Overall, yes, I see these two stories pertain to each other. The details of incest vs. true love are minor in compared to the similarities of the main characters and their ultimate ability to achieve their shared goal of marriage.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Cinderella and Donkeyskin
One of the main reasons that I think these two stories can be compared is through the need for a woman with the "perfect fit." As Tartar discusses on page 105, "Finding the perfect fit between fingers and rings and between feet and shoes becomes a task set both for fathers and princes." Even though the father figure/s in Donkeyskin do not by any means share similar traits with the prince of Cinderella, they both have a bizarre desire to marry the woman which the ring/shoe fits perfectly. [As a side note: I think it's very strange to want this since in reality, a ring or shoe can fit LOTS of women, especially when testing all of the women in a kingdom.] As we all expected, the ring/shoe fit the "forgotten girl" who is working in the kitchen. Typically, this girl is extraordinarily beautiful (but no one notices as she is constantly dirty or disguised) and virtuous. Even though there are quite a number of variations of both tales, they generally hold the same (albeit very basic) plot. Although we cannot be sure if one of these tales arose from the other, it would not surprise me if this were true. I say this by observing the personality of the main character, the forgotten but beautiful girl. In the versions of Cinderella, she always fits the stereotype of the quiet, submissive girl who is taught to obey her stepmother. She is, unbeknownst to the stepfamily, extremely clever though, and is able to go to the inevitable ball where she meets that prince charming. In Donkeyskin, the main character could be described almost identically. She is clever when she (or a third party, in some versions) thinks to ask for "impossible" items in order to delay the marriage. Again, she is described as having the highest beauty in all of the kingdom (even perhaps hinting more so than her deceased mother?), and she is always doing what she is told. This clearly works in her favor when she is able to marry the far-away prince. These personality traits are displayed in a way that the reader is convinced that without being clever and beautiful and obedient, she would not have achieved the "ultimate prize/life" of marrying Prince Charming.
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I really like the argument that you bring up about this obsession with a certain ring, shoe etc. fitting. I think that this is a kind of odd and unique idea that I haven't come across in any story besides Cinderella or Donkeyskin. Though I'm not sure if it was obscure in that time or not, this makes me think too that the two stories come from the same or very similar stories. I would be interested if this idea is unique to these Cinderella and Donkeyskin stories or if they are seen in other tales or stories in history.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they clearly have some similarities, and I also would not be surprised if one tale arose from another. The main characters from each tale also have clear similarities, but I feel as if the women in most fairy tales would have those traits as well: virtuous, clever, beautiful, etc. These types of women always get the prince, therefore, to me, that is not enough to demonstrate that these two stories pertain to each other. Not only that, but I feel as if the princess in the Donkeyskin story is not as obedient as Cinderella. She ran away from home and her father. This is not obedient to me. She does obey certain commands in different versions, but she clearly is a little rebellious since she ran away.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do like what you said about finding the "perfect fit." This clearly is a distinct quality of the two stories, and maybe we should expand on this aspect even more if we are going to discuss why these stories should be read together.