Comparing The Perrault, Grimm, And Disney Versions Of Cinderella

Ashes to Ashes: An Analysis of the Perrault, Grimm, and Disney Versions of Cinderella Certainly, time has wrought major changes to even the most beloved of fairy tales, and Cinderella is no exception; more precisely, there are important differences in the reasoning for the father’s remarriage, the conditions that Cinderella must fulfill to be permitted to attend the ball, and the manner in which the stepsisters attempt to wear the glass slipper. In the Perrault version, there is no specified reason for which Cinderella’s father decides to take on a second wife, whereas in the Grimm variation, it is directly stated that his first wife died from a sickness and he then remarried within two seasons (Lang 1, Grimm & Grimm 1). In an entirely different

Furthermore, Cinderella is barred from attending the ball in the Perrault version, her stepsisters noting that “it would make the people laugh to see a Cinderwench at a ball” (Lang 2). Conversely, the Grimm variation of Cinderella must pick out one then two “bowls of lentils from out of the ashes,” at which point she is still forbidden from attending due to her alleged lack of clothing and dancing ability (G&G 2-3). Likewise, the Disney adaptation of Cinderella is ultimately not allowed to go despite completing all of the additional tasks assigned by her stepmother and putting together an adequate dress to wear, which is naturally torn apart by her stepsisters (Cinderella). Finally, the stepsisters in both the Perrault and Disney versions attempt in vain to squeeze their foot into the glass slipper, eventually giving up after multiple trials (Lang 5, Cinderella). In contrast, the first stepsister in the Grimm variation is told by her mother to cut off her toe while the second stepsister is told to cut off her heel. The slipper fits in both cases, but the prince is subsequently alerted to the deception by talking birds (G&G 5). Thus, key elements

Knowing that writers of fairy tales do not necessarily set them in the same era that they live in, the publishing year of the Cinderella version does little to help. Indeed, the Perrault and Disney accounts of Cinderella begin with the classic fairy tale formula “Once upon a time,” emphasizing the ambiguity of time (Lang 1, Cinderella). However, the style of clothing worn by the stepsisters in the Perrault version such as a “red velvet suit with French trimming” and the origin of their accessory kits from “Mademoiselle de la Poche” suggest a location in a minor French kingdom (Lang 1). In fact, it is repeated several times in the Disney adaptation that Cinderella resides in a château that has gradually become a shadow of its former splendour (Cinderella). Intuitively, it also appears to be a decidedly French principle that members of the nobility must dress at the height of fashion. Furthermore, the stepsisters’ lavishness and blatant disregard for cost while the story mentions the existence of a king suggest that the Perrault version is actually set sometime between the 15th and 17th centuries, perhaps during the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance period