Extract
[...] Princesses in Children's Literature Introduction The princess model has changed a lot since the first fairy tales. From Cinderella to Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) from Snow White and Rapunzel, these princess models that we mainly find in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, are no longer modern. Today, she must be a strong figure, she must show this example of courage and not that of this little wise girl who is content to find the charming prince. [...]
[...] It's clear that the description made of the princess has nothing to do with what we can find today in children's literature. Parents no longer want to see a backward character and want their children to grow up with strong examples and figures. So we can wonder what a princess looks like today? Is she a reflection of the evolution of society? To answer these questions, we will first look at the characteristics of princess stories. In a second time, we will focus on the questioning of archetypes. [...]
[...] Unfortunately, when we try to make the typology of the princess, we end up making an apology for the prince or a male character. In fact, in traditional tales, she can only exist through him, until her definition. We therefore notice a form of 'patriarchal domination' in these tales. At the level of her physical attributes, she is compared rather to a little girl than to a woman. In fact, she must be naive, beautiful, young, virgin (promise of fertility), she must embody the reward for the male hero's quest. [...]
[...] DOI: 10.3917/lett.082.0025. URL: https://www.cairn.info/revue-lettre-de-l-enfance-et-de-l-adolescence-2010-4-page-25.htm DÉTREZ Christine, "The princes and princesses of adolescent literature today. Analyses and impressions of reading""La letter of childhood and adolescence, 2010/4 (n° p. 75-82. DOI: 10.3917/lett.082.0075. URL: https://www.cairn.info/revue-lettre-de-l-enfance-et-de-l-adolescence-2010-4-page-75.htm JUDE Ninon, The evolution of the princess stereotype in children's literature, Education dumas-00756020 URL: https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-00756020v1/document MONTARDRE Hélène, 'From fairy tale to novel: the myth of the princess in children's literature',Imaginaire & Inconscient, 2002/3 (no 7), p. 119-127. DOI : 10.3917/imin.007.0119. [...]
[...] Beyond these characteristics, she is in love with love. When she is the main character, she waits for her prince, whether for social ascension, like Cinderella, or for marriage and the desire to have children, a happy ending (Aurora in Sleeping Beauty). One cannot finish talking about the princess without mentioning the ball. It is a central element, it marks the rise of the princess in becoming, often a sign of the finality of the elevation of the 'maid' to her rank of princess. [...]
