Perrault's Puss in Boots

Perrault's Puss in Boots

The myriad characters in every fairy tale each contribute a great deal to the plot structure, their slightest actions bringing forth a favourable or grievous outcome. The overall sense of a story lies almost entirely on what is included in their dialogue and descriptions. In comparing the well known Rapunzel, as told by the brothers Grimm, to a lesser known version Petrosinella, by Giambattista Basile, a reader can distinguish each as unique based on these elements. Further analysis reveals what all characters donate to create each storyline, as well as a pair of equally distinctive endings.

The Grimm Rapunzel is remarkably descriptive when compared with the 1637 Basile variation. The Grimm’s introduce a man and wife that have long wished for God to grant them a child, going on to describe the beauty of the neighbour's garden and the wife’s long and intense yearning for the rapunzel. What takes the better part of a page in Rapunzel condenses into three short sentences in Petrosinella, which comes across as far more abrupt. The first character is introduced, sees what she wants next door, and craves it; no other clarification is provided.

The opening sentence states that “there lived a woman named Pascaddozia, who was pregnant.” Already there are three factors not present in the Grimm tale. Firstly, the woman is living alone-there is never mention of a husband. Second, she is named, which is very unusual in any fairy tale because the parent(s) often have a very small role overall and are not so important as to have names. Third, she is with child, and we are given no indication that there were the classic problems of conceiving. These points summon an image of a strong, single mother, more significant in the life of her child than the Grimm’s couple.

Rapunzel describes how the man yields to his wife and fetches her some of the herb from the witch’s garden. Pascaddozia, however, steals into the garden several times to indulge her cravings. This bravery shown by the mother again reflects on how different she is from the Grimm wife, a trait that is revealed in her daughter Petrosinella.

The witches also differ in each tale. Petrosinella portrays a rather slow-witted antagonist that behaves with more fury. Reacting to the theft in her garden, this one vows revenge if she catches the culprit.