Beauty and the Beast Discussion
Mar. 11th, 2012 02:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impulsereaderBeauty and the Beast. Is it the best damn story ever told? I think it might be.
I’m interested in generating some discussion about this story; not only how OUAT has interpreted and departed from it, but why so many writers keep going back to it. Robin McKinley has done it twice - once with an ending I have to imagine is, if not unique to her then certainly quite rare, where Beauty chooses that the Beast remain a Beast.
So today I re-read the Beaumont text at Gutenberg and a translation of Villeneuve here and I’m ordering this to try to get a little closer to the original.
Also - calling all fans of Beauty and the Beast television series - I’m not a big fan of George RR Martin so I’ve avoided it so far, but I’m willing to be convinced. Comment and tell me that I should change my mind!
So just to kick all this off while I re-read my McKinley and start looking into all the other prose selections which tackle B&tB per Wikipedia, let’s take a look at the basic differences and departures, but also some very direct similarities specific to OUAT. I’m going to refer to our heroine as Belle for convenience, though in Beaumont she is Beauty and in the translation I read she is Bella (gack).
Departures on the part of OUAT
Rumpelstiltskin is the Beast. If you’re reading this, I assume you’re OK with that. If you’re not, don’t worry, maybe there’s another, better - or at least more traditional - Beast yet to come. Who says they can’t have more than one?
In the traditional tales Belle isn’t doing any actual work. She’s more capable of doing so than OUAT’s Belle because generally her family has lost their fortune and she’s the only one making the best of it and taking care of the house out in the country. In Beaumont’s tale it is noted that she gets up at 4am and goes to work, in contrast to her sisters who sleep until 10. Granted, we don’t see much of Belle working in Skin Deep, but that’s a time thing again. Rumpelstiltskin gives her a list of duties and we can assume that she carries them out. I’m not sure why he can’t get this stuff done magically, but whatever. Maybe he’s like Tonks and he’s not good at householdy spells. Beaumont tells us Belle “spent three months very contentedly in the palace” but aside from monitoring her family by mirror and conversing sensibly, though not wittily, with the Beast over dinner each day he doesn’t tell us how she spends her time. Villeneuve - wow - when I was reading it I became convinced she wrote the story just to have somewhere to put all this cool stuff. Belle gets an aviary and puppet shows and all sorts of crazy stuff to occupy her. I’m feeling it’s pretty safe to assume she isn’t dusting for fun in the expanded version. Did Disney Belle clean? She dusted the library I think, but I’m not sure if that would count since she probably enjoyed that.
I think the work vs. not work thing is due to OUAT changing the Beast quotient. Rumpelstiltskin isn’t looking for love. Love despite his appearance is exactly what the traditional Beast needs to break his curse.
Traditionally, in both tales, the Beast gives Belle and her father treasure. OUAT turns this into protection from the ogres. The offers have morphed from Gold for your Daughter to an offer of Gold for Protection which is rejected in favor of your Daughter for Protection.
The status of Belle’s family is changed. Traditionally the family has been ruined and lost their wealth when her father runs afoul of the Beast. OUAT doesn’t make it clear to me Belle’s father’s position but he has offered gold to Rumpelstiltskin so I hope he actually had some to give him if he had accepted.
The all-important rose that traditionally condemns Belle’s father in his attempt to fulfill her request are reduced to a token mention in the form of Gaston’s - erm - incident which also serves as a Disney nod and Moe’s profession.
While we do get the traditional test of allowing Belle to leave and come back, with OUAT adding a ‘reward’ of sorts in Rumpelstiltskin offering to tell her about his son if she does return, we get a twist as the traditional Belles realize their love and return because they see the Beast near death. OUAT Belle realizes her love and returns because of her conversation with the Queen.
Similarities to the Traditional Tales
Belle always goes to/with the Beast of her own free will.
Nods to Disney on Belle’s dresses and the teacup.
Wow. I’m actually a little floored by how few similarities I just came up with. If anyone is seeing stuff I’ve missed, please comment. I’d like to see this a little more balanced.
