Cinderella Related Text Analysis

Connected text Study

For my connected text study I have chosen to compare and contrast Cinderella and Cinderella story. There are many versions Of Cinderella and the one I have chosen seems to be the most common, it has been edited by Andrew Lang and published by David McKay 1948.

"Cinderella" is a classic story, told and retold for generations. There are variations of the story in nearly every culture, and many modern adaptations. One of the most recent and spotlighted offspring of "Cinderella", is "Cinderella Story" Written by Leigh Dunlap and directed by Mark Rosman. "Cinderella Story" is an adapted version of Cinderella, and holds many of the same key aspects as the most well known version of Cinderella. However each text has its
own particular Style, plot, Theme, structure and character profiling. What makes "Cinderella Story" and adaptation of "Cinderella" is that in both texts there is a beautiful and intelligent girl that is being used as a free maid/slave because of her evil stepmother's jealousy of her. She somehow through trickery ends up at a ball/dance, where she meets a handsome young man that falls in love with her.

"Cinderella" is set in a time were there are still castles and princes, almost a medieval age. Opposed to "Cinderella Story" that is set in today's times. "Cinderella Story" was made so that an audience of today can be able to understand and relate to it. To do this they made Sam an unknown high schooler, trying to juggle a job and school. Cinderella is a story that people of all periods of time should be able to relate to in some way or other. But Andrew Langs version is seemingly aimed to be a children's bedtime story, with its quick pace and aura of innocence. And even though it is a children's bedtime story Words such as "garret", "looking glass" and "odious" are used, this vocabulary is not one that would be used in today's children's stories.

The beginnings in both texts are set out very different, but in the end portray the same feelings and message.
In "Cinderella" the story begins with an intro explaining the situation. Cinderella's father has remarried to a woman that already has two daughters. The narrator uses a "good vs. bad" analogy, Describing Cinderella's Stepmother as an overly proud and "haughty" Person who is jealous of Cinderella's Sweet demeanour and "employ's her in the meanest of works". The author gives us descriptions of Cinderella, so that we as the audience feel Cinderella's sadness and despair. "Cinderella slept in a miserable garret upon a wretched straw bed" "when she had done her work, she used to go into the chimney corner and sits down among the cinders and ashes."
In "Cinderella Story" we are shown Sam's life before her father marries; it seems perfect and filled with happiness. Not long after an earthquake occurs, killing her father and leaving her step mother "Fiona" responsible of Sam. The happy feeling the audience feels is suddenly crashed and turned into sadness and despair, the same feeling the beginning of "Cinderella" leaves you
with.

The Endings are also different, but have two commonalities. Both Cinderella and Sam Are free of their stepmothers and get their man. The difference is that, Cinderella forgives her step sisters that were terrible to her and invites them to live with her in the palace. However In "Cinderella story" Sam gets her justice by having her step sister's work for her.

There are small differences that are due to the difference in the intended audience, and age it was made.
Cinderella's father was alive but was so smitten with his beloved wife would not help his daughter; today's audience would be angry with this lack of spine and loyalty and would have taken away from the story. But back in the time Cinderella was made (times were girls were married off to the highest bidder), this lack of loyalty and support for his daughter would not have been though as a big thing. And un like Cinderella dropping her glass slipper and having the prince have all the woman try it on, Sam drops her phone which would be a lot easier to trace back to her then a shoe.
"Cinderella Story" is set in the real world so Sam's godmother is not a fairy like in "Cinderella," but a substitute mother of sorts. Again for the same reasons, Sam's reasoning to be home by 12 had to be different then that of Cinderellas magic wearing off, so instead she had to be home before her step mother came into the dinner to make sure she was working.
While there are small differences, the key aspects stayed the same. Both Ella and Sam were used by their mean step mother and sisters; they were both far more beautiful and more intelligent then that of their step sisters. And both become so beautiful at the balls that they are
unrecognisable.

In both "Cinderella" and "Cinderella Story" the used underdog claims her rightful place, and gets the life she deserves. And even though there are differences there are key features that connect them together and make them adaptations of each other, like the situation both Cinderella and Sam are in with their step mother. And just like "Cinderella Story" was an adaptation of the classic "Cinderella" for today's audience, there will be future adaptations for future audiences. The thought of girl that had nothing and was treated worse then a stray dog by family no less, and all of a sudden becoming a princess and having unsurpassable beauty, will always be popular to woman and even men.

Ashliman D. L. 1998-2004, Cinderella. URL: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0510a.html#grimm Andrew Lang 1948, The world's best fairy tales "Cinderella pg66. David McKay 1948 Great Britain ibid pg66 ibid pg67