Beauty and the Beast
Written by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont and Marie-Michelle Joy
Illustrated by Walter Crane
This rendition of the classic fairy tale is based on the original eighteenth century version. No Disney elements are found here. This original version was written and distributed widely in France to protest the marriage system of the day in which women had no right to choose or refuse a mate. The original version was a full length novel written for adults, which was later shortened.
At the beginning of the tale, the reader meets a wealthy merchant who has six sons and six daughters. They live sumptuously and prosperously. Suddenly, disaster strikes. The merchant loses his home and possessions in a fire, and pirates sack his shipping business. The distraught family retreats to a poor life in a forest cottage, which is their only remaining possession. All his daughters complain with the exception of the youngest named Beauty who is determined to make their meager life a happy one. Then one day she asks her father for a favor. She longs to see one beautiful rose. The merchant sets off to find one and his journey takes him to a mysterious castle. He is left alone but treated lavishly. Suddenly an ugly beast appears. He promises to let the traveler return home if he will return with one of his daughters to live with him in the castle. The merchant reluctantly agrees.
Beauty feels responsible for her father’s plight and volunteers to return with him to the castle of the Beast where they find unexpected surprises and treasures. When it comes time for the merchant to return home, both he and his daughter are distraught. Strange dreams bring about strange occurrences. What will happen to Beauty and the Beast? Remember, I told you that this is not a classic Disney fairytale.
The illustrations are the original nineteenth century drawings by Walter Crane. They are extraordinarily detailed and magnificently colored. The reader will think herself transported to a museum. They add to the flavor of an authentic French period piece. As an adult, I enjoyed this rendition of the classic tale. I believe that tweens and teens will find this “grown-up” rendition of Beauty and the Beast a most appealing one. Available in kindle and paperback versions.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS Feed button in the upper right hand corner.
11 responses to “THE GENUINE ARTICLE”
Anna C.
April 16th, 2014 at 03:58
Those illustrations look beautiful!! I need this…
bamauthor
April 17th, 2014 at 03:22
The book is available on amazon….
Divina
April 17th, 2014 at 01:31
I would like to see the illustrations in this book and perhaps read a version true to the original story. Thanks for joining us at the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
bamauthor
April 17th, 2014 at 03:21
It’s always a pleasure to hop aboard!
bamauthor
May 4th, 2014 at 12:35
Glad to have hopped on board….
Liz Cave
April 17th, 2014 at 02:49
Wow, you totally enlightened me as to the true origins of Beauty and the Beast. I can definitely see older kids getting into this non-Disney version- and adults too! A French museum experience- yes, please!
bamauthor
April 17th, 2014 at 03:20
Glad that you enjoyed the review. Always fun to view things from a different perspective!
Resh
April 21st, 2014 at 18:35
The illustrations are fantastic! The old world charm really gels well with the period tale! Thanks for sharing on Kidlit Bloghop this week.
-Reshama @ Stackingbooks
Pragmatic Mom
April 22nd, 2014 at 20:31
What an interesting back story to the Disney version we know. I had no idea it was a political story about arranged marriages! Thanks so much for your great post and for including it at the Kid Lit Blog Hop.
bamauthor
April 22nd, 2014 at 21:24
That is why I love delving into history so much. It plays an important part in such much of what we read.
Jill
June 27th, 2014 at 00:40
This sounds like a folktale I would really enjoy. I love the political aspect of it as well as the non fairy tale approach.
Thank you for helping to bring a spoonful of reading fun to the Poppins Book Nook this month!