LS 5603- Genre 2 - CINDERELLA

Grimm, Brothers and Hogrogian, Nonny. 1981. Cinderella. Greenwillow Books: New York.

Characters
The characters in the story are: Nobleman, his wife, their daughter (Cinderella), stepmother, two stepsisters and the prince. The stepmother and stepsisters treat Cinderella very badly. The nobleman does not pass away in the story but his wife is only living on the first page. The prince enters in story in the last part of the book.

Plot
The nobleman’s wife is very ill and calls their daughter to tell her that she will always be watching over her. After his wife passes the nobleman remarries. The stepmother brings with her two daughters that are older than the nobleman’s daughter. The stepmother and stepsisters began to force her to complete chores and sleep on the hearth. Hence they call her Cinderella from the cinders and the ash. Cinderella asks her father to bring her a hazel twig that she plants at her mother’s grave. There was a white dove that rested in the tree. If Cinderella made a wish while at the tree it would come true. It came time for the Prince’s ball. Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters did not want her to attend so they gave her impossible tasks that somehow were always completed. Cinderella went to the hazel tree and suddenly she was transformed. This happened for three nights. On the final night she lost a slipper. The Prince went to find the owner of the slipper. The stepmother forced her two daughters to cut off parts of their feet to make the slipper fit. The Prince noticed the deception and asked the nobleman if he had any other daughters. The nobleman said it couldn’t be Cinderella and the stepmother refused to bring her out. The prince insisted and realized that Cinderella was the one he sought. On the way to the castle the white dove rested on Cinderella’s shoulder. The two stepsisters were stricken blind for their deeds.

Setting
The setting is long ago in the time of kings, princes, and noblemen. There are a few references to seasons passing and some time had passed within the text. The time period helps the reader to understand the extent of the chores that her stepmother and stepsisters heaped upon Cinderella.

Theme
The story of Cinderella is about how even though the current situation may be difficult if you don’t let the situation overtake your life things can improve. The Brothers Grimm version does have gruesome twists for the stepsisters. Cinderella is a showcase of perseverance. She does not give up in even seemingly hopeless situations.

Style
The Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella contains a hazel tree and white dove that grant Cinderella’s wishes. The story does not elaborate on wishes granted before the ball. There are a few references to language that we do not currently use frequently. This version does not show a rhyme reflected in the writing.

Illustrations
All of the illustrations appear to be framed. They reflect the clothing for the time period as well as hairstyles. Most of the illustrations of people are side profiles showing a limited facial expression.

Cultural Markers
The illustrations help the reader to place themselves in the time period of the text. The text furthers the readers experience by bringing in the emotional side of the story. The culture would be European due to the references of a monarchy and nobles.

Anthologies
This book contains just the story of Cinderella. This storyline is familiar to children due to movies as well as different versions and variants. There is no background available in the text. The Brothers Grimm versions of fairy tales tend to contain graphic text. I would caution for the reader to preview the text before reading this version aloud. Children who have knowledge of other versions or variants will be better equipped to rationalize the gruesome details of the Brothers Grimm version.

Connections
I would use this version with older students in a fairy tale study. I would pull in varying texts for compare and contrast activities. Here are a few other versions or variants of Cinderella:
CINDERELLA – by Random House Disney
Ensor, Barbara. 2006. CINDERELLA:AS IF YOU DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. Random House Books: New York.
Perrault, Charles and Brown, Marcia. 1997. CINDERELLA. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Ketteman, Helen and Warhola, James. 1997. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE. Scholastic Inc.
Climo, Shirley and Heller, Ruth. 1992. EGYPTIAN CINDERLLA. Harper Collins Publishers.