Figure 1:Beauty and the Beast, Illustration by Warwick Goble, 1913.
Well before the Walt Disney company created their animated classic and its subsequent live-action remake, the story of Beauty and the Beast had already been told around the world. The story finds its earliest inspiration in the Ancient Greek story of Cupid and Psyche but, the first version of the story we all know and love so well, was written in 1740 by a little-known, French novelist named Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. It was modified and abridged not too many years later by another French author, Jean-Marie LePrince de Beaumont, which eventually became the basis for the animated film that has become our modern classic. But the French weren’t the only ones with this story to tell. A Spanish version makes small modifications to the story: the beast is a literal bear, and the flower is a lily instead of a rose. But, in some cases, the iconic rose is completely missing, like in the Hungarian tale where the enchanted item takes its form as various fruits. There are even more variations when it comes to the appearance of the beast – from three-headed, winged snake to pig to chimera, the cursed prince’s form serves its purpose in frightening our heroine. However, regardless of the differences in minor (or even major) details, at the heart of each of these stories there is a universal fable meant to remind us to look beyond the surface to seek the good and beauty within.
Fairytales often serve as the earliest form of literature we encounter as children, and we hope the presentations of this beloved story connect our youngest generation to the joy of storytelling and a developing appreciation for the performing arts.