Sun, Moon and Talia Book Analysis

One of the first versions of Sleeping Beauty was published by Charles Perrault in 1697. However, he based his story on a tale by Giambattista Basile in 1634, called Sun, Moon and Talia. A lord got a beautiful daughter, named Talia. He asked many astrologers and wise men to tell him her fate and after a while they concluded that she would be put in great danger by a splinter of flax. The lord ensured that no flax, hemp or anything of that kind was brought into the house to keep his daughter safe.

When Talia was older, she looked out the window and saw an old woman spinning on a spindle. Talia had never seen one and because of her curiosity, she walked over to the woman and asked if she could stretch the flax. Once she did, a splinter of flax went under her nail and she dropped down dead. The old woman ran away in horror and as soon as the father heard of the horrifying news, he ran to the corpse and cried in misery. He put her to bed in her most beautiful clothes. He could not bear the thought of burying her, so he and his staff moved to his country estate so his daughter could rest in peace in their old home.

After some time had passed, a king went hunting in the forest near the resting place of Talia with his servants and a falcon. The bird escaped and flew through one of the windows of the house. The falcon did not respond to the calls of the king, so he sent a servant to knock on the door and ask for the bird’s return. However, there was no answer at the door and the door itself was locked. The king decided that he would retrieve the bird himself and climbed up the walls. When he jumped through the window, he saw the most lovely girl he had ever laid eyes on, sleeping in her bed. He could not help desiring her and made love ...

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...his event. The queen’s servants made a huge fire in the courtyard for Talia to be thrown in. stalling for time, she asked the queen if she could take her beautiful dress off before she would be burned. With every piece of clothing she removed, she cried and screamed louder. Upon returning, the king noticed the screams and saw Talia and the queen near the fire. He demanded an explanation, and so the queen said: “You ate your own children and will now watch your mistress burn.” Hearing this, the king demanded his servants to cast the queen herself into the fire, along with his secretary. The cook was to be burnt as well, but he cried: “Do not reward my faithfulness with this horrible punishment, Sire. I saved your children. They are not dead, for I hid them with my wife.” The king made the cook a gentlemen and gave him a large sum of money and of course married Talia.