Updating Fairytales – Cinderella
Fairytales are popular not only in their original form but in updated or fractured versions. I have long been a fan of Disney but want to look at some of the fairytales and how they can be altered to appeal to the modern audience. This is a good exercise for writers who can take an old idea or story and give it an update to make it an original work of art.
Cinderella stays true to the plot of a romance that others still follow. A poor but kind girl dreams of happiness with a wish her heart makes. She tries to get along with her demanding and cruel stepmother and stepsisters and befriends the animals in the household. Animation requires talking animals but she’s kind to every creature, even the evil Lucifer. The animals repay her by updating her old dress for the ball, which her family tears to shreds.
The heroine’s kindness and patience are contrasted against the cruelty and harsh demands put on her by her relatives. I often wonder why her father didn’t provide for her better. Didn’t he have a lawyer/solicitor to oversee his estate and make sure Cinderella was taken care of?
Like many titled and rich men, the prince must fulfill his obligation of providing an heir to the throne. This is the reason for the ball where he will meet all eligible young ladies. Cinderella meets the man of her dreams and falls in love while dancing. He turns out to be the prince but her stepmother and others try to prevent them from marrying. Yet, true love conquers all.
Disney’s trademark is magic and many writers use magic or the supernatural in their stories. The fairy godmother arrives while Cinderella is in tears and provides the carriage, horses, and a beautiful gown with glass slippers. The magic ends at midnight with a rush by Cinderella to escape. She loses her slipper which sets up the search for the mystery girl. Her stepmother guesses the truth and locks her in her room while her stepsisters try to force the slipper to fit. The animals help her escape and she has the other slipper after her stepmother breaks the one the grand duke has brought.
Most of the different versions follow the same pattern but what where the Grimm brothers writing about? The stepsisters, directed by their mother, want to gain wealth and status by marrying the prince. This was a common goal for women. They had no property of their own and a good marriage was their happily ever after.
In the Grimm version the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to fit the slipper and bleed out. Gross. Grimm’s stories also have the rich described as ugly and cruel while the poor are kind and hard working. It gave them hope to find love and happiness in an otherwise harsh world. Royalty are given special treatment. They are described as kind (most likely to avoid being thrown in jail) but the prince only sees that Cinderella is beautiful. He can’t even remember what she looks like to identify her after the ball and has to rely on the fit of a slipper. What was he looking at while dancing with her?
Yet, real events have shown that the life of a princess is far from happy. I try to avoid super rich heroes. Who wouldn’t fall in love with someone who is young, handsome, and wealthy? What if he’s spoiled, abusive, and cheats on his wife? Give your hero and heroine good and bad traits with disadvantages to overcome. Go beyond a pretty or handsome face and develop qualities that the reader can identify with.
Disney’s modern romances have focused more on the heroine valuing an education, independence, and family honor instead of finding a prince to save her from her problems. Rushing into love caused problems for Anna in Frozen. That was a nice change from love at first sight. Belle also has to look beyond first impressions and discover the heart of the beast.
If your characters choose someone of wealth, let them debate the pros and cons of marrying someone who has power and advantage and how they will deal with it.
A new version of Cinderella has the prince choosing her stepsister and she ends up scrubbing floors at the palace but she uncovers a plot against the prince. Will Cinderella save him? That’s a new twist worth reading. Take something familiar and give the reader a new way to look at the situation and characters.
