off real life events and people, as much as we may not want to accept that. However, the condensation aspect is still tricky to me. I really do see how there is a correlation between dreams and literature because there are endless meanings and interpretations that be formed after both and therefore no clear cut answers.
Now normally when I have to read about Freud I find it incredibly strange and sex driven, but in this week’s readings there was a new topic that I had not yet come across and it peaked my interest. The concept of dream work, “the process by which real events or desires are transformed into dream images” made me stop and think…ah interesting. This was most likely due in part to the fact that just an hour or so before my roommate spent a few minutes telling me about yet another one of her inconceivable dreams. Seriously though dreams aren’t supposed to last a half an hour, but that’s how long it takes her to tell. Don’t get me wrong, I know it sounds a bit harsh, but I’ve had super unrealistic dreams too, the difference is that they lasted for thirty seconds tops. I don’t know, but Freud’s theory makes me beg some questions.
“Dreams, just like literature, do not usually make explicit statements. Both tend to communicate obliquely or indirectly, avoiding direct or open statement, and representing meanings through concrete embodiments of time, place, or person” (Barry 94). Okay, the first problem I have with this is the word usually. To me the word “usually” means that there is a ton of room for anything to happen and in this case that my dreams or anyone’s for that matter could be making explicit statements. I’d like to think that I know what my subconscious is trying to tell me, but it is far from clear. The other problem I have with that statement is that the concrete embodiments in my dreams are people, places, and times I don’t want to remember. However, if I agree with Freud’s dream work theory then I have to accept the fact that those are real things from my life, right? I agree with the possibility that dreams are formed from real events and can maybe accept that they sometimes represent desires, but I don’t agree with or better yet understand condensation. Normally I don’t have vast amounts of people in my dreams, but when I do they certainly aren’t all united representing the same idea. Going back to my roommate and her dreams, I don’t know how a guy pushing her down the hallway, me driving a car, and some girl smoking have anything to do with each other. After reading about Freud and then going back through my roommate’s dream in my head I could see how they were based of real people and real things that have happened at least in some sense.
Overall I think that Freud’s dream work theory is at least half right. I do believe that dreams are based off real life events and people, as much as we may not want to accept that. However, the condensation aspect is still tricky to me. I really do see how there is a correlation between dreams and literature because there are endless meanings and interpretations that be formed after both and therefore no clear cut answers.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Beauty and The Beast
Fairy tales have been around for ages and continue to grow and change with the times. Starting with those infamous words “Once upon a time” and ending with the ever so optimistic “and they lived happily ever after”, fairy tales are intended to do something, whether it’s teaching a moral or manners, helping a child ease into sleep, or just simply entertaining. As a child I grew up watching, what are now Disney classics, and familiarized myself with princesses, magic, and villains who always lost. I didn’t think much about the basis for the stories that I was being told or shown at the time. However, now I have the opportunity to read and look more closely at the tales that helped Walt and his team make instant movie magic. One such tale is “Beauty and the Beast”.
After reading six different versions of “Beauty and the Beast” it’s easy to see how the story changed and evolved from culture to culture. The earliest version is “Cupid and Psyche” in which Psyche (Beauty) is a heroine of great action who lacks what is infamous with the versions we are familiar with today…compassion. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the tale is most closely linked to the versions we have today. This version is meant to be a teaching tool of good manners and good behavior. Beauty sacrifices herself to the Beast to protect her father. This version also introduces that Beauty had two sisters and three brothers, which was a completely new concept to me. I never knew she had any siblings, let alone that her sisters were stuck up snobs only concerned with their societal status. Beaumont’s version also alludes to the fact that it is Beauty’s fault that she ended up as a guest in the Beast’s castle. Because of her thoughtfulness of her sisters, she asked simply for a rose, which is what ultimately caused the Beast to threaten the father.
“The Pig King” by Giovanni Francesco Strapola turns more toward the story of the beast rather than Beauty’s development and growing affection toward him, evident in Beaumont’s version. It is in Strapola’s version that we see how the Pig King (Beast) is a violent animal that kills his first two brides and only reveals his true self to Melinda after she accepts him as a pig. The thing I find most interesting is that Melinda agreed to marry the Pig King after him killing both her sisters. Was she naïve in thinking that he wouldn’t do that to her or were her sisters deserving of such a fate?
The Brothers Grimm’s “The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich” resembles the previous mentioned tales in that the youngest daughter is the most beautiful. However, in this version the compassionate daughter is a selfish girl who doesn’t readily face the promise she made to a frog in the forest. It is only after her father forces her to accept the promise she made and be kind to the frog that helped her. Beauty in this tale is not compassionate, so much so that she violently threw the frog against the wall, only to see afterwards that he transformed into a handsome prince.
