Recommendation: The Little Mermaid

Despite the number of fairy tale adaptations, modernizations, and retellings I’ve read, I’ve yet to come across any based on The Little Mermaid. So if I were to recommend any version, it would have to be the Broadway show. It’s essentially the Disney movie with more songs. The music is beautiful and well-performed.

I do have a little something extra for you. In my research of different adaptations of old stories, I stumbled across this Epic Reads article (here) that has one of the most wonderful charts I’ve ever seen. They give 162 books, within different categories, that retell classics. They do confine it to Young Adult books, but I see no shame in reading young adult books even if you aren’t necessarily one. I know I have a few books to add to my list!

If you’ve read anything on this list and loved it, please comment below and let me know. Or if there’s one that you like that isn’t in the article, share it! I’m always looking to add to my reading list.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Evolution of Fairy Tales: The Little Mermaid

Today I’m going to tackle one of the stories that has changed the most drastically over the years. I’ll be comparing the original tale, published by Hans Christian Anderson in 1837 and the popular 1989 Disney film.

The Little Mermaid

Anderson: The Little Mermaid, who remains nameless through the story, lives with her father, the sea-king, her five older sisters, and her grandmother in an undersea kingdom.

Disney: The little mermaid, Ariel, is the youngest of sevens daughters. Her father, King Triton, is ruler of the seas. He and his daughters live in Atlantica, a submerged ocean realm.

Exploring the Surface

Anderson: According to tradition, when a mermaid reaches 15, she can swim to the surface to observe the human world. She can return once every year. The Little Mermaid anxiously awaits her chance and listens to her sisters’ stories about humans and the surface.

Disney: Sixteen-year-old Ariel has developed a habit of sneaking away from home to the surface. She collects human ‘stuff’, which fascinates her. Despite being told to stay away from the dangerous humans, Ariel continues to get closer and closer to them.

The Handsome Prince

Anderson: During the Little Mermaid’s first swim to the surface, she sees and falls in love with a handsome prince. A storm hits, and the Little Mermaid saves the prince from drowning. She leaves him on a beach, where a girl from a temple finds him unconscious. The prince never knows about the Little Mermaid.

Disney: Ariel approaches a ship at sea, wanting to see a human up close. She falls in love with one of the men, Prince Eric, and she saves him from drowning, which is against her father’s laws. When he finds out, he furiously destroys her collection of human artifacts and assigns a crab, Sebastian, to follow her every move.

The Sea Witch

Anderson: The Little Mermaid asks her grandmother how she can be with the human she loves, but her grandmother explains that they can’t because mermaids live underwater and live longer than humans. When a mermaid dies, she turns into sea foam, unlike humans, who have souls that live on. The Little Mermaid visits the Sea Witch and buys a potion to give her legs. If she can earn the prince’s love and marries him, she will receive a soul. However, her legs would always pain her, as if she were walking on knives. The cost of the potion is her tongue, for her voice was beautiful. The Sea Witch also warns her that if the prince marries someone else, the Little Mermaid will die of a broken heart the next morning and disintegrate into sea foam. The Little Mermaid takes the potion.

Disney: Ursula, a sea witch, is seen plotting against King Triton and his family. After a terrible fight between Ariel and her father, Ursula is able to lure Ariel away with the promise of a reunion with the man she loves. She makes a deal with Ariel; she can turn her into a human for three days in exchange for Ariel’s voice. If she can get the prince to love her, and prove it with a kiss, then she can remain human. Otherwise, Ariel’s soul will belong to Ursula.

The Human World

Anderson: The Little Mermaid arrives in the human world and catches the eye of the prince with her gracefulness. He often asks her to dance for him, which she gladly does, even though it causes her pain. The two become close friends, despite her lack of voice.

Disney: Prince Eric finds Ariel washed up on the beach and thinks she is familiar. He takes her to his castle to take care of her, saddened to find she has no voice. The only thing he remember about his rescuer, who he is in love with, is her voice. He spends the next two days with Ariel, falling in love with her but reluctant to admit it as he still hopes to find his rescuer.

Heartbreak

Anderson: The prince’s father tells him that he has arranged between the prince and a princess of a neighboring kingdom. He confides in the Little Mermaid, telling her that he loves the girl who found him on the beach and will marry no one else. When the princess arrives, the prince is surprised to find it is the girl from the temple. He agrees to marry her, which breaks the Little Mermaid’s heart.

