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Cinderella

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Gustave Doré's illustration for Cendrillon
For other uses, see Cinderella (disambiguation).

Cinderella is a popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known around the world.[1]

Origins and history

The ancient Greco-Egyptian folktle is the first known version of the story.[2] The tale was first recorded on of CiI....An early version of the story, Ye Xian, appeared in Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang by Tuan Ch'eng-Shih around A.D. 860.

The most popular version of Cinderella was written by the French author Charles Perrault in 1697, based on an earlier literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile as La Gatta Cenerentola in 1634. Another well-known version in which the girl is called Aschenputtel was recorded by the German Brothers Grimm in the 19th century.

Cinderella is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine; others of this type include The Sharp Grey Sheep; The Golden Slipper; The Story of Tam and Cam; Rushen Coatie; The Wonderful Birch; Fair, Brown and Trembling and Katie Woodencloak.[3]

Plot and variations

File:Cinderella-book.jpg
"Cinderella and the Glass Slipper" (book cover)

The familiar plot revolves around a girl who was deprived of her rightful station in the family and given the cruel nickname "Cinderella" by her wicked stepmother and two step-sisters. The nickname is given in reference to Cinderella's position as a maid and the fact that she has to sleep on the hearth rug among the cinders. In some versions, her father plays an active role in the humiliation of his daughter; in others, he is secondary to his new wife; in some versions, especially the popular Disney film, the father has died.

Although many variants of Cinderella feature the wicked stepmother, the defining trait of type 510A is a female persecutor: in Fair, Brown and Trembling and Finette Cendron, the stepmother does not appear at all, and it is the older sisters who confine her to the kitchen. In other fairy tales featuring the ball, she was driven from home by the persecutions of her father, usually because he wished to marry her. Of this type (510B) are Cap O' Rushes, Catskin, All-Kinds-of-Fur, and Allerleirauh, and she slaves in the kitchen because she found a job there.[4] In Katie Woodencloak, the stepmother drives her from home, and she likewise finds such a job.

In La Cenerentola, Gioachino Rossini inverted the sex roles: Cenerentola is oppressed by her stepfather. (This makes the opera Aarne-Thompson type 510B.) He also made the economic basis for such hostility unusually clear, in that Don Magnifico wishes to make his own daughters' dowries larger, to attract a grander match, which is impossible if he must provide a third dowry. Folklorists often interpret the hostility between the stepmother and stepdaughter as just such a competition for resources, but seldom does the tale make it clear.[5]

Cinderella accepts magical aid to attend a royal ball, where she attracts the attention of the handsome prince. The number of balls varies, sometimes one, sometimes three balls; in the most familiar version of the story, told by Charles Perrault, Cinderella attends two balls.

In Perrault's version, Cinderella receives the aid of a Fairy Godmother who turns a pumpkin into a coach, mice into a team of horses, lizards into footmen, and a rat into a driver, before transforming Cinderella's clothing into a splendid gown and jewels, with fantastic slippers of some unusual material. The magic all comes to an end at the final stroke of midnight.

The fairy godmother is Perrault's own addition to the tale.[6] The person who aided Cinderella in the Grimms's version is Aschenputtel's dead mother. Aschenputtel requests her aid by praying at her grave, on which a tree is growing. Helpful doves roosting in the tree shake down the clothing she needs for the ball. This motif is found in other variants of the tale as well, such as The Cinder Maid, collected by Joseph Jacobs, and the Finnish The Wonderful Birch. Playwright James Lapine incorporated this motif into the Cinderella plotline of the musical Into the Woods. Giambattista Basile's Cenerentola combined them; the Cinderella figure, Zezolla, asks her father to commend her to the Dove of Fairies and ask her to send her something, and she receives a tree that will provide her clothing. Other variants have her helped by talking animals, as in Katie Woodencloak, Rushen Coatie, Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, The Story of Tam and Cam, or The Sharp Grey Sheep -- these animals often having some connection with her dead mother; in The Golden Slipper, a fish aids her after she puts it in water. In "The Anklet", it's a magical alabaster pot the girl purchased with her own money that brings her the gowns and the anklets she wears to the ball. Gioachino Rossini, having agreed to do an opera based on Cinderella if he could omit all magical elements, wrote La Cenerentola, in which she was added by Alidoro, a philosopher and formerly the Prince's tutor.