Hey, by the way, the translation of the original I’ve linked to calls the Beast ‘the rich beast’ throughout - is this a translation oddity? Can anyone tell me? ‘Roast Beast’ popped into my head immediately and made me smile thinking that if you roasted up some Beast meat it would taste quite rich. Also in this same piece, “presently the clock roused her by calling her name softly twelve times” and I cannot decide if your alarm clock calling your name is perfect or creepy.
So, if anyone cares what prompted this, keep reading.
I recently found myself writing my first fanfic. The sequence of events was something like this:
1. ABC decides to marathon aired episodes of Once Upon A Time. I fall for it and watch them all at one go. I set new eps to record.
2. Skin Deep airs - please note I’m initially unimpressed. I’m not mortally offended that they’ve made Rumpelstiltskin the Beast, I’m not comparing it to the Disney version which I have very fond memories of, I’m just kind of meh about the whole thing. It all seemed a little too easy and that sort of itched at me, but they’ve only got forty-something minutes to work with and they had to simplify.
3. I went onto LiveJournal to see what was up with the denizens and Once Upon a Time. I’ve been a casual lurker in dribs and drabs previously. I discover Rumpel/Belle is quite the discussion of the hour.
4. I start to read some of the fanfic, just because it seems like I’m getting in on the ground floor and there’s some really good stuff out there.
5. I read a few key pieces all in one day, and bam, I’m writing a story. I’m almost finished in fact and I hope to post it pretty soon which is why I took the plunge and signed up for a journal.
6. I still feel pretty meh about the characters and the episode itself.
7. I ask myself if I’ve gone crazy. I’ve written more than five thousand words about a couple that I have almost no investment in whatsoever. I’ve poured hours into it. I love my story, but where the hell did it come from?
I’m interested in generating some discussion about this story; not only how OUAT has interpreted and departed from it, but why so many writers keep going back to it. Robin McKinley has done it twice - once with an ending I have to imagine is, if not unique to her then certainly quite rare, where Beauty chooses that the Beast remain a Beast.
So today I re-read the Beaumont text at Gutenberg and a translation of Villeneuve here and I’m ordering this to try to get a little closer to the original.
Also - calling all fans of Beauty and the Beast television series - I’m not a big fan of George RR Martin so I’ve avoided it so far, but I’m willing to be convinced. Comment and tell me that I should change my mind!
So just to kick all this off while I re-read my McKinley and start looking into all the other prose selections which tackle B&tB per Wikipedia, let’s take a look at the basic differences and departures, but also some very direct similarities specific to OUAT. I’m going to refer to our heroine as Belle for convenience, though in Beaumont she is Beauty and in the translation I read she is Bella (gack).
Departures on the part of OUAT
Rumpelstiltskin is the Beast. If you’re reading this, I assume you’re OK with that. If you’re not, don’t worry, maybe there’s another, better - or at least more traditional - Beast yet to come. Who says they can’t have more than one?
In the traditional tales Belle isn’t doing any actual work. She’s more capable of doing so than OUAT’s Belle because generally her family has lost their fortune and she’s the only one making the best of it and taking care of the house out in the country. In Beaumont’s tale it is noted that she gets up at 4am and goes to work, in contrast to her sisters who sleep until 10. Granted, we don’t see much of Belle working in Skin Deep, but that’s a time thing again. Rumpelstiltskin gives her a list of duties and we can assume that she carries them out. I’m not sure why he can’t get this stuff done magically, but whatever. Maybe he’s like Tonks and he’s not good at householdy spells. Beaumont tells us Belle “spent three months very contentedly in the palace” but aside from monitoring her family by mirror and conversing sensibly, though not wittily, with the Beast over dinner each day he doesn’t tell us how she spends her time. Villeneuve - wow - when I was reading it I became convinced she wrote the story just to have somewhere to put all this cool stuff. Belle gets an aviary and puppet shows and all sorts of crazy stuff to occupy her. I’m feeling it’s pretty safe to assume she isn’t dusting for fun in the expanded version. Did Disney Belle clean? She dusted the library I think, but I’m not sure if that would count since she probably enjoyed that.
I think the work vs. not work thing is due to OUAT changing the Beast quotient. Rumpelstiltskin isn’t looking for love. Love despite his appearance is exactly what the traditional Beast needs to break his curse.
