Do you see what I see when you see all of these fabrics together?
Can you guess what theme I see coming together?
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| Snow White (Little woodland critters) |
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Rumplestiltskin (The background is gold/straw) |
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| Cinderella (Gold-touched pumkins and palace floors) |
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| Rapunzel (Endless golden braid) |
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| Can you help me think of this one? |
I've been keeping my eye on the pumpkin and critters prints for a while, but I only noticed the others by chance this weekend. I love how well they all fit together, but I don't know what to make with them yet! Maybe a quilted tote bag, or throw-pillow. Any any ideas? I don't know which fairy-tale the birds fit in to, but I'm still on the lookout for roses (Beauty and the Beast), frogs (frog prince), and mice (are they part of the traditional Cinderella story?). Can you think of any others?
Hi Brooke,
ReplyDeleteAccording to Cullen, our resident fairy tale expert, mice were definitely in Cinderella. Initially the birds on the branches reminded me of Sleeping Beauty. Branches around the castle and bird/raven kept finding Aurora and letting Maleficent know. But apparently that only happened in the Disney retelling. (Cullen again.) Birds were in Cinderella, though. Mrs Callaghan
But don't you think that Disney versions count as a legit retelling? Fairy tales have been told and rewritten forever. There's not exactly an "original" version of most of them. You can find some kind of version of Cinderella in just about every culture. There's even elements of fairy tales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in some of Dicken's and Austen's novels. (Just something I've been learning about in my English Novel class this semester).
ReplyDeleteIt's true that just about every version is different (which is why I'm asking for what other people have heard/read)and in that light, Disney has just as much right to influence this project as any other version. I just want to avoid drawing straight from Disney, and end up with a 'Disney Princess' project. That's part of why I was so happy to find the Rumplestilskin and Rupunzel -ish fabrics, which haven't been made into major movies yet.
ReplyDeleteThe birds make me think of The Happy Prince, by Oscar Wilde (Godblesshim). ADORABLE story; you should look it up if you don't know it.
ReplyDeleteThere are also a lot of fairy tales that involve birds as gifts. There's a nightingale in The Swineheard (Hans Christian Andersen), and The Princess and the Kiss. One of the stories in Arabian Nights is all about a bird, too, I think. The best-known story involving a bird as an important gift is Tristen and Iseult. There's also a Chinese story about an old woman and a bird that's fairly cute. Oh, and I think there's an important bird in East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but I could be wrong. Haven't read it in ages.
Those are all the ones I could think of off the top of my head, but I know there are about a bajillion more. Does this help?
~Laura
PS: There is, indeed, a Cinderella-like story in a TON of different cultures. I think my favorite is the Irish version, called Rashin Coatie.
ReplyDelete~Laura
Thanks Laura! :)
ReplyDeleteOh oh I just have to say, there IS going to be a Rapunzel Disney movie coming out this Thanksgiving. Needless to say I am tres excited. Lately Disney has been making some pretty good princes. :D How Rapunzel herself turns out, well we shall see.
ReplyDeleteAlso, reading Jane Eyre for class, I'm realizing there are tons of elements in it that are soo much like not only Cinderella but Beauty and the Beast as well: The big creepy house, the creepy crabby guy who owns the house, the mystery surrounding the house, the somewhat compelling heroine. Still not my favorite book, but I've just been noticing all these different elements and layers to it.
Really?! I hadn't heard anything about that! I was thinking they probably would some day. And I love Jane Eyre for many many reasons...
ReplyDeleteWhy does everyone love Jane Eyre so MUCH!? I do not like it Sam I am.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, excited for Tangled. Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD84Uq9XVXA&feature=fvsr
Definitely want to dress up and see it at Midnight.
It's really hard to put my finger on why I like it... it's so many little things. Gee, I didn't even do an analysis on it, so I've never looked particularly deep into the story.
ReplyDeleteThat would be so fun! (dressing up, not midnight) I've actually never done that... hmmm
In college, midnight has lost the magical sacredness with which I regarded it as a child or even as a teenager. I see it's coming quite often. Dressing up is going to be funnn, I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear as a Princess dress, hmmm. I really wish you were up here so you could come with us! :)
ReplyDeleteI guess the characters in Jane Eyre bother me the most. Also the little girl at Lowood who gets her naturally curly hair shaved off at Brocklehurst's orders has always been rather traumatizing.
Oh, I see it all the time. But purposely going to a movie then, and being up waaay past, requires a very very special occasion. Me too!
ReplyDeleteOkay, traumatizing is very different from 'not good' or 'annoying'. That's where I thought you were going.