The midnight curfew is also absent in many versions; Cinderella leaves the ball to get home before her stepmother and stepsisters, or she is simply tired. In the Grimms' version, Aschenputtel slips away when she is tired, hiding on her father's estate in a tree, and then the pigeon coop, to elude her pursuers; her father tries to catch her by chopping them down, but she escapes.[7]

Furthermore, the gathering need not be a ball; several variants on Cinderella, such as Katie Woodencloak and The Golden Slipper have her attend church.

In the three-ball version, Cinderella keeps a close watch on the time the first two nights and is able to leave without difficulty. However, on the third (or only) night, she loses track of the time and must flee the castle before her disguise vanishes. In her haste, she loses a glass slipper which the prince finds -- or else the prince has carefully had her exit tarred, so as to catch her, and the slipper is caught in it. He declares that he will marry only the girl whose petite foot fits into the slipper.

The glass slipper is unique to Charles Perrault's version; in other versions of the tale it may be made of other materials (in the version recorded by the Brothers Grimm, German: Aschenbroedel and Aschenputtel, for instance, it is gold) and in still other tellings, it is not a slipper but an anklet, a ring, or a bracelet that gives the prince the key to Cinderella's identity. In Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" ("Cinderella"), the slipper is replaced by twin bracelets to prove her identity. In the Finnish variant The Wonderful Birch the prince uses tar to gain something every ball, and so has a ring, a circlet, and a pair of slippers. Interpreters unaware of the value attached to glass in 17th century France and perhaps troubled by sartorial impracticalities, have suggested that Perrault's "glass slipper" (pantoufle de verre) had been a "fur slipper" (pantoufle de vair) in some unidentified earlier version of the tale, and that Perrault or one of his sources confused the words; however, most scholars believe the glass slipper was a deliberate piece of poetic invention on Perrault's part.[8]

The translation of the story into cultures with different standards of beauty has left the significance of Cinderella's shoe size unclear, and resulted in the implausibility of Cinderella's feet being of a unique size for no particular reason. Humorous retellings of the story sometimes use the twist of having the shoes turn out to also fit somebody completely unsuitable, such as an amorous old crone. In Terry Pratchett's Witches Abroad, the witches accuse another witch of manipulating the events because it was a common shoe size, and she could only ensure that the right woman put it on if she already knew where she was and went straight to her. In "When the Clock Strikes" (from Red As Blood), Tanith Lee had the sorcerous shoe alter shape whenever a woman tried to put it on, so it would not fit.

Cinderella tries on the slipper

Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters (in some versions just the stepsisters — and, in some other versions, a stepfather and stepsisters) conspire to win the prince's hand for one of them. Perrault's tale says that the sisters did all they could to put on the slipper. In the German telling, the first stepsister fits into the slipper by cutting off a toe, but the doves in the hazel tree alert the prince to the blood dripping from the slipper, and he returns the false bride to her mother. The second stepsister fits into the slipper by cutting off her heel, but the same doves give her away.

In many variants of the tale, the prince is told that Cinderella can not possibly be the one, as she is too dirty and ragged. Often, this is said by the stepmother or stepsisters. In the Grimms' version, both the stepmother and the father urge it.[9] The prince nevertheless insists on her trying. Cinderella arrives and proves her identity by fitting into the slipper or other item (in some cases she has kept the other, as in the Disney retelling).

In the German version of the story, the evil stepsisters are punished for their deception by having their eyes pecked out by birds. In other versions, they are forgiven, and made ladies-in-waiting with marriages to lesser lords.

In The Thousand Nights and A Night, in a tale called "The Anklet" [10], the stepsisters make a comeback by using twelve magical hairpins to turn the bride into a dove on her wedding night. In The Wonderful Birch, the stepmother, a witch, manages to substitute her daughter for the true bride after she has given birth. Such tales continue the fairy tale into what is in effect a second episode.

In an episode of Jim Henson's The Storyteller, writer Anthony Minghella merged the old folk tale Donkeyskin (also written by Perrault) with Cinderella to tell the tale of Sapsorrow, a girl both cursed and blessed by destiny.

