Perrault's Cinderella Summary

Bonnie Cullen’s, an art historian, article about how Perrault’s version of the story of Cinderella came to be the most widely distributed version. This article goes into detail of several other versions of this classic fairy tale, and it explains why Perrault’s wins out over all of the countless versions and renditions of this storyline. Perrault’s Cinderella is the kind of girl who is never suspected of cheating, maybe is even unaware that she did so, but when the godmother offers an easy way to raise out of poverty Cinderella does so without a second thought. Magic is how Cinderella cheated, the magic enchanted the prince so heavily that it is never asked for this strange woman’s name or a memory of a face. This magically enchanted dress

that Cinderella wears so freely, has taken away the opportunity of the other young women whom also wanted to catch the Prince’s eye. Cinderella thusly uses the Godmother’s invitation of helpfulness to throw out any competition that might otherwise happen. Cinderella was the perfect candidate for cheating, because even as the crime was committed, no one is beginning to think it is her.
James Poniewozik is the one who wrote “The Princess Paradox”. In that particular article it is a discussion over the effects on young girls when the re-popularization of the original Cinderella storyline. “He dubs her chief virtue”( Cullen 320). The arthur expresses thoughts of the young girls being cheated out of the previous generations that got to be thoroughly involved in the idealization of female heroes that were more likely to save the Princes of the world than themselves be saved. Young girls are appearing to be submissive to the idea of needing to be saved by someone other than themselves. This is not far from what Cullen has to say, “the ideal bride, from the gentlemen’s perspective.” while breaking down what makes up most Cinderella stories. Poniewozik goes on to express approval of the newer Cinderella deplicates making their ways into the world. “You can have the girly dream of glass slippers and true love, these films say, as well as the womanly ideal of self-determinations and independence” (Poniewozik 324). The new wave of Cinderellas seem to take away the use of magic to get ahead. Quintessentially taking away from the cheating part of the Cinderella story.
Daly Martin and Margo Wilson are the authors of “The Truth about Cinderella”.

This article talks about how step- parents are being cheated out of the benefit of the doubt due to the widespread reading of Cinderella by young children. This article goes on through the statistical probability of whether or not mixed families; step and biological members, are more unsafe than traditional families. The authors put forward the effort anyways. The main finding is that a step-parent is more likely to be reported as a suspect than a biological parent when abuse is thought to be occurring. Martin and Wilson are experiencing the side effects of Perrault’s Cinderella. “The odds ratio of abuse risk in Hamilton stepfamilies versus genetic-parent families was substantial” (Margo and Wilson 315). Cullen describes Perrault’s as the most distributed, which does explain the mistrust of nonbiologic parents. Perhaps the mistrust is not as misplaced as once believed. The Cinderella stories do reflect on culture that is present, which could be why there is the commonplace of absentee biological parents and the opportunity for abuse by a nonbiological caretaker. “she made her home with her mean old stepmother and her two stepsisters” (Grant 271). The portrayal of the step-parent as always evil or mean does still put a mixed family to more of a risk of failure and may lead to step-parents mistreating stepchildren simply to fit the ideas of a society that is cheating them out of a chance before the opportunity to be good is even

given.
Campbell Grant the author of “Walt Disney’s ‘Cinderella’”, writes the recap of the Disney movie in a way that is more to the point and less fluff. With this stripping away of the extras that maybe have been what is and has been enchanting many people into buying almost blindly into Cinderella’s charm. As in the movie Maid in Manhattan, where when it is time to tell the prince character that the cinderella character can no longer be in the fake relationship, the cinderella character goes through a transformation to make her appear above her current status. All of that even when it is simpler to tell the truth and be believed if the cinderella character was to dress in her maid uniform.
Charm or an enchantment that is from the cheat magic that is given to Cinderella, makes it so that Cinderella does not ever really need to learn hard work as magic takes care of her throughout her entire life. “She waved her magic wand”(Grant 271). The magic is the secret weapon given to Cinderella that gives an unfair advantage above other people in her position, which is what empowers her to cheat. Poniewozik talks of how Cinderella is the icon of the princess obsession. “It’s the reoccurring nightmare of high-minded modern parents of daughters”(Poniewozik 323). Parents fear that when their daughters play dress up as princesses that their daughters will give up on hard work and rely on cheating as the only method to achieve their dreams. With good reason is Cinderella referenced as an icon, Cinderella is given everything that someone in her position would want and with such little effort. Why would anyone be opposed to having everything they want given freely?