Disney: A girl arrives, singing with Ariel’s voice. She enchants Eric, who agrees to marry her immediately. Ariel has to stop the wedding before sunset, when she will turn back into a mermaid. She finds out the girl is Ursula in disguise, who doesn’t want Ariel to succeed in her quest for love. She manages to stall and takes Ariel prisoner.

Ever After

Anderson: The Little Mermaid’s hear is broken the night the prince and princess marry. Her sisters find her before the sun rises and tell her that they have traded their long hair for a way to keep their youngest sister alive. They give her a knife and tell the Little Mermaid that if she kills the prince and lets his blood drip on her legs, she will be a mermaid again and live her life out normally. She takes the knife, but is unable to kill the prince. Instead of becoming sea foam, however, the Little Mermaid becomes an air spirit when the sun rises. By doing good deeds, she will be able to earn a soul.

Disney: King Triton arrives and makes a deal with Ursula; in return for Ariel’s freedom, he will take her place as a prisoner. Ursula agrees and begins to cause chaos with his immense power. Eric, realizing that Ariel is the girl who rescued him and that he loves her, arrives to save her. Together, they defeat Ursula. King Triton sees how much Ariel and Eric love each other and gives her human legs again, allowing them to wed.

The Little Mermaid has changed drastically over the years, yet I haven’t found very many adaptations of it. Comment below and let me know if you’ve come across any that you really liked.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

A Slight Delay

In conjunction with my evolution of fairy tales (the first of which you can read here) I’m going to use the second blog post I do a week to recommend my favorite adaptations of fairy tales. I was going to review a Cinderella modernization, but I have something extra special in the works. When it’s done, you’ll just get an extra post! So hold on and keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Evolution of Fairy Tales: Cinderella

I’ve decided to do a series here about how fairy tales have evolved over the years. To illustrate this, I’ll be comparing the original story to the Disney versions, as those are the most well known.

I’ll begin with Cinderella. The story was first written by the Charles Perrault in 1697 and the Disney animated movie was made in 1950. While it was first written by Perrault, it’s a tale that exists in many countries and cultures and has been handed down for centuries, so there are differences even between the ‘original’ stories. I’ll also compare the well-known Brothers’ Grimm version.

Glass Slipper

The Stepsisters

Perrault: Proud and haughty, like their mother. No physical description.

Disney: Cruel and self-centered, not very attractive.

Grimm: Beautiful with evil hearts. Not only do they make Cinderella do chores, but they intentionally make them impossible.

The Father

Perrault: In this French version, Cinderella’s father is alive. He is completely ruled by his second wife and is unaware of the way his daughter is treated.

Disney: Cinderella’s father dies shortly after his second marriage, leaving her in her stepmother’s care.

Grimm: The father in this version just seems oblivious. He is around, yet doesn’t confront his wife about his daughter’s treatment.

The Ball

Perrault: The prince threw a ball and invited all fashionable people. The ball lasted two nights.

Disney: The king threw a ball to try to marry off the prince and invited all eligible young women.

Grimm: The king announced a festival, to last for three days, and invited all the beautiful ladies in the country were invited, in the hopes that his son would choose one to marry.

The Task

Perrault: The stepsisters jokingly ask if Cinderella wants to go to the ball, then mock her for saying yes. There is no “if you do this, you can go.”

Disney: Cinderella’s stepmother agrees to let Cinderella go to the ball if she can get all her chores done and be dressed acceptably by the time the rest of them are leaving. With the help of her mouse friends, she finishes her chores and her dress, but her stepsisters cruelly destroy the dress and leave her behind.

Grimm: The stepmother empties a bowl of lentils into the ashes of a fireplace. If Cinderella can pick them all out in two hours, she will be allowed to go. Some helpful birds assist her, but when she asks again, her stepmother tells her she can’t come because she has no gown and can’t dance.

Outside Help

Perrault: Cinderella’s godmother, who happens to be a fairy, rewards Cinderella’s goodness by helping her get to the ball. She magically transforms a pumpkin, six mice, and six lizards into a coach, horses, and footmen. She also transforms Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful gown, including a pair of glass slippers. The godmother warns Cinderella not to stay past midnight, as the magic will disappear.

Disney: Cinderella’s fairy godmother appears and turns a pumpkin, mice, and a dog into a coach, horses, and footmen. She also makes a dress for Cinderella, complete with glass slippers. Cinderella isn’t allowed to stay past midnight because the magic won’t last past that.

