Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast - All Four Versions by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely one of the most popular faery tales, it has been made into a movie or tv series countless times. Disney made a carton movie out of it, later on the French made a movie out of it and now there is a new version out. The TV series makes further twists on the plot. When it comes to faery versions there are basically four major ones. The first one is just a regular faery tale, the second is a condensed version of the first, The Grimm Brother version is much different while the fourth is written by Andrew Lang.
The first version is the most complete of all. In fact it is so complete that the ending part which explains everything in great detail becomes rather long and painful. Sometimes I got lost while reading the ending part because in reality it goes into the backstory rather in depth, something which the other three don’t. Most versions of the story start out with a wealthy business man who loses everything after a fire burns his house and his fleet of boats get drowned in a storm. With very little money let the merchant takes his sons and daughters to a country villa where they have to do their own chores now. Further in the tale the father gets word that one of his ship made it. Expecting great fortune the kids all want expensive gifts, everyone except beauty who wants just a rose. Well his partners thought he was dead and split everything up. On the way home with almost nothing to show for his endeavors , the merchant gets caught in the snow it is during a snow storm that he finds relief in a castle. He is well fed and well rested and spying on a rose, he takes one that is when he is confronted by a beast. The beast threatens to kil him in retaliation for taking his rose after receiving such great hospitality. In return for letting the merchant live his daughter must take his place. She must stay there forever and she is expecting to die. The beast , however, kills her with kindness. He tries to woo her and get her to fall in love. When she wants to go home for a week or month or two months depending on the version the beast lets her and he gives her magiac so she can get back quickly. When she takes too long he starves himself almost until the point of death. At this point she realizes her love for him and agrees to marry him. The Beat turns into a prince and a handsome one at that. The second version pretty much ends there while the fourth version, written by, Andrew Lang, explains that then a wicked faery turned him into the beast for spurning her. He would have to have a virgin fall in love with him. The first version goes into even more detail. It notes that the princes mother wants him to marry royalty. Good thing that Beauty was an adopted child by her merchant father. Her real father is a king. There is also a good faery who teaches them how into counter the wicked faery’s spell. The wicked faery helped the prince’s mother capture land and maintain her kingdom. It goes a bit into faery politics.
The Grimm version is much much different. In this version the beast is a lion and instead of a rose the man takes a bird. There is a sojourn back home and the revived lion gets well and marries her. When she wants to go home with him for a celebration he warns her that if he is touched by candle light he will turn into a dove for seven years. Well he gets touched by candle light and she has to pursue the dove for seven years. She asks the winds for help as well as the sun and the moon. They each give her gifts which she will need. It ends up that the lion has resumed his form and is fighting a dragon who happens to be a queen. Magic makes them resume human form an away he goes with the queen leaving his beloved behind. She follows him to the kingdom but he has forgotten her. Twice she triks the evil queen into letting her sleep in the same room as her husband. Eventually she wins him back. Fun read an very informative to see how different versions of a story play out.


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