De Beaumont’s fairy tale
Fairy tale literature has long been studied for its considerable influence on readership. Eighteenth-century fairy tale literature focused on educating readers on the society’s particular moral expectations. Zipes (
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Emphasising the part these tales played in the moral education of their readers. The ideals included in the tales are those which the writer deems essential in inculcating societal values. Jeanne-Marie LePrince De Beaumont’s
Women writers did not receive the recognition they deserved with regard to their influence on 18th-century fairy tale literature. Although they wrote many tales – Seifert and Stanton (
Gilbert and Gubar (
As a female writer publishing in the patriarchal 18th century, De Beaumont’s tale includes characterisations and events which are commentaries on the gender ideals of her society. The aim is to examine the female characters. This will provide an understanding of the way in which these characters are presented in typically gendered ways, in which case the text will be critiqued for its inclusion of patriarchal content, or if they are empowered to act in imaginative, dynamic ways. Furthermore, a study of the structure of the characters’ relationships within the tale also provides understanding of gender concepts within the text.
The 18th-century society’s gender ideals highlighted the ‘implicit and explicit inequalities between the sexes’ (eds. Barker & Chalus
Education encouraged the differences between boys and girls, as education deemed suitable for boys was not appropriate for girls (Cohen
Upper-class girls’ education was aimed at making them marriageable and involved ‘basic reading and writing as well as feminine activities such as needlework and dancing’ (Bondy & Edwards
Marriage relationships also exemplified the inequalities between the genders, as women were seen as under the control of their husbands. Hugh Hume Campbell, Earl of Mormont, wrote a letter to his wife, Elizabeth Crompton, in 1750 – around the same time that De Beaumont wrote her fairy tale. The letter’s contents (Campbell
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The Earl’s control over his wife is evident. Hugh defined his love in that it ensured his possession of his wife.
However, his wife was expected to place everything, even her children, second to her love for her husband. Eighteenth-century marriage called for an unequal and gendered relationship between husband and wife.
Although patriarchy can be easily identified in the 18th century, gender ideas were not limited to patriarchal beliefs. Barker and Chalus (eds.
Fairy tales play an important role in socialising readers of preconceived gender expectations. The increased discussion around feminist thought and its resultant expression in women-authored literature, which challenged previously accepted patriarchal ideals, meant that some 18th-century women writers were motivated to use the fairy tale genre to create alternative literature. The realm of fairies provided them with the freedom to create characters, gender relationships and expectations, which questioned the widely accepted ‘normality’ of patriarchy and masculine dominance. Feminist tales and remakes of classics critique and provide alternatives for gendered characters and expectations. Yet resistance to these feminist expressions, which rejected the contrasting male and female characters, were prevalent making the job of female writers far from easy. Male dominance within the fairy tale developed as a mirror of the patriarchal society, which frowned upon female writers. Haase (
The ambiguous, ambivalent, experimental, and sometimes fragmented fairy tales penned by women during this time reflect their struggle to find their voices in a literary genre that had been institutionalized and aligned very quickly with the values and perspectives of patriarchy. (p. 31)
This is indicated in the prevalence of male writers and the publishing houses that supported and presented their works, with the exclusion of works authored by women. Charles Perrault was a 17th-century French writer whose tales are widely recognised above those of women writers (Backscheider
The challenges and adversities many women faced impacted the gender ideas and content of their tales, creating tales which in today’s world, are often defined as watered-down and not feminist enough. Rowe (
The
Bottigheimer (
De Beaumont’s commentary on marriage seems rooted in her own experiences. The writer experienced a short marriage to Antoine Grimand de Beaumont, which was annulled after two years as he gambled and carelessly lost their money (Pine
Whereas the 18th century in which De Beaumont wrote was, for the most part, bound to the constricting views of patriarchy, later centuries saw the rise of prominent feminist thinkers, whose theories encourage the questioning and recreation of restrictive gender roles. These innovative theorists introduced new ideas related to gender expectations and allowed for the development of feminist thought into the powerful theory it is today. Feminist theorists De Beauvoir (1908–1986), Friedan (1921–2006) and Irigaray (born 1930) maintain that labelling women as ‘other’ or lesser than men stems from society’s expectations of men and women. Irigaray (
Literature is a powerful tool containing numerous messages for its readers, especially about gender expectations. Irigaray (
Emphasising the importance of empowering women, she states that women have always been defined as lesser because they are unlike men whose position is central to societal order. Irigaray states that the differences between men and women should not be ignored when women want to empower themselves. She emphasises that women can find empowerment when they are actively behaving as women; as themselves. Hence, it is important that women do not reject their femininity and turn to masculinity, simply because they seek power and independence. Through acting in her own way, undeterred and unlimited by society’s vision of men and women, and embodying strength, resilience and intelligence, a woman can embody feminism and also find empowerment (Irigaray
Butler’s (
Ultimately it is important to recreate behaviours, language and eventually society if one wants to overcome patriarchy. Both Irigaray and Butler emphasise the importance of presenting new, unrestricted behaviours for males and females. Hence, literature should also present characters with more fluid characteristics, if it is to share a more gender-equal idea to its readers. Each writer is influenced to create his or her tale ‘to express their views about young people and to prepare them for roles that they idealistically believed they should play in society’ (Zipes
Readers are informed by the tales they interact with and so when reading patriarchallyinformed texts: ‘girls come to know that their value lies in men’s desire for them, and the characteristics and qualities that will assure their desirability are revealed in cultural storylines’ (Parsons
This analysis highlights the female characters of De Beaumont’s
De Beaumont’s tale covers the story of a beautiful, young woman and a beastly man, who through the curses and plots of fairies, fall in love and lives happily ever after. It also focuses on Beauty’s initial entrapment and then willingness to love the Beast. Further, it acknowledges that it is only Beauty’s freely given love that will save Beast’s life and free him from his curse (Aske
Beauty shows independence and is liberated early in the tale. Cummins (
Beauty further stands out as a dynamic female character when juxtaposed with her status-orientated sisters.
