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The Fairy Godmother in Charles Perrault's Cinderella
- a thread
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- a thread
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The phrase "fairy godmother" is now so familiar and hackneyed that many will not give it much thought
Perhaps some sort of supernatural random good Samaritan
With "godmother" going to her being an especially benevolent fairy
But perhaps there is more to it than that
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Perhaps some sort of supernatural random good Samaritan
With "godmother" going to her being an especially benevolent fairy
But perhaps there is more to it than that
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Here, four observations
First, Perrault was an economic and efficient writer - no word wasted
As the great Angela Carter says, "not an ounce of flab" in any of his stories
So the word had a meaning and was used for a reason
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First, Perrault was an economic and efficient writer - no word wasted
As the great Angela Carter says, "not an ounce of flab" in any of his stories
So the word had a meaning and was used for a reason
3.
Second, had Perrault wanted the character just to be a fairy he would have said so
In a companion story, "The Fairies" he is perfectly happy to have a helpful fairy do their stuff without any "godmother" handle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_and_Toads
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In a companion story, "The Fairies" he is perfectly happy to have a helpful fairy do their stuff without any "godmother" handle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_and_Toads
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Third, as far as we can tell, Perrault introduced the fairy godmother into oral received tradition of the story
See for example, Basile's earlier written rendition of the same tradition - no godmother
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella#Cenerentola,_by_Basile
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See for example, Basile's earlier written rendition of the same tradition - no godmother
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella#Cenerentola,_by_Basile
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And fourth, for Perrault the status of "godmother" was an important, and they had to be chosen by parents with care
Here, just look at his "Sleeping Beauty" which turns on what happens when parents chose fairy godmothers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#Perrault's_narrative
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Here, just look at his "Sleeping Beauty" which turns on what happens when parents chose fairy godmothers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty#Perrault's_narrative
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So: the use of a fairy godmother character by Perrault was deliberate
But so what?
Why was it important that the character was a godmother rather than just a fairy?
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But so what?
Why was it important that the character was a godmother rather than just a fairy?
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If the Cinderella fairy godmother was like the Sleeping Beauty fairy godmothers, then she must have been chosen by one or both parents
In this case, the (key) parent would presumably have been the now dead mother not the absent neglectful father
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In this case, the (key) parent would presumably have been the now dead mother not the absent neglectful father
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And if so, this would accord with earlier/other versions of the story where the magic is more expressly sent by the mother beyond the grave
The fairy godmother is therefore, on this reading, a proxy and agent for the mother - selected in advance if needed for this purpose
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The fairy godmother is therefore, on this reading, a proxy and agent for the mother - selected in advance if needed for this purpose
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This would accord with the function of fairy godmother (and the magic generally) in Perrault's story
Her godmother places Cinderella back into the position she would have been had the mother survived and the father not remarried
To do what her stepsisters could do anyway
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Her godmother places Cinderella back into the position she would have been had the mother survived and the father not remarried
To do what her stepsisters could do anyway
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In Perrault's Cinderella, the fairy godmother is therefore important as both a fairy *and* as a godmother
Neither role is sufficient by itself for the story, so Perrault created a hybrid
As Angela Carter avers: not a word wasted
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Neither role is sufficient by itself for the story, so Perrault created a hybrid
As Angela Carter avers: not a word wasted
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Thank you for reading my latest thread - folklore and fairy tales are my real interest, more than law and policy!
My avatar on this account is Dulac's fairy godmother
But...
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My avatar on this account is Dulac's fairy godmother
But...
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...as someone brought up in the 1980s, the real "fairy godmother" will always be Diana Dors in Adam and the Ants' Prince Charming video
13 & ends
13 & ends
ps
Allow me to ruin Adam and the Ants' Prince Charming (1981) forever for you, by inviting you to listen for about 12 seconds to this earlier recording from 1965:
Allow me to ruin Adam and the Ants' Prince Charming (1981) forever for you, by inviting you to listen for about 12 seconds to this earlier recording from 1965:
ps 2
Footnote to (5), I have just remembered that d'Aulnoy also has character as a godmother in her version of the story also published in 1697: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finette_Cendron
So, Perrault may not have invented the figure as a godmother, but the rest of analysis is I think still sound
Footnote to (5), I have just remembered that d'Aulnoy also has character as a godmother in her version of the story also published in 1697: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finette_Cendron
So, Perrault may not have invented the figure as a godmother, but the rest of analysis is I think still sound
What I think I was recalling was that Perrault may have been the first to put godmothers into Sleeping Beauty, not Cinderella
