January 31st

  "For their marriage was founded on virtue." 

- Beaumont


    In all of the readings of Beauty and the Beast, virtue is placed as the number one sealant in every story. A beautiful young girl is faced with a terrifying beast-- one is able to show grace and one is able to show the power of love and showing their true character. In a way though, these 'fun and lighthearted' fairytales offer a unique look into the power dynamics and societal constructs of relationships that can be found in earlier generations. In Beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast, we are met with arguably the most sincere version of the story where the Beauty is seen as a damsel, trying to save her father and prove her mean sisters wrong. The beast is a mis-understood rebel who can offer her the life that any father would wish for their daughter: one with a financial safety net. In the end, the Beauty realizes that the Beast is far more than what meets the eye, and they lived 'for a long time in perfect happiness' (Beaumont, 81). 

    In contrast to this version, the Dog Bride turns these constructs on their head when the Beauty ultimately refuses marriage and engages with infidelity-- something that was most notable within the male species in earlier times. It was often said that men had mistresses or were the only ones who were able to divorce their wives-- they were seen as the "dogs", the ones who were consistently on the prowl for their next conquest, and while this might be true, the irony of the Dog Bride is certainly not missed.  

    What I found most interesting though, were the stories in which the idea of the Disney version that I grew up with was not the version I was given. In the King Pig, the "beast" was forced to remove his skin in front of his parents to reveal that he was in fact a lovely king. In this, he was forcibly stripped to his truest form, proving his worth to his parents. To me, this was another testament to patriarchal norms, however it was interesting to see the "beast" have parents in this version.  In the Tiger's Bride, the "beauty" is forced to strip in order to see the tiger in his handsomeness-- a bribe of sorts that is used within seduction to get the man to show his true colors. In this, the bride is no longer a sweet damsel seeing the king for his wonderful character, but rather a pawn in his scheme, being used for her body (yet another example of societal norms-- a woman being used for her body in the favor of a man). Although this part of the story could also be seen as the bride acting on her own free will, as she says it felt freeing for her (this is the part that confused me the most, in my opinion). 

    It was very interesting to see all of the different versions of Beauty and the Beast and experience all of the different forms and fashions of virtue that are presented to the audience. I do have to say, even after all of these option, I enjoy the original version (Beaumont's) the best (lame, I know.)! 

    





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