Grimm: Cinderella’s father once brought her a branch of a hazel tree, which she planted at her mother’s grave. The night of the festival, she visits her mother’s grave, wishing she could go with her family. The tree produced a dress and silver silk slippers. Cinderella attends the festival until she wants to leave.

The Mystery Guest

Perrault: Cinderella is mistaken for a princess. The prince dances with her all night, refusing to let her dance with other men. During the meal, Cinderella sits by her stepsisters, who are awed by the ‘foreign princess’. She is kind to them, despite the way they treat her at home. She leaves with plenty of time left. The second night, she loses track of time while with the prince, and runs out as the clock strikes twelve, leaving behind one of her glass slippers.

Disney: Cinderella spends the evening dancing with a handsome stranger. She is so entranced, she doesn’t realize the time until the clock begins to strike midnight. She runs away, but accidentally loses a shoe.

Grimm: Cinderella impresses everyone and is unrecognized by her family. When she wants to go home, the prince offers to escort her. She refuses, but he follows her anyway. She climbs into a pigeon coop to escape him. The prince and Cinderella’s father break in, but she is gone. The second night, the same thing happened and Cinderella escaped into a tree. The third night, the prince sets a trap. He spreads tar over the stairs and when Cinderella runs away, she leaves a golden slipper on the sticky stairs.

The Hunt

Perrault: The prince declares he will marry the maiden who can wear the slipper. He tries it on everyone until he gets to Cinderella’s house. She asks to try it on, and it finally fits.

Disney: The prince sends someone to try the slipper on the foot of every maiden. When he gets to Cinderella’s house, he finds only the stepsisters. Cinderella’s stepmother locked her away in the attic. She manages to escape, but the slipper is broken before she can try it on. Cinderella produces the second glass slipper and proves herself to be the mystery woman.

Grimm: The prince brings the lost shoe to the house he chased Cinderella to each night. He says he will marry the woman it fits. The first stepsister tries to wear it, but it is too small. She cuts off her toes to make it fit. The prince begins to take her away as his bride, but is warned by a bird that he has the wrong bride. The second stepsister tries on the shoe, but when it doesn’t fit, she cuts off part of her heel. The bird again warns the prince that he has the wrong girl. Finally, the prince insists on seeing Cinderella. Her family had hidden her away, but he insists on seeing all the girls in the house. She tries on the slipper and is whisked away to marry the prince.

Ever After

Perrault: Cinderella marries the prince and, true to her kind nature, sets her sisters up as ladies of the court, even finding them husbands.

Disney: Cinderella and the prince marry. Cinderella’s stepfamily are not seen again.

Grimm: Cinderella marries her prince. Her stepsisters, trying to work their way into her good graces, attend Cinderella’s wedding. Birds attack the stepsisters and and peck their eyes out.

So there you have it. A comparison of 3 popular versions of Cinderella. There have been countless adaptations. What are some of your favorites?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Sharing is Hard

My stomach has been in knots the past two days. I sent my short story to a small group of friends on Friday and I’ve been waiting to hear their feedback.

It’s been excruciating.

I know what you’re thinking. “You’re a writer, Kate. The reason writers produce content is for people to read it, right?”

And that is a very good observations. But that doesn’t make it any easier to send out something I’ve poured hours of time and large portions of myself into and get feedback. After all, how can anyone else love it as much as I do?

Usually when I pose this sort of struggle, I give advice and encouragement of some sort, but I am at a loss. For those of you who have had similar experiences, how do you deal with nerves like this?

Until next time, fellow wonderers.

Be Careful What You Ask

I am a writing major. And I get questions about that choice. A lot of those questions are unintentionally rude. I recently found a list of annoying questions English majors are asked, and they all apply to writing majors as well. Here’s the link if you’re curious (http://tinyurl.com/ocq6mxx).

Normally I don’t mind the questions. Some of them are standard ones, asked of most college students. But some of them are just insulting. Let me explain my least favorite questions and comments.

“That sounds so fun!” I am not in college to have fun. I chose my major because I want to make a career out of writing, not because I had a whim. I am extremely dedicated to honing my skill.

“Do you ever have any homework?” or “You must have such easy classes.” My course load is actually pretty heavy. You try cranking out multiple essays a week, keeping up with assigned readings, and still finding time to do personal writing. Writing is a skill that has to be practiced, just like any other.

