Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother

This illustration of Cinderella by Margaret Evans Price is from the 1921 book Once Upon a Time: A Book of Old-Time Fairy Tales. One of the more striking elements of this illustration is how young Cinderella appears; she looks younger than the Cinderella portrayed in most of the other illustrations which could be a result of the later date of this publication. Perhaps as the story moved into more modern times Cinderella became younger (similar to what happened with Little Red Riding Hood in illustrations). Another striking element of the illustration is the portrayal of Cinderella's fairy godmother. Compared to earlier illustrations, the fairy godmother looks more like a sweet grandmother than the angel-like representation illustrations in earlier publications of the tale. Additionally, the combination of the fairy godmother's wand and the sort of magical orb above the pumpkin make the godmother's magic seem more fantastic and cartoon-like than in other illustrations. Thus, the magic portrayed appears to be more similar to that of the Perrault version of the tale, than to the sort of natural, pagan magic of the Grimms' version. This depiction of the fairy godmother is also interesting because her pointed hat and clothing would be more typical of that of an evil witch in modern culture. However, the kind expression on her face assures the viewer that she is indeed a kind fairy godmother as we have come to expect in Cinderella stories.

This illustration is from: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/cinderella/pricecindy2.html

Cinderella and the Birds

This illustration of Cinderella, by Elenore Abbott, was published with 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

The Fairy Godmother

This illustration grabbed my attention, not because of Cinderella, but because of her fairy godmother. It was created by Paul Woodroffe sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The fairy godmother looks nothing like I have always pictured her in my mind. In this illustration her image looks much more like a witch than a fairy godmother. She is dressed almost entirely in black and dons what is clearly a witch's hat upon her head. The little color she does have in her outfit is blood red and her face is as white as a ghost's. Any child viewing this image would probably feel a sense of fear and/or concern for Cinderella, who looks to be lost in thought and completely innocent by the fireplace.

Cinderella's fairy godmother appears to be anything other than a benevolent guardian sent to help her. For this reason I the illustration was probably created for adults who could understand that outside appearance and inner goodness are not necessarily connected. I cannot help but wonder if the artist was attempting to comment on social structure at the time.

This oil-painting by John Everett Millais was created in the 19th century, during the time in Fairy Tale history when the transition from adult salon stories to children's pedagogical stories was taking place. This is not an illustration for a written version of the story, therefore, but an artistic rendition of the girl and the story's theme, meant for the older and sophisticated generation to appreciate. What strikes me is her age. She is pretty, as a young girl, but not the object of desire you'd expect from the "Donkeyskin" type Cinderella stories. In fact, this image may justify the amount of time the story-tellers spent on describing the GARMENTS rather than the NATURE BEAUTY of Cinderella. Beauty, for this young Cinderella, is hard to measure in a I'm-a-prince-picking-out-his-lover sort of way but for the accessories that she wears.

The Wicked Stepmother

I read a version of the cinderella story that comes from India. What immediately struck me was that the mother did not die, instead she is turned into a goat because she broke a promise to her husband of never eating out of his presence. This prompts the father to remarry. The wicked stepmother treats the children badly and doesn't feed them, so the goat mother uses magic to give the children food (the children have to tap her horns with a stick, and food will fall out). The wicked stepmother sends her daughter to spy on the children, and finds out that the goat has been helping them. She pretends to be sick, bribes the doctor to prescribe goats meat and forces the father to kill the goat. Before she dies, the goat mother tells the children to bury her bones in a secret place, and whenever they need food, they should visit the bones, and they would be given food. The story then takes a sudden and odd turn into the more traditional cinderella story, where one of the sisters is washing her face, and her nose ring comes off. It is then swallowed by a fish that is caught and sold to the king's cook. The cook bring the nose ring to the king, who sends out a proclamation requesting that the owner come before him. When he sees the young girl, he was "so fascinated by her pretty face and nice manner that he married her, and provided amply for the support of her family", and that's the end. I found this story closer to the grimms cinderella and the story of the black cow because the mother lives on after death to provide food for her children. The black cow also has the element of withholding food from the children. This story is meant to span across many years, as the children grow up.

Assignment 5- 24.Feb 2009

Hi Brian, Caitlin, Lydia, Amy-Lee and Briana,

Below is you assignment for this week.

Look through the websites suggested below and find a version of Cinderella or even an illustration of her, that has not been talked about in class as yet.

1. D. L. Ashliman's folktale site:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0510a.html

2. the Sur La Lune fairy tale site:
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/

3. the Cinderella Project at the Univ. of Mississippi:
http://www.usm.edu/english/fairytales/cinderella/cinderella.html

Having selected the story/illustration, you are to elaborate on the reason you picked that particular story/illustration.

You could talk about how the story is different from what you have read so far and how these differences could be interesting in the light of our current discussions in class.

If you have selected an illustration, mention what about it grabbed you, what about it is different from other illustrations known to you and whether it contradicts or proves any of what we have discussed in class so far.

Posts are to be sent in by Midnight on Tuesday and comments to a minimum of two other posts are to be in by Midnight on Wednesday.