the Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1920. The most striking aspect of this illustration was the use of birds, both in the foreground holding up the magical gown, as well as in a hemicircle in the background, connecting the tree to Cinderella kneeling on the ground. As we have talked about in class earlier this semester, birds are the agents of transformations in fairytales; this is especially seen with the "Boys into Birds" series of stories. The two dove-like birds in the foreground are seen as almost blessing Cinderella with the ethereal gown they hold in their beaks - thereby transmitting the physical object of transformation onto the pious girl. The hemicircle of birds in the background however play a different role in the illustration. They connect the hazel tree from the story to Cinderella. Trees are symbolic for the giving of life, and this is most important since this particular tree stands over the mother's grave. Also, the cyclic form of the birds is reminiscent of the cycle of life. So, the mother is fufilling her duty of taking care of her daughter through the usage of the birds. The transformative, life-giving power of the tree and deceased mother are connected to Cinderella through the birds. This illustration is in close keeping with the Grimms tale, as seen with the birds, tree, and gown, as well as with the pious nature of the kneeling girl. As her mother told her, " 'Dear child, be good and pious. Then the dear Lord shall always assist you, and I shall look down from heaven and take care of you'" (Tartar, 79).This picture was found on the SurLaLune Fairy Tales site: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/cinderella/abbottcindy.html
I really like your analysis of the birds formed in a semicircle as symbolic of the circle of life, in which the mother takes care of her daughter. I also agree that the religious elements of the illustration are important and reflect the significance of religion in the Grimms' tale, which has been almost completely lost in modern versions of the tale. Christianity could be symbolized in both the depiction of Cinderella as praying and in the doves which have a significant role in Biblical stories.
ReplyDeleteThis image does seem to be heavily symbolic of Christianity. This is very interested especially considering that both the images with Cinderella's fairy godmother depict her as more of a witch than anything else. This images seems to imply that Cinderella's mother is her fairy godmother and the one taking care of her. This serves the purpose of connecting the magic present in the story with Christianity, the only form of magic that would have been widely accepted at the time.
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