This is more to the legend than I was aware of. It appears that Walt Disney and Company did the multiple cutting paste operation to create the story that they told to the world in animation. Thank you, Emma for giving us the real story(s). 🙌
It is not entirely true that Grimm's version staid in the books. There is a wonderful Czech adaptation from 1973 called "Three wishes for Cinderella". It is of course still a movie and changes parts of the story, but still: Highly recommended to watch!
Absolutely. Three Wishes for Cinderella is a wonderful adaptation. My point wasn’t that the Grimm version disappeared completely. Quite the opposite. It stayed in print and kept getting retold. I meant that Perrault’s version became the default cultural image for most people, especially after Disney.
I've not looked, but I've heard that The Little Mermaid was a much different story in the past. Like, she is intent on eating the prince, not falling in love with him.
My first grade teacher Mrs. Boswell had two memorable qualities: a ping pong paddle for corporal punishment and a dark reddish book called “The Jack Tales” for entertainment. The year was 1964. Neither the paddle nor the book were sufficiently sanitized for today.
Jack, in particular, was into mutilating some giants, with a lasting power that exceeded the paddle. Originating in Germany, with added processing in Appalachia, finally collected by a guy named Chase, those stories have remained with me for some sixty years.
As a rural North Carolina boy, I taught myself to read, which means I often process written language much better than spoken word. I read all the time. And I haven’t read anything in recent memory that gave me as much joy as your “The Cinderella Family Tree.”
can I steal this? i teach at a girl's high school...
Please do. Stories like this deserve as many classrooms as they can get.
This is more to the legend than I was aware of. It appears that Walt Disney and Company did the multiple cutting paste operation to create the story that they told to the world in animation. Thank you, Emma for giving us the real story(s). 🙌
It is not entirely true that Grimm's version staid in the books. There is a wonderful Czech adaptation from 1973 called "Three wishes for Cinderella". It is of course still a movie and changes parts of the story, but still: Highly recommended to watch!
Absolutely. Three Wishes for Cinderella is a wonderful adaptation. My point wasn’t that the Grimm version disappeared completely. Quite the opposite. It stayed in print and kept getting retold. I meant that Perrault’s version became the default cultural image for most people, especially after Disney.
Thanks. (There was also a more recent version from 2021 which I haven't found much about.) Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Wishes_for_Cinderella_(1973_film)
Looks like it's available on Prime, Apple TV, and the Criterion Collection streamers. Appreciate the heads-up!
It’s 11:30 and i was absolutely hooked the whole way through
I've not looked, but I've heard that The Little Mermaid was a much different story in the past. Like, she is intent on eating the prince, not falling in love with him.
Yes…I plan on doing an essay on that one day!
Emma, this is the most unexpected and amazing story analysis I’ve ever read. I had no idea this existed. You are a genius researcher.
you're so perceptive! thanks!
Emma,
My first grade teacher Mrs. Boswell had two memorable qualities: a ping pong paddle for corporal punishment and a dark reddish book called “The Jack Tales” for entertainment. The year was 1964. Neither the paddle nor the book were sufficiently sanitized for today.
Jack, in particular, was into mutilating some giants, with a lasting power that exceeded the paddle. Originating in Germany, with added processing in Appalachia, finally collected by a guy named Chase, those stories have remained with me for some sixty years.
As a rural North Carolina boy, I taught myself to read, which means I often process written language much better than spoken word. I read all the time. And I haven’t read anything in recent memory that gave me as much joy as your “The Cinderella Family Tree.”
Thank you,
Scott
Lo cunto de li cunti!