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Tennant's Influence In Ever After

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It is important is to recognize Tennant’s influence for Ever After comes from Charles Perrault and not the Brothers Grimm. In the opening scene of Ever After, the Grand Dame has invited Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm over to set the record straight about Danielle de Barbarac whose “romance had been reduced to a simple fairy tale” (Tennant). With this scene, Tennant sets the audience up to be told a story that differs from the Grimm’s version. It could be inferred that Tennant chooses to adapt his Cinderella from Perrault’s because Cinderella: Or the Little Glass Slipper was written in the same time and place as Ever After’s setting and this exaggerates the contrast between the two stories even more.
Tennant creates a character that goes against the ideals of Perrault’s society by putting an emphasis on Danielle’s intellect, …show more content…

Perrault creates a character that is passive, weak, and communicates discriminatory ideals about women. Cinderella’s gentleness, passivity, and steadfast patience denote the gender roles that would be expected in French salons. Perrault discusses these charming qualities with his readers by stating “without [them], one can achieve nothing; with [them], everything” (Perrault 78). His moral proposes because Cinderella peacefully endures years of abuse from her family, she is rewarded with the prince and a happy life. However, it is important to note that the prince fell in love with Cinderella not because of her kind and gentle nature, but because of her beauty. Perrault’s ideals suggest that women exist for the benefit of men and that women’s value of live is related to meeting society’s expectations. Tennant transforms Perrault’s Cinderella into a young woman who takes pride in her intellect and is capable of thinking for herself. Tennant presents the foundation of Danielle’s knowledge through Thomas More’s Utopia; the last book Danielle’s father gives her before he died. Danielle adopts More’s ideas about “the

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