An Analysis of the Perrault Version of Sleeping Beauty

The version of tale type 410 written by Charles Perrault varies in several significant ways from the Grimm version of the tale. Some of the changes can be accounted for by the more literary nature of this retelling. Other changes seem to be more motivated by social commentary. Still others do not seem to have a particular reason, they are just the normal variations when a story is retold.

The Perrault version is a much more literary tale, although it is still consideredVolksmarchen. Throughout the story, Perrault includes detailed descriptions. He talks about the fairies' place settings, the methods used to try and revive the Princess, and how the Princess looked while asleep, among other descriptions. This kind of detail does not typically exist in a folk tale which needs to be remembered so it can be communicated orally. Another part of the Perrault version which seems incongruant with the idea of an oral tradition is the additional, secondary plot after the Princess awakes, what Propp would call an additional move. Although the subplot is shorter than the main story, it is long enough to be a story in its own right. It is more common to have this kind of additional story in literary tales than inVolksmarchen. Perrault also broke a fairy tale convention when he added description which addressed the passage of time. He wrote about the Prince's thoughts on seeing the Princess's antiquated clothing and on hearing the old pieces which the musicians were playing. Bettelheim asserts that these additions "grossly detract from [Perrault's] work." (Betteleheim, p230)

Perrault included a lot of description which served as a social commentary. As early as the second sentence of the tale, he includes details which can be seen as accentuating particular aspects of society. He enumerates the ways the King and Queen try to have a child. These extreme measures are far beyond anything that an average infertile couple could try, indicating the priviledges of class. The fairy casts a spell on the entire castle so that there will be someone there when the Princess wakes up in one hundred years. Perrault lists all the people and animals that the fairy enchants. This large list can be interpretted as a critique of the number of servants that the royalty felt they needed.

Other details were altered between the Grimm and Perrault versions. There is no proclamation by a frog foretelling the birth of the Princess. This change makes the Queen's pregnancy seem more natural. Also, the ending of the enchantment seems more in line with destiny in the Perrault version. Perrault does not describe any Princes getting trapped in the thorn hedge, as if no one tried because it was not the right time yet. Also, the Princess wakes up as the Prince is kneeling by the bed, before he kisses her. It is ironic that the Prince does nothing in the Perrault version to end the spell since he is mentioned by the good fairy, while in the Grimm version, he is not mentioned in conjunction with ending the spell, but the Princess only awakes after he kisses her. Several other minor changes were made. No age is given for the fateful prick in the Perrault version. There are only eight faries whereas there are thirteen in the Grimm tale. The angered fairy was not invited because no one knew she was alive in the Perrault version, however she was purposefully not invited in the Grimm version because there were not enough elaborate place settings. Perrault also adds a separate moral at the end of the story, presented in the form of a poem.

Most of the changes in the Perrault version do not alter the basic plot of Sleeping Beauty. He elaborates on it, however, often adding social commentary or more literary aspects to the tale. Some of the changes seem insignificant or do not appear to have any ulterior motives. Perrault's only major change was to add a second part of the story which was not present in any form in the Grimm version.

 

Bibliography

Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales . New York: Vintage Books, 1975.