Sleeping Beauty

The story of “Sleeping Beauty”  is one of the most consistently captivating fairy tales. It tells of a cursed princess dreaming in a tower, waiting patiently for her prince to rescue her. Those who recreate the tale for contemporary audiences spin the story anew, reconstructing again and again what it means both to sleep and to awaken.How do the stories told about girls and women shape society's attitudes toward them? Consider the three versions of the tale that we read in class as you respond to this question. 250 words minimum.

I heard the story of "Sleeping Beauty" when I came to the United States with my mom and my sister 6 years ago. During that time, my sister loved to watch the fairy tale movies and all those princesses; the Sleeping Beauty is one of them. My sister sometimes told me about those stories, and it was that time I learned the story of "Sleeping Beauty." However, I did not know there are so many different versions for "Sleep Beauty" until I took the class Introduction to Folklore. Each version has different story plots, but they all have the same conclusion—the prince and sleeping beauty live long together and happily until they die. The versions like "Sun, Moon, and Talia" by Giambattista Basile and "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" by Charles Perrault are more adulterate than the original version. Those authors recreate the tale revealing the society's attitudes toward the girls and women that they shape the way people [mostly the men] view them. The women and girls in the three versions of the tale play an important role in the kingdom. Moreover, they all have the power; for example, the fairies, the wicked queen [ogre], and even the sleeping beauty. They have the unrestricted life, not a household maid but instead live with luxuries. Stories tell about girls and women have to be pretty and cherubic in order to have a decent life. If girls or women are beautiful like the sleeping beauty, even in their sleep, they can find good luck.