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Cinderella
By
Harry Ostlund
A True Folktale
Folklorists have characterized a Cinderella folktale as
one that includes a rich but worthy protagonist who is found
in some sort of cinder disguise. Who is mistreated by
members of her family or step-family. Who obtains assistance
in the form of magic or advice from a substitute mother
figure. Attends a transformation event such as a ball, dance,
festival. A social scene where the otherwise dirty heroine is
revealed to everyone in a display of beauty. The heroine's
identity is permanently revealed when she places the glass
slipper on her foot. (Stewart,2000).
History of Cinderella
Cinderella was orally retold from one generation to the
next. The first written account of a Cinderella tale was
recorded in China in the year 850 A.D. According to
Folklorists the first written version of Cinderella was the
Chinese tale Yeh-Shen.
Presently the Disney adaption is the most widely
recognized version and can be found in print.
The Disney variation was based on the well-known version
written and published by Charles Perrault of France in 1697.
Currently there are over seven hundred versions of the
folktale Cinderella from countries across the globe.
Intended Audience
The Cinderella tales are meant to entertain and inform and
anyone can explore how folktales are adapted by different cultures.
The older versions of folktales were written for adults. French men
and women would recite folktales in literary parlors for entertainment.
The recently written watered –down versions of folktales in the
United States were written for little children. Cinderella is now
considered a children’s tale and censored to fit adult ideas of what is
and what is not suitable for children
In the older versions of Cinderella the illustrations and
the text do not tell the same story, in the
newer storybook versions the illustrations are
sometimes drawn for the text, and in some picture
book versions Cinderella is simply an illustrated
storybook. In all of the Cinderella stories the
tale of the mistreated orphan who uncovers her true
worth and regains her true place in society
will continue to be retold to future generations who
will illustrate Cinderella very differently from the
Cinderella we are accustomed to.
Cinderella
• Today we will review five different Cinderella
tales from different countries and interpret
the text and the illustrations to see how the
different cultures portrayed Cinderella.
Cinderella
Illustration by Marcia Brown
Marcia Brown compliments the text in Charles
Perrault’s Cinderella by using soft pastels to
bring a shimmering radiance to the tale.
In contrast Ms. Brown used black to illustrate the
movement of the horses and red to set the mood of
journey from her home to the palace.
Cinderella
Protagonist: Cinderella
Antagonist: Step-mother, Step-sisters
Conflict: Cinderella is not allowed to go to the ball because her step-mother
is afraid that the Prince will discover the true Cinderella and she will get the marriage
proposal and her own daughter will not.
Helping Being: Fairy Godmother
Transformation: Her Fairy Godmother waves her magic wand . Cinderella is clean and her
clothes transform into a beautiful gown and glass slippers. Cinderella looks like a princess.
Climax: When the clock strikes twelve she loses her slipper as she is running
out of the palace.
Resolution: The Prince decides to marry the girl who owns this slipper. Many
try it on but it doesn’t fit. Cinderella tries on the slipper after her sisters.
When she puts it on, she is transformed back into beautiful clothes. The
Prince marries Cinderella and her step-family get a home in the palace.
From: France/ America
The Chinese Cinderella
The soft pastel water colors and
use of panels preserve the
culture of this tale.
In Yen-Shen A Cinderella Story From China illustrator Ed Young
was raised and studied in China so it was only natural for him to
illustrate Yen-Shen. The traditional Chinese artwork is placed in
panels that control the pace of the story. The panels containing
Yen-Shen and the fish have a tranquil quality and use a
combination of soft pinks, greens, and blues. When illustrating
Yen-Shen, in a peaceful and natural setting Young uses softer
colors but when Yen-Shen attends the feast after her
transformation occurs the colors in the panel are vibrant and
alive. The colors change to harsher blacks, purples and reds
when illustrating her step-mother or step sisters. The
illustrations match the moods of the characters as they move
through the panels and tell the story. Young creates illustrations
that create a delicate line that flow from one panel to the next.
Young researched Chinese art for two years before beginning his
illustrations. He wanted to present an authentic Chinese version
illustrated differently from all other Cinderella folktales.
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from
China
Protagonist: Yeh-Shen
Antagonist: Step-mother
Conflict: Yeh-Shen is not allowed to go to the festival because her step-mother
is afraid that Yeh-Shen will get a marriage proposal and her own daughter will
be ignored.
Helping Being: The bones of the fish magically grant Yeh-Shen anything her heart
desires.
Transformation: Her tattered rags are discarded when the bones of the fish provide
her with beautiful clothes to wear.
