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Cinderella And Cinderell Two Versions Of Cinderella

Decent Essays

I’m sure you all remember watching or reading the tales of Cinderella as a child. I know I do, I grew up wearing plastic heels and itchy princess dresses wishing for my dream prince. Through reading various versions of this magical tale, however, I have been struck by the different cultural values represented in the story and how that differed with the Disney version I grew up with. Two versions of the story that stood out to me were The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault and perhaps one the earliest versions, Yeh Shen, an Asian fairy tale written by Duan Cheng Shi. But before we dive into these mystical tales, ask your fairy godmother for a sparkly gown and a pair of glass slippers, because we have a ball to attend.

The Little Glass Slipper, written by Charles Perrault in 1697 is commonly known to have laid the ground work for the Disney version of Cinderella. This folktale came about in 17th century Paris which is where it receives its original tile 'Cendrillon.' The tale encompasses many cultural values that evidently link back to the time in which it was written. The story represents French values of society, monarchy and the significance of beauty to men as well as women. This tale represents the social classes of the 17th century in the matter that it differentiates between the upper class and the lower class. Like the step-mother in the tale, upper class women often were selfish and took charge of the family. Cinderella on the other hand was not so

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