Revisionist retellings

There is also Gregory Maguire's novel Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which gives the classic story from the view of one of the ugly stepsisters. In this version, the Cinderella character is unusually beautiful, but also a shy enigma. Her stepsister, though plain, is charming and intelligent. The novel has themes much more adult than the traditional story.

In 1982 Roald Dahl rewrote the story in a more modern and gruesome way in his book Revolting Rhymes.

Discussion

The Fairy Godmother appears to Cinderella, illustrated in a 1927 story anthology

The Cinderella tale is sometimes portrayed as a "rags-to-riches" tale. However, in fact, it is a "riches-to-rags-to-riches" tale; Cinderella, being the daughter of a rich merchant, is at first driven from her rightful patrimony, and the course of the fairy tale restores her to it.[11]

The tale has been interpreted as a psychological "splitting": by having both a dead mother and the all good benefactor, any feelings of resentment can be put onto the evil stepmother. [12]

The idea that "Cinderella" embodies myth elements was explored in The Uses of Enchantment (1989) by Bruno Bettelheim, who made many connections to the principles of Freudian psychology.

As Freudian analyses have come to be viewed as less scientific,[citation needed] mythographers have turned to trying to disentangle different cultural elements from different versions of the Cinderella tale.[citation needed] Each social group, in re-telling "Cinderella", has emphasized or suppressed individual elements and has given them interpretations that are especially relevant within each society. Mythography return to Cinderella for hints of the social ethos embodied in it, and the familiar story proves to be a useful case example for young students beginning to understand how myth works. Thus serious uses come from what appears on the surface to be a trivial wish-fulfilment narrative.

Earlier, less self-consciously instructive Cinderellas have more revealing mythic content.[citation needed]

The term Cinderella has originated from its storybook beginnings to become the name for a variety of female personalities. Some girls are described as a Cinderella if they are meek and immediately submissive to stern orders. Others are called Cinderella if they tend to quietly complain. For example, a girl from a wealthy household who has been ordered to wash the dishes as a fulfilment of her once a month chores would be deemed a Cinderella; a fallen princess who has finally met with tough reality.[citation needed]

Cinderella, along with the more general "princess", are shorthand for a particular approach to wedding and Western wedding attire, especially the white dress.[citation needed] A bride with the Cinderella mindset believes that the dress and the occasion exist in order that she may be transformed for the day into a beautiful princess. Detractors of such princess brides argue that the wedding is not solely about the bride; nevertheless, many wedding gown retailers appeal, directly or indirectly, to the Cinderella ideal.

The Cinderella story is much criticised for what many perceive to be a negative, traditionalistic, approach to women.[13] From the point of view of these critics Cinderella is oppressed, and does nothing about it; a magical event takes her to a powerful prince who is so taken with her appearance that he chooses her as his consort (it is assumed that she will accede), decorative, but existing only as an adjunct to him. They believe that she has no personality or character of her own; she is simply pretty and good-natured and mindlessly obedient, and advances because of this. Little girls in Western society are told the story: they can infer that if they are obedient and take care of their appearance they will live Happily Ever After.

On the other hand, others claim that the story should be taken on its own merit, to them Cinderella is not meant to be read into and critiqued as some complex academic social manifesto, but to be enjoyed as a fairy tale and its simple powerful message that good can come to decent people.

Going even further, many do not see Cinderella's personality or actions in a negative light. Simply that she has come under criticism because more confrontational headstrong heroines have become perceived as the new ideal of what a women is expected to be in Disney and American culture in general. To them, Cinderella has many admirable qualities, taking a more calm and discreet approach in fulfilling her wishes, and chooses to be kind even to those who mistreat her.[citation needed]

Adaptations

The story of "Cinderella" has formed the basis of many notable works:

