fictionadventurer:
I’ve found a new favorite thing about ...
I’ve found a new favorite thing about “Cinderella” variants. They’re all about someone who’s hiding away–either by force or by choice–choosing to be seen for who she really is. And, in most cases, not only seen, but pursued, making the prince come to her, seeking her out in love.
Aschenputtel takes the dresses, goes to the ball, and chooses to make the prince pursue her. Alleleirauh, hiding her entire self after fleeing her father’s sexual harrassment, chooses to wear gowns that literally light up when she shows herself to the prince, before fleeing back to the shadows and revealing her true self when she chooses to. Tattercoats takes the shocking step of showing up as she is, with her rags and geese, before she is revealed as the fine lady she is supposed to be. Even the classic Cinderella, working with the help of a fairy godmother, must choose to defy her stepmother, accept the fairy’s help, and risk the deadline to have one night of freedom where she can be seen for her true self.
In every case, the woman shows her true self in Beauty and the man pursues. It’s so very Song of Songs.
