Marcia Brown�s interpretation of the Cinderella story, a translation of the French version originally written by Charles Perrault in the 17th century, was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1955. Cinderella is treated hatefully by her stepmother and stepsisters, who force her to do the coarsest tasks around the house and sleep on a pile of straw in the attic. When the king�s son hosts a grand ball, Cinderella helps the sisters prepare for the evening, but she is not allowed to go. Left all alone and in tears, Cinderella is visited by her fairy godmother, who transforms her rags into a radiant gown, and outfits her with a horse-drawn carriage and footmen to deliver her to the castle. The only stipulation is that she be home before midnight. The second night of the ball, Cinderella forgets until the clock begins to strike twelve o�clock, and in her haste to rush home, loses one of her little glass slippers. The prince vows to marry the girl whose foot fits the slipper, and every woman in the kingdom tries in vain to squeeze it on. Finally Cinderella asks if she can try, and seeing that the slipper fits like a glove, she is whisked away to the castle and the arms of the prince. They marry a few days later, and the ever-virtuous Cinderella invites her sisters to live in the palace and marries them off to lords of the court.
Marcia Brown�s illustrations enhance the romantic, dreamy qualities of the fairy tale. Rendered in a mixed media of pastel gouache, crayon, and watercolor, with just enough ink to define the images, the art provides impressions, rather than details. Cinderella�s ethereal beauty is depicted by softly flowing, thin lines, while the step sisters are portrayed with pointy, squiggly, broad strokes. The artist manages to convey an air of grandeur at the palace while providing very few details, allowing the imagination of the reader to have full rein. A sense of the spareness of Cinderella�s existence is represented by the paucity of lines in the illustrations of her doing chores and sitting alone by the fire.
This is a traditional Cinderella story with the stereotyped characters of fairytales - a wicked stepmother, vile stepsisters, beneficient fairy godmother, handsome prince, and an all-around perfect heroine. Cinderella is described as �good� and �beautiful� repeatedly throughout the story. In spite of the cruel treatment by her stepsisters, she �told them she forgave them with all her heart� and �begged them to love her always.� At the ball she shares her oranges and lemons with them, and finally gives them husbands and a home in the palace. The sisters, on the other hand, could not have been nastier. Brown describes them as �hateful� and �rude� girls, calling Cinderella �a filthy Cinderseat.�
The story opens with the traditional �once upon a time,� and the plot has suspense, unfolding at a pace that maintains interest. The drama has a satisfying resolution, with the virtuous protagonist receiving her just reward, although the evil sisters fare better in this version than in some others. All the fairy tale motifs are present: the fairy godmother is a supernatural helper and magic transformations outfit Cinderella and her entourage for their evening out. True to its French heritage, this delightful version of a familiar tale is a love story filled with romance and happy ever afters.
Related Web Sites:
A "Cinderella Film": http://www.foxmovies.com/everafter/thestory.html
Other versions of Cinderella:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0510a.html