“How are you going to make any money with that?” Probably my least favorite question. Ever. Let me just say that my major doesn’t just focus on creative writing. I major in professional writing. That means I know how to write news articles, scripts, web content, and business content. Yes, I also write short stories and novels, but that’s not all. Anywhere you see words, someone wrote them. And I have the ability to do that.

So next time you meet a writer, think before you ask questions. I understand that they can come from genuine curiosity, but sometimes it feels condescending.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

A Goal Met

Friends, I have done something. Something I have never done before. I am so excited to share it with you, and so proud of what I’ve accomplished.

I have finished a project. A writing project. A non-school related writing project.

In other words, I finished the first draft of a short story I wrote for a contest. It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I still have a lot of work to do editing it, but I have finished something that wasn’t homework.

I know this is a short post, but I really wanted to share my accomplishment with you all! I will be submitting it to a contest soon, so I’ll let you know how that turns out.

Until next time fellow wonderers!

Why I Retell Stories

As a writer, I’ve been working to find my niche, the area where my writing falls. I work on fantasy and historical, but would also like to write contemporary and mystery stories. I’ve landed on the conclusion that I like to retell classic stories.

Now, as one of my professors is fond of reminding us, there are no new stories. Every story has elements of previous ones. What I’m talking about is retelling fairy tales and other classic legends like Robin Hood and King Arthur. I love taking an old, well-loved story and bringing it to life in a new way. The challenge is finding a unique angle, a new twist on the story. It’s a difficult but rewarding experience.

Let me walk you through my process. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m working on a book that is based on Cinderella. I was first inspired to write it when watching the musical version of the story when I was struck by a thought: What if Cinderella didn’t want to go to the ball?

It was such a different idea that I had to write it down. Over the next few months I mulled it over. Why wouldn’t she want to go to the ball? Is it because she doesn’t want to get the prince? Because she is happy with her situation in life?

So that’s how the idea formed. It grew over time. I had to figure out why my Cinderella didn’t want to attend the ball. In most stories, she was the orphaned daughter of a nobleman who was forced into servitude by her evil stepmother. In my story, her titled father tries to control her and her stepmother is quiet and gentle. She is independent and wary of other people.

I’ve heard story ideas described as ingredients rather than seeds, and it’s a comparison I like. A lot of people seem to think that ideas just need to be planted and watered in order to flourish, but in reality, you have to combine various ideas in new ways to get a creative dish. It’s more work than inspiration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a peek into my creative process.

Until next time fellow wonderers!

My Travel Bucket List

I’ve always had the urge to travel. Before college, I traveled around the States on vacations and visiting family. I left the country once to travel in Canada. Once I got to college, though, the travel bug that had been previously been quietly biting me began to gnaw more fiercely. It began with a semester abroad in Ireland. Then a missions trip to Liberia. Now I can’t get enough of international travel. So I’ve made a list of places that I want to go in my life. I’ve only included places I’ve never been, not places I would like to return to.

1. Greece. Greece is the center of the ancient world. As someone who loves history, I can’t think of a more exciting place to visit. Seeing historical sites and cities would be a dream come true.

2. England. It’s one of those places that most people want to visit. Closely related to American culture and home to some of the most incredible authors, England is a cultural center of its own. Plus, British accents.

3. Australia and New Zealand. Yes, they’re two different countries, but in my mind they would be the same trip. There’s no real educational value to these places, mostly a desire for beaches and fun. And maybe a trip to Mt. Doom as well.

4. Egypt. Like Greece, Egypt played a strong role in history and has an incredible culture. I would love to experience it firsthand and see the pyramids.

5. Brasil. I’ve never been to South America, but I know that Brasil boasts some spectacular scenery. I think it would be a lot of fun to explore there.

6. China. China has a culture so different from my own, it would be so interesting to experience it. I would love a chance to explore its rich history.

7. Greenland. It’s a little obscure, but Greenland has always intrigued. A halfway point for many of the early settlers of North America, its culture is unique and largely unchanged.

8. France. I studied French in high school and learned a lot about the language, culture, and art of the country. I’d love to see the sites in person, instead of just on a screen or page.

9. Italy. Is food reason enough to visit somewhere? Because that’s the main reason I want to visit Italy. I love Italian food.

10. Denmark. There’s no real reason I want to see Denmark. It just sounds like it could be fun.

So, what places do you want to see? Comment below and let me know. Maybe it will be somewhere I can add to my own list.

Until next time fellow wonderers!