Climax: She loses her slipper when she runs away fearing that she has been spotted
at the festival by her step-mother and step-sister.
Resolution: The Prince decides to marry the girl who owns this slipper. Many try it
on but it doesn’t fit. Yeh-Shen goes to the pavilion, late at night, where the slipper was
in order to get it back. When she puts it on, she is transformed back into beautiful
clothes. The Prince marries her and her mother and step-sister are crushed to death
by a shower of flying stones.
From: China
The Persian Cinderella
Robert Florczak illustrated Shirley Climo’s The
Persian Cinderella, the fourth in her popular multicultural Cinderella fable series. The book was on
the master list for the 2001 Texas Bluebonnet
Award.
The Persian Cinderella
Protagonist: Settareh
Antagonists: Her two step-sisters and step-mother
Conflict: Settareh is not able to go to the festival at the palace because she was
unable to buy fine clothes for the occasion.
Helping Being: A small blue jug that grants wishes
Transformation: She transforms her tattered rags into beautiful clothes by
wishing on a little blue jug.
Climax: Settareh loses her diamond ankle bangle when fleeing from the palace to
get home before her step-mother and sisters.
Resolution: The Prince finds the bangle and has every girl try it on. Finally,
Settareh tries it on and it fits and they are set to get married until her sisters,
using the magic jug turn her into a turtledove. Eventually, the Prince turns her
back into a human and marries her and her sisters’ hearts burst and they died.
From: Persia
The Egyptian Cinderella
The Egyptian Cinderella
Protagonist: Rhodopis
Antagonists: The Egyptian Household Servant Girls
Conflict: Rhodopis wanted to go with the other servants to see Pharaoh, but
they didn’t allow her to go because they were jealous and didn’t like her
because she was different.
Helping Being: A falcon, believed to be the god Horus snatches her slipper,
flies to the palace and drops the slipper in the Pharaohs lap.
Transformation: Her master gives her the tiny slippers.
Climax: Her slipper is stolen by the falcon and given to Pharaoh Amasis.
Resolution: Amasis has every woman try it on. Finally, he tries it on Rhodopis
and it fits her and her marries her.
From : Egypt
And just like Cenicienta and her Principe we shall
live happily ever after. And they did.
Tomie dePaola wrote and illustrated the
tale in 2002.
Adelita
A Mexican Cinderella Story
Protagonist: Adelita
Antagonist: Step-mother, Step-sisters
Conflict: Adelita
Helping Being: Faithful Nurse/Nanny
Transformation: Her Faithful nurse unlocks her mother’s hidden trunk and
gives Adelita her mother’s white gown and embroidered rebozo shawl . When
Adelita appears at the festival she is a lady of nobility.
Climax: When the Prince was looking for the stunning girl who had lost her
glass slipper he spotted the embroidered rebozo shawl hanging from the
window and ran to the house.
Resolution: The nobleman falls in love with Adelita and marries her. He
restores her rightful position in life and they live happily ever after.
From: Mexico
Intended Audience: Children,
ART
De Paola applies pastel water colored borders to
illustrate the peaceful, happy times in Adelita’s life and
dramatic darker watercolors are used to illustrate the
bleak unhappy times.
When she is with her step-family and in the role of the
servant she wears a muted white apron over her
colorful clothes and an expression of sadness on her
face.
Her step-family wears deep shades of purple and a have mean
expressions on their faces. DePaola achieves a balance through
the use of symmetry. He uses double-spread, full-bleed
illustrations with strong vertical and horizontal lines to create
visual pathways that lead straight to Adelita.
Textual Interpretations
• Similar
Whether is was the household
servants or her step-family
Cinderella was mistreated by the
people she lived with.
The Cinderella was a virtuous
person. She became an orphan
or was taken from her family.
Cinderella finds true love and is
restored to her true station in
life..
• Different
Each Cinderella depicts a character
from the time period and
geographical location.
Each Cinderella story has a different
theme leading to the traditional
ending.
Different types of magic help them
overcome the evil doings of the
people around them.
Culturally Specific Information
From Each Version of Cinderella
Egypt-France-Mexico-Persia-America
By reading the text and viewing the
illustrations, the reader can identify the
cultural, geographical, subtle and obvious
differences in the Cinderella folktales. Even
today the Cinderella folktale forms a strong
connection with our children. The newer
versions have been adapted bringing
Cinderella into the twenty-first century But no
matter how you retell the tale she will always
be Cinderella, the classic tale everyone loves.