I chose the "Cinderella Rabbit" illustration because it reminded me of my favorite childhood story book: Angelina Ballerina. Angelina was a mouse, and this is clearly not a mouse... but the animals dressed in courtly clothes sparked something in my memory. I like this illustration because it clearly places magic back into the notion of the fairy tale. Joosen argues that many tales are being disenchanted because of society's stress on realism. In choosing to portray Cinderella and her Prince as enchanted rabbits, the illustrator makes the story very unreal, pulling magic to the forefront.Even the landscape and the colors of the illustration portray a sense of magic. The "man in the moon" looks down on Cinderella and the Prince as they race from the ball. In looking at the other illustrations, not all of them evoke happiness or enchantment. My favorite aspect of fairy tales (at least contemporary-ish ones) is their happy endings. In a world of chaos and disappointment, fairy tales allow children (and apparently college students, such as myself) to escape into a magical world where anything is impossible and the characters always live "happily ever after."
I really like this illustration too, Alex! I tried to research the date it was created but I could not find it out. I am interested to know, though, when it was originally made by Dot Bunn since it does have some many fantastical characteristics!
ReplyDeleteAlex, I am so jealous of the photo you found! It is fabulous! I love how enchanted the whole photo is. The thing I can't get past the most is how vivid and fun the colors seem. The colors in the sky paired with the man in the mood and the great costuming really bring a lot of enchantment to the photo. I also really enjoy how the rabbit prince is chasing Cinderella. I rarely remember Cinderella being chased and not jsut leaving her slipper behind.
ReplyDeleteThis photo really is fantastic. You highlight the importance of the story have a definitive magical/unreal aspect to it when it involves enchanted bunnies. It is also really interesting, because it challenges the traditional views that we have of Cinderella (arguably because of the stranglehold that Disney has on the genre) and make us really think of all the different ways these stories can/have been presented
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