Cinderella

Harry Ostlund

By

A True FolktaleFolklorists have characterized a Cinderella folktale asone that includes a rich but worthy protagonist who is found in some sort of cinder disguise. Who is mistreated by members of her family or step-family. Who obtains assistancein the form of magic or advice from a substitute motherfigure. Attends a transformation event such as a ball, dance,festival. A social scene where the otherwise dirty heroine is revealed to everyone in a display of beauty. The heroine's identity is permanently revealed when she places the glassslipper on her foot. (Stewart,2000).

History of CinderellaCinderella was orally retold from one generation to the next. The first written account of a Cinderella tale was recorded in China in the year 850 A.D. According toFolklorists the first written version of Cinderella was theChinese tale Yeh-Shen.

Presently the Disney adaption is the most widely recognized version and can be found in print.The Disney variation was based on the well-known versionwritten and published by Charles Perrault of France in 1697.

Currently there are over seven hundred versions of the folktale Cinderella from countries across the globe.

Intended Audience

The Cinderella tales are meant to entertain and inform andanyone can explore how folktales are adapted by different cultures.

The older versions of folktales were written for adults. French menand women would recite folktales in literary parlors for

entertainment. The recently written watered –down versions of folktales in the United States were written for little children. Cinderella is now considered a children’s tale and censored to fit adult ideas of what isand what is not suitable for children

In the older versions of Cinderella the illustrations and the text do not tell the same story, in the newer storybook versions the illustrations are sometimes drawn for the text, and in some picture book versions Cinderella is simply an illustrated storybook. In all of the Cinderella stories the tale of the mistreated orphan who uncovers her true worth and regains her true place in society will continue to be retold to future generations who will illustrate Cinderella very differently from the Cinderella we are accustomed to.

Cinderella

• Today we will review five different Cinderella tales from different countries and interpret the text and the illustrations to see how the different cultures portrayed Cinderella.

CinderellaIllustration by Marcia Brown

Marcia Brown compliments the text in Charles Perrault’s Cinderella by using soft pastels to bring a shimmering radiance to the tale.

In contrast Ms. Brown used black to illustrate the movement of the horses and red to set the mood of journey from her home to

the palace.

Cinderella

Protagonist: CinderellaAntagonist: Step-mother, Step-sistersConflict: Cinderella is not allowed to go to the ball because her step-mother is afraid that the Prince will discover the true Cinderella and she will get the marriage proposal and her own daughter will not.Helping Being: Fairy GodmotherTransformation: Her Fairy Godmother waves her magic wand . Cinderella is clean and her clothes transform into a beautiful gown and glass slippers. Cinderella looks like a princess.Climax: When the clock strikes twelve she loses her slipper as she is runningout of the palace.Resolution: The Prince decides to marry the girl who owns this slipper. Many try it on but it doesn’t fit. Cinderella tries on the slipper after her sisters. When she puts it on, she is transformed back into beautiful clothes. The Prince marries Cinderella and her step-family get a home in the palace.From: France/ America

The Chinese CinderellaThe soft pastel water colors and use of panels preserve the culture of this tale.

In Yen-Shen A Cinderella Story From China illustrator Ed Young was raised and studied in China so it was only natural for him to illustrate Yen-Shen. The traditional Chinese artwork is placed in panels that control the pace of the story. The panels containing Yen-Shen and the fish have a tranquil quality and use a combination of soft pinks, greens, and blues. When illustrating Yen-Shen, in a peaceful and natural setting Young uses softer colors but when Yen-Shen attends the feast after her transformation occurs the colors in the panel are vibrant and alive. The colors change to harsher blacks, purples and reds when illustrating her step-mother or step sisters. The illustrations match the moods of the characters as they move through the panels and tell the story. Young creates illustrations that create a delicate line that flow from one panel to the next. Young researched Chinese art for two years before beginning his illustrations. He wanted to present an authentic Chinese version illustrated differently from all other Cinderella folktales.