Opera

Ballet

Pantomime

The subject of Cinderella is very common for British and Australian pantomimes, but is not the most popular to produce because of the cost involved. In the traditional pantomime the opening scene is always set in the forest with the hunt in sway and it is here that Prince Charming and Dandini meet Cinderella. Except that she thinks Dandini is the Prince and the Prince is Dandini (all very confusing and not at all politically correct, but then traditional pantomime isn't). Cinderella's father (Baron Hardup) is under the thumb of his two step-daughters the Ugly sisters who are jealous of Cinderella and cruel to her. There are also added characters such as Buttons (Baron Hardup's servant, and Cinderella's friend) — and Dandini, the Prince's right-hand man, the character and even his name coming from Rossini's opera ("La Cenerentola"). Throughout the pantomime, the Baron is continually harassed by The Broker's Men (quite often they are named after politicians) for outstanding rent. The Fairy Godmother must magically create a coach (from a pumpkin), footmen (from mice) and a coach driver (from a frog), and a beautiful dress (from rags) for Cinderella in order for her to go to the ball. However, Cinderella must return by midnight as at that time the fairy godmother's magic spell ceases. As with all traditional pantomimes, all turns out well in the end as good triumphs over evil.

Musical Comedy

File:Mara wilson cinderella.jpg
Mara Wilson in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (2005)

Films

Over the decades since the invention of motion pictures, literally hundreds of films have been made that are either direct adaptations from or have plots loosely based on the story of Cinderella. Almost every year at least one but often several such films are produced and released, resulting in Cinderella becoming a work of literature with one of the largest numbers of film adaptations ascribed to it. It is perhaps rivaled only by the sheer number of films that have been adapted from or based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

Television

Ice skating

"Cinderella on Ice" — on stage in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
File:Cinderella-on-Ice-notice.JPG
  • "Cinderella on Ice" is the ice skating version of the Cinderella story.

"Cinderella on Ice" was staged in the Queen Street Mall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, as part of Brisbane's Christmas celebrations.

Books

An example of the "uses of Cinderella" is presented by Shirley Climo, The Egyptian Cinderella (1989), aimed at young children: "Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl living in Egypt, is teased by the servants about her coloring.[citation needed] Eventually, one of her rosy-gold slippers is carried to the pharaoh's court. He searches for, and finds, the girl. Based partly on fact (a slave named Rhodopis did marry Pharaoh Amasis) and partly on folk legends, this story is remarkable for its details of life in ancient Egypt and for the Egyptian-style illustrations". As a document, this reveals some contemporary American approaches to historicism, cultural multiplicity, racism, and educating for a spirit of tolerance.

Concept Albums

Cinderella Jumprope Song

There is a jumprope song for children that involves Cinderella:

Cinderella dressed in yellow, went upstairs to kiss a fellow. By mistake, kissed a snake, how many doctors will it take? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ect. 15, ect 73, ect 134, ect 882, so on, so forth…

They count for every jump you make. The more jumps, the more numbers, the highest score. If you stop the rope, the counting ceases.

Songs

Cinderella's story was also used in an Indian pop song Dil Tha Yahan Abhi Abhi which was sung by Alka Yagnik and Sammer Yagnik.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Jack Zipes, The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm, p 444, ISBN 0-393-97636-X
  2. ^ "The Egyptian Cinderella"
  3. ^ Heidi Anne Heiner, "Tales Similar to Cinderella"
  4. ^ Heidi Anne Heiner, "Tales Similar to Donkeyskin"
  5. ^ Marina Warner, From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales And Their Tellers, p 213-4 ISBN 0-374-15901-7
  6. ^ Jane Yolen, p 23, Touch Magic ISBN 0-87483-591-7
  7. ^ Maria Tatar, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, p 116 W. W. Norton & company, London, New York, 2004 ISBN 0-393-05848-4
  8. ^ Maria Tatar, p 28, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, ISBN 0-393-05163-3
  9. ^ Maria Tatar, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, p 126-8 W. W. Norton & company, London, New York, 2004 ISBN 0-393-05848-4
  10. ^ Mardrus, Joseph-Charles (June 1987). The book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. Vol. 4. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 191–194. ISBN 0-415-04543-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Jane Yolen, p 33, Touch Magic ISBN 0-87483-591-7
  12. ^ Maria Tatar, p 29, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, ISBN 0-393-05163-3
  13. ^ Linda M. Scott, Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism p 165 ISBN 1-4039-6686-9

and eveyone knows this so y ar eyou on wikipedia

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