Beast versus Beast- A Battle of the Beauties

Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast contains the ever-loved protagonist Belle, an intelligent, kind, and strong-willed woman. In fact, if you simply Google 'Beauty and the Beast', you are shown a slew of nothing but Disney, Disney, and more Disney. 

All you need is Google! Pic taken by me from Google

But, when one delves into literature and the various versions collected from around the world, that version is nowhere to be found. If anything, she is a mixture of two specific tales- Jeanne-Marie de Beaumont’s “Beauty and the Beast”, and Angela Carter’s “The Tiger’s Bride”.

Both stories contain familiar elements of the Disney classic. The de Beaumont version contains such reminders of the well-known animated classic such as the kind and beautiful, sweet daughter of a single father. How Beauty’s father gets lost in the woods due to poor weather conditions is something mentioned in the Disney version. Other familiar themes include Belle/Beauty becoming familiar enough with the Beast to feel comfortable enough to be around him daily, as well as the idea that Beauty misses her father terribly, goes to ensure his health, before returning to the Beast to live happily ever after. 

However, while I find this tale to be the closest to both Disney’s animated version and the live-action, there is something missing. Disney’s Belle is known for her witty personality and her strong will. That is something found within Angela Carter’s protagonist. Described similarly as a beautiful woman, this woman is truly the feminist protagonist that many tales and their many versions are lacking. The lady of the tale refuses to give into the Beast’s demands- practically telling him that if she does not give into HIS demands, he must give into HERS. Finally, in the end, she, herself, turns into a beast- a tigress. Interestingly, when it comes to tigers and tigresses, the males are generally more tolerant of other males. Females, on the other hand, are much fiercer and more protective. 

Beauty's Father losing to the Beast at Cards- Pic found from Google

However, if I had to pick between the two tales, I think I would have to pick Angela Carter’s “The Tiger’s Bride”. Her protagonist has a humor to her that I can appreciate and relate to.

Little Red, Little Red

As a child, my mother used to read me stories out of books. One I was never too found of was Little Red Riding Hood. But this cartoon? This one tickled my fancy so to speak.

Cartoon found from: http://www.henry4school.fr/Literature/little-red-riding-hood.htm

There’s nothing political or controversial about this cartoon, which is different for this day and age. It’s just a simple, modern day cartoon that touches on the societal pressures that many people face to change what they don’t like about themselves. That’s something relatable to everyone. Everyone experiences a time where their flaws (especially physical ones) are brought to light and they want to change it. 

I work in retail, as do most college students, and just the other day I was using the register to check out some special needs adults and their counterparts. As I began the transaction (and throughout the entire process), one of the adults kept telling everyone around him, “She’s got a big nose!” As I said, he kept pointing this out to his friends, other customers, and myself. After the transaction, I went to the back and called my mom. I was upset, of course, that he had pointed out something that I had already worried about myself. 

I think there’s a simple moral to learn from this cartoon and my struggle. As with the wolf, he would not have been known, as that was what he was known for. Perhaps the same could be said for me.

Fairy tale? Folk tale? Which one?!

As a child, my mother would tell me the stories that most people would know- Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Snow White, the likes. It’s completely natural though that at such a young age, I never questioned if they were true. But when you take a moment to think-what is a fairy tale? What requirements does a story have to have in order to be considered a fairy tale?

First things first, stories such as the ones mentioned above are not only fairy tales. All fairy tales are also actually folk tales- but not all folk tales are fairy tales. Confusing, right?

Gif from tenor.com

Folk tales (or Volksmärchen in German) were spread orally, and because of that, no one person owns the stories. After all, you can’t sue someone for stealing your story idea when everyone can use it too. Plus, where did the story come from in the first place? Did it originate in one specific location, and was spread through trade, migration and the likes? (Monogenesis) Or did these stories originate because we, as human beings, go through the same life experiences such as falling in love, losing loved ones, and chasing our happily ever after? (Polygenesis). These stories always have the core theme and plot points that you associate with a story. For example, a Cinderella story is such because of the fact she is tortured in her household by her stepmother and stepsister, Cinderella wishes to go to the ball, falls in love with the prince, leaves behind an important item- that sort of gist. It’s all very 2D and simplistic. 

Fairy tales (Kunstmärchen) meanwhile, are literary works of folklore. These plots are always much more complicated, with 3D characters that you know on a deep level. 

Trust me, when I learned that all the stories I thought were fairy tales were actually folk tales, my mind was blown. 

Gif from giphy.com

But it really is an important distinction. The two very much remind me of yin and yang- one cannot exist without the other. Separate, but together. Different, but also the same in some ways.