tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post398096086523141993..comments2024-03-29T04:23:31.740-05:00Comments on Tales of Faerie: Lives of the Writers of BATB StoriesKristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-83099890876949813952016-05-13T05:54:05.674-05:002016-05-13T05:54:05.674-05:00I'm happy you share my love for Disney! It'...I'm happy you share my love for Disney! It's safe to say I wouldn't be so interested in fairy tale history without it.<br /><br />Betsy Hearne's book sounds like another fantastic source!! Thanks so much - I'll keep it in mind (unfortunately I can't afford to grab every single book, but it's great to have a rich pool to choose from!)Aiyanne Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04609071976515094211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-60946131879734285342016-05-09T12:53:13.155-05:002016-05-09T12:53:13.155-05:00I usually tend to be a purist, too. However, when ...I usually tend to be a purist, too. However, when you realize that the Villeneuve/Beaumont plot is not really the "original" anyway, but two women's takes on other similar literary and oral tales, they're no more original than the Disney version! Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-22072919429258392072016-05-09T12:51:09.884-05:002016-05-09T12:51:09.884-05:00Glad you enjoyed it! I'll never know what I wo...Glad you enjoyed it! I'll never know what I would have thought of Disney's BATB had I been familiar with the French versions first, Disney was my introduction to BATB and the reason I got interested in fairy tale history to begin with, so I have no shame in admitting my love for that movie! And I know, it's so frustrating to me that everyone cites the Beaumont version as the original. (Even Maria Tatar! Who I love!)<br /><br />One more BATB resource, if you're interested, is Betsy Hearne's "Beauty and the Beast: Visions and Revisions of an Old Tale." It was published before Disney's version came out but is a really great discussion of the fairy tale, including lots of significant but now forgotten versions! Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-55670497278397987152016-05-07T23:17:23.026-05:002016-05-07T23:17:23.026-05:00I'm kind of a purist, and I'm just fine wi...I'm kind of a purist, and I'm just fine with people preferring adaptations over the originals in some cases. There are even some adaptations of fairy tales that I prefer over the original. I like Disney's Beauty and the Beast better than the original because it's actually surprisingly darker, and feels just like a fairy tale. I also like Disney's Aladdin better than the original.<br />Ozfan95https://www.blogger.com/profile/14766400170098200286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-74262030534378379872016-05-07T18:00:05.122-05:002016-05-07T18:00:05.122-05:00This is fascinating!! I'd probably be frowned ...This is fascinating!! I'd probably be frowned upon by fairy tale purists for admitting this, but I have a soft spot for Beauty & the Beast, because Disney's adaptation has always been my favourite Disney film.<br /><br />I'm very interested in learning more about the original fairy tale & haven't yet delved into the background. Thank you for highlighting Villeneuve's Beauty & the Beast, because thanks to a Norton Critical Edition of Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar, I'd been under the impression that Beaumont's was the earliest version!<br /><br />The sources you've listed are really helpful, too. I'll definitely consider them.Aiyanne Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04609071976515094211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-22953118400779605252016-05-07T11:11:57.318-05:002016-05-07T11:11:57.318-05:00It took me years to track down the Villeneuve text...It took me years to track down the Villeneuve text, I was so excited to have finally done it and I knew it was supposed to be long and winding and overly detailed, so I didn't mind it. In fact, I think if you approach it expecting it to be more of a novella and not a typical fairy tale, it really doesn't deserve some of the criticism it's gotten for its writing, usually considered to be second rate compared to Beaumont. (And with Snow Queen-I know every fairy tale fan is supposed to love it and it's very feminist but I'll admit it's not my favorite to read either! I end up skimming it rather than reading and enjoying it but again I should probably just adjust my expectations.)<br /><br />Really the only "adult" aspect of Villeneuve's story is the fact that the Beast asks Beauty to sleep with him, and in many versions-including Zipes-it's been changed to "marry". I can understand it being changed in children's versions but frankly I've been baffled for a while as to why Zipes wasn't more accurate. I've wondered that too, about multiple French versions, but I've never heard of a revised Villeneuve (it doesn't seem like it was considered a big enough deal after the Beaumont version to bother revising it), and plus you'd think a scholar like Zipes would be aware of and have access to the original? Heck, even my version uses the verb "coucher." (and the French copy at the Library of Congress) (can you tell I'm maybe a little obsessed about this) Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-77012919772939602392016-05-06T19:22:54.679-05:002016-05-06T19:22:54.679-05:00I remember the first time I found out that the Bea...I remember the first time I found out that the Beaumont version was based on a longer version by Villenueve (which was about three years ago), and then how I spent about two months looking for a public domain text of it online.<br /><br />Honestly, I have the same problem with Villenueve's version as I do with "The Snow Queen;" it's WAY too long. I did like how there was an explanation why the Beast isn't so friendly to Beauty's father, but other than that, I pretty much fell asleep reading it. Maybe I'm just not patient enough. And sadly, I'm probably going to have to read it again when I start posting about it on my blog.<br /><br />I notice how some translations soften down the more "adult" aspects of the Villenueve version. I read somewhere that even the Jack Zipes translation has it softened. It makes me wonder if it was first revised in French and that's the version the translators translated. Is that possible?Ozfan95https://www.blogger.com/profile/14766400170098200286noreply@blogger.com