![]() ![]() ‘Beauty and the Beast’ has been subject to numerous interpretations and retellings. While the content, context and readership of the stories must always be taken into account, the use of description and the relationship between physical character and exemplary moral behaviour are essential to furthering the understanding of this literary genre. ![]() Although the content and history of fairy tales have received their fair share of critical analysis, there is little to be found on the social significance of the description used in these texts. ![]() Her two sisters are representative of the laziness and vanity of a courtly life, but, while they are subsequently shown up, Cinderella, in all her kindness, forgives them at the end of the story. Not only does the story promote an aesthetic distinction between these characters, but it suggests that it is Cinderella's hard work and polite acceptance of her situation that make her virtuous, beautiful and ultimately worthy of the Prince's love. ![]() In one of the most famous fairy tales, Perrault's 'Cinderella' (1729), a beautiful young girl is stripped of her father's wealth and forced to work as a servant for her two ugly sisters and wicked stepmother. ![]()
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