Where their ideas of success lie within wealth and class, Beauty does not see any value in these things. She sees importance in family and chooses to stay at home with her father and works hard to cook and clean because of her love for her family. Furthermore, although her sisters insult her, Beauty is quick to forgive and love: ‘for she was so good, that she loved them and forgave heartily their ill-usage’ (De Beaumont
She does not react in the aggressive way her sisters do. The young woman embodies particular traditional feminine characteristics seen in her love of family, commitment to household duties and virtuous nature. The character’s dynamism must be noted. Although she embodies ideals which contrast with patriarchal expectations, she fulfils other patriarchal expectations, highlighting the subtleness of De Beaumont’s feminist criticism within the tale. Rowe’s (
Despite her refusal to marry and leave her father, Beauty does act in patriarchally expected ways. She accepts her lot in life, although upset by the family’s loss of finances. She cleans and cooks for her family daily: things her two, older sisters refuse to do. It is for these reasons that her father places her above her sisters, and values her ‘humility and patience’ (De Beaumont
Beauty’s courage is shown in her actions: she decides to go to the Beast, ignoring her father who urges her not to go, believing that he intends to devour her. She is determined to rescue her father from death and plays a hand in her own destiny. Beauty actively decides for herself and goes against the advice of the men around her, so that ‘my father shall not suffer upon my account … you cannot hinder me from following you’ (De Beaumont
Furthermore, Beauty is rewarded for her selfless act and is given a magnificently appointed chamber in the Beast’s castle and the distinguished position of being the mistress in charge. However, what takes Beauty’s full attention in the chamber is not the beautiful and expensive adornments, but the collection of books, a harpsichord and a compendium of books on music (De Beaumont
Beauty is always reading and finds pleasure in reading ‘good books’ (De Beaumont
Although her father ensures her education, the extent of this is not clear. What does become clear is that Beauty takes an active role in her own education as she is often reading in her leisure time, resembling 18th-century educated women. She seeks more education than what is provided by her father and in doing so she is educated beyond what patriarchy expects of her. Beauty’s commitment to this reading and knowledge seeking reflects a committed and resilient woman, and provides her with more knowledge and independent thought than was deemed necessary for a woman during the 18th century, in which the tale was written.
Full of courage and decisiveness, Beauty holds back her fear and shock when she encounters the Beast’s ‘horrid form’ (De Beaumont
Each evening, Beauty’s dinner with the Beast allows them time to speak, and Beauty is soon able to discern between the Beast’s fearful outward appearance and his good nature and virtue: ‘I own I am pleased with your kindness, and when I consider that, your deformity scarce appears’ (De Beaumont
Cummins (
Beauty finally reaches the conclusion that (De Beaumont
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Educated with this new-found knowledge, she agrees to marry the Beast and is rewarded as the Beast changes into a handsome man, full of wit. Through her ability to hold virtue over beauty and wit, Beauty is able to break the Beast’s curse and they live happily ever after. The final words of the tale emphasise De Beaumont’s message that physical appearance need not matter when it comes to love and marriage: ‘their happiness – as it was founded on virtue – was complete’ (De Beaumont
Furthermore, Tatar (2017) states that De Beaumont’s tale encourages the young, female reader to selflessly give herself to a husband. Likening the relationship between Beauty and the Beast to an arranged marriage, she highlights that just as Beauty exhibits fear and anxiety for living with the Beast, so women in the 18th century would feel frightened to marry men whom they did not know. However, De Beaumont paints Beauty’s decision to marry the Beast in a positive light and rewards her with true happiness. She aims to ‘steady the fears of young women … brace them for … effacing their own desires and submitting to the will of a “monster”’ (Tatar 2017:xiii). In doing this, De Beaumont successfully encourages women to choose happiness when it comes to arranged marriages. Irigaray (
Beauty’s happiness with the Beast reflects this decision to follow the path of marriage, and embodies a more patriarchal response to the Beast, than turning him down. Beauty is given an option here: the power to choose her own destiny. Although she chooses a patriarchally inclined path, this does not make her choice any less important. In fact, according to Irigaray, her choice of this path strengthens this discretion. The happy ending and the Beast’s freedom also highlight the benefits of actively choosing to be feminine.
