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This book contains Vietnamese variants of such stories as: Cinderella, Thumbelina, Rip Van Winkle, The Frog Prince, etcetera. It is interesting to note that some versions of these stories can be significantly violent in versions around the world. One example of this is found in the Vietnamese version of Cinderella. In the version we have learned in the United States, Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother and two stepsisters. They force her to do all the chores and forbid her to go to the ball where the prince will choose his bride. In The Brocaded Slipper, Tam (Cinderella) |
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endures a umber of tasks before reaching her dreams and her true love. The stepmother as well as her daughter Cam, make her do all the chores while they loaf around the house. When they send her over to the river to fetch fish, a fairy godmother gives her one special fish which she advises her to take good care of, because it will one day bring her luck. The reader does not see much of the fairy godmother except when she once more comes back for a glimpse after Cam kills and eats the fish. This time, the fairy tells Tam that she should bury the fish bones in order to get a surprise. Upon doing this, she receives a dress, jewels, and a pair of slippers. When one of her slippers is found by the prince, he announces that he will marry the owner.
The story should end when Cam appears and they get married, but instead the two villains of the story murder Cam. She reappears some time later in the form of a bird, only to be killed again by Cam. She comes back yet again in the form of two peach tress, only to be cut down and burned. Finally, she turns back into herself and marries the prince once again. The evil stepsister is shocked to see her and falls out of a window, cracking her skull in the process. It is quite a violent version of the story we�ve been told for years.
Although much of the story has changed in this version, and a lot of content is added to the version we are accustomed to hear, we still see some of the basic elements. Some examples are: an orphan girl, evil relatives, slippers, a fairy godmother, a prince, and the fact that theyt live happily ever after.
Vuong, Lynette Dyer. 1982. The brocaded slipper and other Vietnamese tales.
Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. ISBN 0-201-08088-5. |
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