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China

Protagonist: Yeh-ShenAntagonist: Step-motherConflict: Yeh-Shen is not allowed to go to the festival because her step-mother is afraid that Yeh-Shen will get a marriage proposal and her own daughter willbe ignored.Helping Being: The bones of the fish magically grant Yeh-Shen anything her heartdesires.Transformation: Her tattered rags are discarded when the bones of the fish provide her with beautiful clothes to wear.Climax: She loses her slipper when she runs away fearing that she has been spotted at the festival by her step-mother and step-sister.Resolution: The Prince decides to marry the girl who owns this slipper. Many try it on but it doesn’t fit. Yeh-Shen goes to the pavilion, late at night, where the slipper was in order to get it back. When she puts it on, she is transformed back into beautiful clothes. The Prince marries her and her mother and step-sister are crushed to death by a shower of flying stones.From: China

The Persian CinderellaRobert Florczak illustrated Shirley Climo’s The Persian Cinderella, the fourth in her popular multi-cultural Cinderella fable series. The book was on the master list for the 2001 Texas Bluebonnet Award.

The Persian CinderellaProtagonist: SettarehAntagonists: Her two step-sisters and step-motherConflict: Settareh is not able to go to the festival at the palace because she was unable to buy fine clothes for the occasion.Helping Being: A small blue jug that grants wishesTransformation: She transforms her tattered rags into beautiful clothes by wishing on a little blue jug.Climax: Settareh loses her diamond ankle bangle when fleeing from the palace to get home before her step-mother and sisters.Resolution: The Prince finds the bangle and has every girl try it on. Finally, Settareh tries it on and it fits and they are set to get married until her sisters, using the magic jug turn her into a turtledove. Eventually, the Prince turns her back into a human and marries her and her sisters’ hearts burst and they died.From: Persia

The Egyptian Cinderella

The Egyptian CinderellaProtagonist: RhodopisAntagonists: The Egyptian Household Servant GirlsConflict: Rhodopis wanted to go with the other servants to see Pharaoh, but

they didn’t allow her to go because they were jealous and didn’t like her because she was different.

Helping Being: A falcon, believed to be the god Horus snatches her slipper, flies to the palace and drops the slipper in the Pharaohs lap.

Transformation: Her master gives her the tiny slippers. Climax: Her slipper is stolen by the falcon and given to Pharaoh Amasis.Resolution: Amasis has every woman try it on. Finally, he tries it on Rhodopis

and it fits her and her marries her.From : Egypt

And just like Cenicienta and her Principe we shall live happily ever after. And they did.Tomie dePaola wrote and illustrated the tale in 2002.

AdelitaA Mexican Cinderella Story

Protagonist: AdelitaAntagonist: Step-mother, Step-sistersConflict: AdelitaHelping Being: Faithful Nurse/NannyTransformation: Her Faithful nurse unlocks her mother’s hidden trunk andgives Adelita her mother’s white gown and embroidered rebozo shawl . When Adelita appears at the festival she is a lady of nobility.Climax: When the Prince was looking for the stunning girl who had lost herglass slipper he spotted the embroidered rebozo shawl hanging from the window and ran to the house. Resolution: The nobleman falls in love with Adelita and marries her. Herestores her rightful position in life and they live happily ever after.From: MexicoIntended Audience: Children,

ARTDe Paola applies pastel water colored borders to illustrate the peaceful, happy times in Adelita’s life and dramatic darker watercolors are used to illustrate the bleak unhappy times. When she is with her step-family and in the role of the servant she wears a muted white apron over her colorful clothes and an expression of sadness on her face. Her step-family wears deep shades of purple and a have mean expressions on their faces. DePaola achieves a balance through the use of symmetry. He uses double-spread, full-bleedillustrations with strong vertical and horizontal lines to create visual pathways that lead straight to Adelita.

Textual Interpretations• SimilarWhether is was the household servants or her step-family Cinderella was

mistreated by the people she lived with.

The Cinderella was a virtuous person. She became an orphan or was taken from her family.

Cinderella finds true love and is restored to her true station in life..

• DifferentEach Cinderella depicts a character from the time period and geographical

location.

Each Cinderella story has a different theme leading to the traditional ending.

Different types of magic help them overcome the evil doings of the people around them.

Culturally Specific Information From Each Version of Cinderella

Egypt-France-Mexico-Persia-America

By reading the text and viewing the illustrations, the reader can identify the cultural, geographical, subtle and obvious differences in the Cinderella folktales. Even today the Cinderella folktale forms a strong connection with our children. The newer versions have been adapted bringing Cinderella into the twenty-first century But no matter how you retell the tale she will always be Cinderella, the classic tale everyone loves.