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Friday, August 01, 2008

A Fairy Tale Mission

We were discussing fairy tales today (in the car on the way back from buying me a new watch - because I seem to have lost mine) and Pippi remarked that Cinderella absolutely made no sense. "Why didn't she just leave if the step-mother was that mean? She could just go make her own way."

I reminded her that in the time a lot of these fairy tales were written it wasn't so simple for a woman to go and make her own way. She lived under the protection of her father and then her husband. A young woman didn't simply go get her own apartment and get a job at the grocery store or something.

We talked a little more about what life was like in that "once upon a time land" - when step mothers seemed so prevalent and anything could happen.

Then I gave her a mission. "I want you to write a version of Cinderella that makes sense to you," I said. "You can set it in any time period you want."

"I will." She declared.

She's on the downstairs computer right now researching versions of Cinderella.

I can't wait for the final story!

8 comments:

PJ Hoover said...

I can't wait either! Pippi is onto something big with this one.
Will she want to join the critique group?

christine M said...

She probably would want to join the critique group - but perhaps she ought to get her own - comprised of like-minded tweens. :)

Alice Gunther said...

Oh, please be sure to post it!

Liz B said...

Ah, fanfiction!

Unknown said...

I hope you share!

Sarah Rettger said...

Ooh, another budding writer!

Sarah Beth Durst has a great series of fairy tale analysis (lots of snarky asides, pointing out all the logical flaws) on her blog - Pippi might want to take a look.

christine M said...

Sarah - we've spent a lot of time laughing over those fairy tales that Sarah Beth Durst posts!

Vivian Mahoney said...

I can't wait to read Pippi's version! I bet this will be the perfect story of the strong girl.