Women’s Image in Fairy Tales: Cinderella

1. How did you feel after watching the movie, “Cinderella”? Is there a difference in your pres
ent interpretation or impression of the story from your earlier viewing or reading of “Cinderell
a”? What might be the reason behind such a change in perception if there were to be such?
What did you like or not like about the story? Do you know the original version of this fair
y tale? Search the internet for the original version if your group does not know. What might
be the reason for differences in these versions? Which do you prefer? Why?
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2. Read “The Story of Sheh Hsien.” Is the story familiar to you? Why or why not? This story i
s considered as the oldest version of the Cinderella stories as there are versions of the same
story found all over the world. Do we also have a Korean version of “Cinderella”? What do y
ou find to be the common elements in all these versions? What might be the reason for suc
h similarities? What are the typical elements and messages that are to be associated with wo
men in “Cinderella” (such as Cinderella complex)? Do you agree with the interpretation? How
do you feel about them? Why do you think such an image came into being? Why would Cin
derella be such a universal image found in all cultures of all times? Would such an image stil
l apply and be necessary in today’s society? Would you prefer to change the image? If so, h
ow and why?

3. Read the following story:

... And Then the Prince Knelt Down and Tried to Put the Glass Slipper on Cinderella’s Foot
by Judith Viorst
(1982, Don’t’ Bet on the Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and E
ngland)
Women’s Image in Fairy Tales: Cinderella

I really didn’t notice that he had a funny nose.

And he certainly looked better all dressed up in fancy clothes. He’s not nearly as attractive
as he seemed the other night.
So I think I’ll just pretend that this glass slipper feels too tight.
What is the story saying? What do you like or not like about this story? Would you consider
this as a fairy tale? Take turns recapping the stories you were each assigned to read (The Tal
e of the Shoe/ Cinderella/ Kingdom vs Prince Charming) in detail so that the others have a c
lear understanding of the stories. What are the key points in each of the stories? What do y
ou think might be the intention in their creation? How do they compare to the original “Cind
erella”? Would you consider them to be an improvement on “Cinderella”? Do you think these
stories may last as fairy tales for the future generations? Would you choose any of these ver
sions as a fairy tale to be read to your children? If so, which and why? If not, why not? Wha
t does the existence of these stories indicate about “Cinderella”? Should or would or could fa
iry tales change? What would influence such changes, if possible? Then, how would you defin
e a fairy tale? Do fairy tales have specific roles within our society?
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4. What other fairy tales are you familiar with? What do you remember about them and why? Search
the web for the representative all-time favorite fairy tales. What are the key points in each of the
story? How do you evaluate these messages? Considering your group’s understanding of the
characteristics and the role of the fairy tales in our society, either choose one of the old fairy
tales to rewrite or be creative and write your group’s own fairy tale that should provide a
guidance on the gender image for the future generations.
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