Traditionally, in both tales, the Beast gives Belle and her father treasure. OUAT turns this into protection from the ogres. The offers have morphed from Gold for your Daughter to an offer of Gold for Protection which is rejected in favor of your Daughter for Protection.
The status of Belle’s family is changed. Traditionally the family has been ruined and lost their wealth when her father runs afoul of the Beast. OUAT doesn’t make it clear to me Belle’s father’s position but he has offered gold to Rumpelstiltskin so I hope he actually had some to give him if he had accepted.
The all-important rose that traditionally condemns Belle’s father in his attempt to fulfill her request are reduced to a token mention in the form of Gaston’s - erm - incident which also serves as a Disney nod and Moe’s profession.
While we do get the traditional test of allowing Belle to leave and come back, with OUAT adding a ‘reward’ of sorts in Rumpelstiltskin offering to tell her about his son if she does return, we get a twist as the traditional Belles realize their love and return because they see the Beast near death. OUAT Belle realizes her love and returns because of her conversation with the Queen.
Similarities to the Traditional Tales
Belle always goes to/with the Beast of her own free will.
Nods to Disney on Belle’s dresses and the teacup.
Wow. I’m actually a little floored by how few similarities I just came up with. If anyone is seeing stuff I’ve missed, please comment. I’d like to see this a little more balanced.
Hey, by the way, the translation of the original I’ve linked to calls the Beast ‘the rich beast’ throughout - is this a translation oddity? Can anyone tell me? ‘Roast Beast’ popped into my head immediately and made me smile thinking that if you roasted up some Beast meat it would taste quite rich. Also in this same piece, “presently the clock roused her by calling her name softly twelve times” and I cannot decide if your alarm clock calling your name is perfect or creepy.
So, if anyone cares what prompted this, keep reading.
I recently found myself writing my first fanfic. The sequence of events was something like this:
1. ABC decides to marathon aired episodes of Once Upon A Time. I fall for it and watch them all at one go. I set new eps to record.
2. Skin Deep airs - please note I’m initially unimpressed. I’m not mortally offended that they’ve made Rumpelstiltskin the Beast, I’m not comparing it to the Disney version which I have very fond memories of, I’m just kind of meh about the whole thing. It all seemed a little too easy and that sort of itched at me, but they’ve only got forty-something minutes to work with and they had to simplify.
3. I went onto LiveJournal to see what was up with the denizens and Once Upon a Time. I’ve been a casual lurker in dribs and drabs previously. I discover Rumpel/Belle is quite the discussion of the hour.
4. I start to read some of the fanfic, just because it seems like I’m getting in on the ground floor and there’s some really good stuff out there.
5. I read a few key pieces all in one day, and bam, I’m writing a story. I’m almost finished in fact and I hope to post it pretty soon which is why I took the plunge and signed up for a journal.
6. I still feel pretty meh about the characters and the episode itself.
7. I ask myself if I’ve gone crazy. I’ve written more than five thousand words about a couple that I have almost no investment in whatsoever. I’ve poured hours into it. I love my story, but where the hell did it come from?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 09:17 pm (UTC)(If a clock called my name in the morning, I would probably beat it to death. But then I'm not a morning person. :-) )
Looking forward to your fanfic! The muse strikes in very odd ways sometimes, doesn't it?
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 10:53 pm (UTC)It would probably depend upon the tone the clock uses I'm thinking now. Brisk and efficient would probably be best. There was a clock at some point that would wake you up with various phrases read by Stephen Fry - Time to get up Sir or Madame - stuff like that. It was horrendously expensive, of course.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 11:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 12:47 am (UTC)Your idea of two beasts is interesting, however, I doubt they are going to make it true.
TL;DR: I'm extremely "meh" about Rumple and Belle, but Skin Deep was one of the best episodes.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 01:17 am (UTC)Yes, the two Beasts is rather unlikely, I agree. I understand the violent reaction on one hand, because they are basically eliminating a story in order to add more to an already central character, but the net can only spread so wide and I can buy that they have to pull it in somewhere. In the end I'm reserving judgement on whether or not doing it here was a good call.
I'm loving your user name. Thanks for adding to the discussion.