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A review by kienie
The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve
3.0
Generally: Art and presentation are gorgeous. This is an older translation, but even so the dialogue felt even older and more stilted.
Specific thoughts:
In this version Beauty doesn't want to marry the Beast not because he's ugly, but because his ugliness isn't compensated for with charm. The Beast is a dull and stupid creature. So. This 16 year old girl would be OK with marrying and sleeping with the Beast if he were charming and clever. Good to know. And then she marries him anyhow.
Don't know how to feel about the dreams she has about Human!Beast. Is it cheating to basically give her instructions on how to break the curse?
Why are the Beauty's sisters always referred to as a single entity who hates Beauty? And for what? Because their dad likes her best? Because she's the youngest? Because they think she's faking humility? Hard to tell, since the narrator assures us Beauty is genuinely unselfish. Conversely, if that's true, how come Beauty is the only "good" daughter?
But wait: At one point the father remembers "an ancient prediction, by which he had learn that this daughter should save his life, and that she should be a source of happiness to all her family." p. 42. This is not something you brush off in one sentence? There is a prediction about Beauty? Who made it? And when? Why is it ancient? Is this why the father always favored Beauty, and why the sisters hated her? Why didn't the father remember it earlier? Or are predictions like this common in wherever they are?
Beauty's dad counsels her to marry the Beast because he's reach and treats her well. Sure.
Hey, Beast's mom, the Queen, question: this woman, Beauty, is literally the one who freed your son from the spell. So what if she's a commoner! Your son was literally an animal monster thing! But the Queen would've literally rather have had him remain a Beast than get together with someone so beneath him. Yuck. On the other hand, the Queen is pretty cool. She was the general while the Beast was growing up, and looks like she kicked major ass.
Just kidding, Beauty is actually a princess and half-fairy, she was just adopted by the merchant. She's also the Beast's cousin. Well. Now that it's incest, they can get married, no problem. At least the Beast would've married her even if she weren't a secret princess, so there's that.
Can't blame the prince for not wanting to marry the Fairy, since she basically raised him. But the book focuses on her ugly (and nasty) nature, of course. But at least the rose thing makes sense now: they planned it, because a condition of the spell was that the woman had to come willingly, though fearing for her life. So they set Beauty's dad up - it was a TRAP!
I want a film version of this, but where the focus is Fairy court politics, while Beauty and the Beast just takes place in the background. That was the most fascinating part of this book.
Specific thoughts:
In this version Beauty doesn't want to marry the Beast not because he's ugly, but because his ugliness isn't compensated for with charm. The Beast is a dull and stupid creature. So. This 16 year old girl would be OK with marrying and sleeping with the Beast if he were charming and clever. Good to know. And then she marries him anyhow.
Don't know how to feel about the dreams she has about Human!Beast. Is it cheating to basically give her instructions on how to break the curse?
Why are the Beauty's sisters always referred to as a single entity who hates Beauty? And for what? Because their dad likes her best? Because she's the youngest? Because they think she's faking humility? Hard to tell, since the narrator assures us Beauty is genuinely unselfish. Conversely, if that's true, how come Beauty is the only "good" daughter?
But wait: At one point the father remembers "an ancient prediction, by which he had learn that this daughter should save his life, and that she should be a source of happiness to all her family." p. 42. This is not something you brush off in one sentence? There is a prediction about Beauty? Who made it? And when? Why is it ancient? Is this why the father always favored Beauty, and why the sisters hated her? Why didn't the father remember it earlier? Or are predictions like this common in wherever they are?
Beauty's dad counsels her to marry the Beast because he's reach and treats her well. Sure.
Hey, Beast's mom, the Queen, question: this woman, Beauty, is literally the one who freed your son from the spell. So what if she's a commoner! Your son was literally an animal monster thing! But the Queen would've literally rather have had him remain a Beast than get together with someone so beneath him. Yuck. On the other hand, the Queen is pretty cool. She was the general while the Beast was growing up, and looks like she kicked major ass.
Just kidding, Beauty is actually a princess and half-fairy, she was just adopted by the merchant. She's also the Beast's cousin. Well. Now that it's incest, they can get married, no problem. At least the Beast would've married her even if she weren't a secret princess, so there's that.
Can't blame the prince for not wanting to marry the Fairy, since she basically raised him. But the book focuses on her ugly (and nasty) nature, of course. But at least the rose thing makes sense now: they planned it, because a condition of the spell was that the woman had to come willingly, though fearing for her life. So they set Beauty's dad up - it was a TRAP!
I want a film version of this, but where the focus is Fairy court politics, while Beauty and the Beast just takes place in the background. That was the most fascinating part of this book.