Ella Enchanted approaches CInderella in a new way then most of the versions we have read in class. Although, the female main in the story is beautiful and gracious, her graciousness is a curse given to her by her fairy godmother when she is born. Ella cannot say no to anyone, or refuse a command. The graciousness that is so focused on the other versions of Cinderella as a blessing and what all women should be, is portrayed as the thing Ella struggles most with in the book.
Ella Enchanted still entails the main points of focus of other versions as well. Ella is locked away as a servant, has evil step sisters and an evil stepmother and in the end is saved by prince charming, when the cure is broken by her "one true love".
I am amazed that I did not realize the similarities in stories before now. The slight alteration of graciousness as a curse instead of a blessing is one I find truly interesting. It address how at a point a woman's graciousness becomes subservient.
I wanted to check the ending of Ella Enchanted but was unable to find the Ella Enchanted version from SurLaLune. I am wondering how Ella breaks the curse, specifically if it is her one true love, the prince who breaks it. In the Ella Enchanted film with Anne Hathaway, it is Ella who breaks the curse by commanding her self to no longer be obedient. If these endings are in fact different, it is interesting to note that the more modern version is basically suggesting that women can free themselves from their subservience, and do not need to be freed my a man.
ReplyDeleteI also LOVE Ella Enchanted. I read the book in highschool before the movie came out, and I think they did a great job with following the book. I also like the subservient-woman twist to the tale. But my favorite part is how the woman commands her own destiny by refusing to kill the Prince she loves. Great choice!!
ReplyDeleteElla Enchanted is one of my favorite childhood books. I still to this day read it over. To respond to Allison, the ending of Ella Enchanted is that she tells the prince that she will not marry him, causing her to disobey him and break the spell. Then obviously, she goes back and tells him that she will. It is a great ending. I did not particularly like the movie, and feel that it lost a lot of the Cinderella elements, as well as the crucial elements of the story- but that was probably because I was a chronic reader of it, so in depth. I loved Gail Carson Levine's take on the Cinderella story, changing it and molding it into a classic.
ReplyDeleteElla Enchanted is such a wonderful version of Cinderella! I agree that I never really thought of it as a Cinderella tale which gives an interesting perspective.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting points you make is that Ella's obedience is given to her as a curse, rather than the portrayal of it being a virtue as it is in Cinderella. This really breaks the mold as far as story tale morals go. Whereas most fairy tales would continually reassert the goodness of such behavior, the fact that it is a curse and the reason for her constant abuse shows readers that women should not be subservient. I think Gilbert and Gubar would really like this version
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