“Urashima the Fisherman”, “The Frog Princess”, and “The Swan Maiden” all reverse the male and female roles, making the women the creatures to transform. In “Urashima the Fisherman”, a multicolored turtle transforms into an immortal girl who brought Urashima, the simple fisherman, to a land of wonders. However, after time passes he becomes homesick and in an attempt to get back he opened a magic box that brought about an end to the paradise and love he once knew. “The Frog Princess” is similar to “The Pig King” in that in both tales the main character hides behind animal skins only to reveal the truth at the opportune moment. “The Frog Princess” also focuses a great deal on testing women, in that the father wants to see how talented his daughter- in -laws are and they are responsible for womanly tasks like sewing and baking. “The Swan Maiden” like “The Pig King” and “The Frog Princess” relies on animal costumes to hide the truth. However, unlike the other two in “The Swan Maiden” the ending is not so bright. After nearly a decade of being a young lady the maiden was given her swan feathers and transformed, quickly leaving her husband alone.
These versions taught lessons on good behavior and keeping promises to those who helped you, but also showed the wickedness and vanity of people. Those are all ideas that I feel shape most fairy tales of folk tales. The varying creatures represented and the swapping of gender roles, along with the lack of a true villain brought about new ideas and thoughts that never crossed my mind when I thought of “Beauty and the Beast”.
After reading six different versions of “Beauty and the Beast” it’s easy to see how the story changed and evolved from culture to culture. The earliest version is “Cupid and Psyche” in which Psyche (Beauty) is a heroine of great action who lacks what is infamous with the versions we are familiar with today…compassion. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the tale is most closely linked to the versions we have today. This version is meant to be a teaching tool of good manners and good behavior. Beauty sacrifices herself to the Beast to protect her father. This version also introduces that Beauty had two sisters and three brothers, which was a completely new concept to me. I never knew she had any siblings, let alone that her sisters were stuck up snobs only concerned with their societal status. Beaumont’s version also alludes to the fact that it is Beauty’s fault that she ended up as a guest in the Beast’s castle. Because of her thoughtfulness of her sisters, she asked simply for a rose, which is what ultimately caused the Beast to threaten the father.
“The Pig King” by Giovanni Francesco Strapola turns more toward the story of the beast rather than Beauty’s development and growing affection toward him, evident in Beaumont’s version. It is in Strapola’s version that we see how the Pig King (Beast) is a violent animal that kills his first two brides and only reveals his true self to Melinda after she accepts him as a pig. The thing I find most interesting is that Melinda agreed to marry the Pig King after him killing both her sisters. Was she naïve in thinking that he wouldn’t do that to her or were her sisters deserving of such a fate?
The Brothers Grimm’s “The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich” resembles the previous mentioned tales in that the youngest daughter is the most beautiful. However, in this version the compassionate daughter is a selfish girl who doesn’t readily face the promise she made to a frog in the forest. It is only after her father forces her to accept the promise she made and be kind to the frog that helped her. Beauty in this tale is not compassionate, so much so that she violently threw the frog against the wall, only to see afterwards that he transformed into a handsome prince.
“Urashima the Fisherman”, “The Frog Princess”, and “The Swan Maiden” all reverse the male and female roles, making the women the creatures to transform. In “Urashima the Fisherman”, a multicolored turtle transforms into an immortal girl who brought Urashima, the simple fisherman, to a land of wonders. However, after time passes he becomes homesick and in an attempt to get back he opened a magic box that brought about an end to the paradise and love he once knew. “The Frog Princess” is similar to “The Pig King” in that in both tales the main character hides behind animal skins only to reveal the truth at the opportune moment. “The Frog Princess” also focuses a great deal on testing women, in that the father wants to see how talented his daughter- in -laws are and they are responsible for womanly tasks like sewing and baking. “The Swan Maiden” like “The Pig King” and “The Frog Princess” relies on animal costumes to hide the truth. However, unlike the other two in “The Swan Maiden” the ending is not so bright. After nearly a decade of being a young lady the maiden was given her swan feathers and transformed, quickly leaving her husband alone.
These versions taught lessons on good behavior and keeping promises to those who helped you, but also showed the wickedness and vanity of people. Those are all ideas that I feel shape most fairy tales of folk tales. The varying creatures represented and the swapping of gender roles, along with the lack of a true villain brought about new ideas and thoughts that never crossed my mind when I thought of “Beauty and the Beast”.
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