The selfless, educated and moral Beauty is in complete contrast to her sisters. They are mean, jealous and vindictive (De Beaumont
They actively work to get rid of Beauty, when she returns to visit her father; even planning her death, hoping that the Beast will kill Beauty if she breaks her promise. They plan to ‘detain her above a week, and perhaps the monster will be so enraged at her for breaking her word, that he will devour her’ (De Beaumont
This jealousy stems from the beauty and virtue of Beauty’s character. They call her ‘stupid’, ‘mean-spirited’ and ‘little wretch’ (De Beaumont
These women’s choices in men are also called into question throughout the tale as they choose men who are handsome but have no virtue and morality. Because of their inability to value a good disposition and honourable behaviour above physical appearance and wealth, their marriages are far from happy. The suitors they hope to marry at the beginning of the tale are superficial and quickly abandon the two sisters when their wealth and status are lost. Furthermore, when they finally marry, they are treated poorly by their husbands, who have monstrous personalities and low morals. De Beaumont uses these husbands to emphasise on Beauty that appearances do not make men monsters, but their lack of integrity does. Finally, she concludes: ‘I should be happier with the monster than my sisters are with their husbands’ (De Beaumont
The comparison of Beauty’s happiness and her sisters’ unhappiness further emphasises the importance of a relationship which focuses on personality, over appearances. Beauty’s realisation that she will be happier with the Beast over her sisters’ husbands, highlights her own realisation: personality triumphs over looks and status.
The patriarchal ‘chain’ (Friedan
Where Beauty is rewarded for her selfless decisions, her sisters are punished for their unpleasant nature and evil actions. The fairy turns them into statues until they acknowledge their faults. The change seems permanent, because the fairy says that ‘the conversion of a malicious and envious mind is a kind of miracle’ (De Beaumont
The heroic act of choosing to be with the Beast despite appearances earns her a happy ending. Heroism is often defined as a masculine trait, and her behaving as such pushes the boundaries of the feminine behaviours expected of her. Hence, through the angel versus monster dynamic, De Beaumont is able to emphasise the importance of good nature and behaviour to her readers.
De Beaumont’s text is didactic, published in the era of conduct books, and although her tale does not enforce that a woman must be passive in life and simply allow decisions to be made for her, the tale does encourage good behaviour and morality. Her beauty exhibits the ideas of grace, purity, politeness and elegance, which Gilbert and Gubar (
A hierarchy which disallowed women to completely break from the ‘chains’ of patriarchal thought (Friedan
De Beaumont published a subversive tale which challenged previous models of fairy tales and patriarchal ideals. Beauty represents a good-natured, decisive and devoted character. Furthermore, she is decidedly intelligent and craves knowledge, indicating advancement within the character type. Beyond creating a persevering and benevolent female protagonist, De Beaumont gives life to a witty, educated Beauty, whose upstanding nature is incomparable to the same character portrayed in previously published tales. This develops the feminine ideal, as De Beaumont ensures that her Beauty is afforded an education, something not generally offered to women in either the 18th or preceding centuries. In addition, the character, especially that of Beauty, portrays roles which counter the 18th century’s stereotype expectations of women. Tales establish appropriate behaviours and values, and convey particular expectations through characterisations and structure (Parsons
Furthermore, this tale is a critique on marriage, and a comment on the expectations of women in marriage. Beauty is given the power to choose and the freedom to fall in love with the Beast, if she so chooses. She is not forced into marriage, as was often the case in the 18th century; she is given the power to choose her own destiny. This furthers her liberation as a feminist character.
As a woman writer in the overbearing 18th century, De Beaumont’s tale reflects on some of the boundaries to female behaviour. Beauty, whilst challenging the status quo of gender expectations, mirrors some patriarchal behaviour. She becomes a devoted woman and in doing so is able to receive a happy life with a handsome man; her happy ending a direct result of her decision to love the Beast. Although her tale does not present solely female-empowering beliefs throughout the tale, her rendition made strides within the 18th-century context. Through her depiction of Beauty and her sisters, De Beaumont encourages the resistance of traditional gender roles and limitations, and presents a new narrative for gender behaviours and expectations.
Beauty performs masculine and feminine traits throughout the tale, making her a character which pushes the boundaries of typical, patriarchal limitations. By creating this dynamic character, De Beaumont creates a tale which presents contrasting ideas to the perceived feminine traits the patriarchal 18th century deemed necessary for women. Hence, the tale provides a new narrative to its readers and highlights that women can step outside of gendered boundaries and behave in a multitude of ways.
The author would like to thank her supervisor, Prof. Dianne Shober, for her continued assistance and support.
The author declares she has no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced her in writing this article.
M.B. is the sole author of this research article.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This research received no specific funding from any agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.