navigation

May 24, 2012

Snow White, By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, 1812 Version

Editor's Note: I've taught "Snow White," to college students and read countless submissions to EC updating it, and still, the tale enthralls me. It's been played with in so many ways and forms, for so long, I should be tired of the whole story. But how others see it still often surprises me. What's more, "Snow White," in this variant, is so very different from the pastel cypher of the Disney movie, that I never grow tired of remembering that Snow, in 1812, was a rule-breaking runaway.

As for Disney, while there is much good and bad I could say, and have said, about the 1937 movie classic, I must point this out: Much is written about how the mirror in Snow White" is the voice of male dominance and judgment. Yet, in most of the illustrations of the magic mirror before the movie, the queen's reflection is genderless or a some version of her own reflection. As far as I can tell, it became male with the Disney film. 

And the prince? Dear God! What a creep! In almost every version.

Once upon a time in mid winter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a beautiful queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed, she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red on the white looked so beautiful, that she thought, "If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as this frame." Soon afterward she had a little daughter that was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood, and therefore they called her Little Snow-White.

WC Drupsteen

Now the queen was the most beautiful woman in all the land, and very proud of her beauty. She had a mirror, which she stood in front of every morning, and asked:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
And the mirror always said:
You, my queen, are fairest of all.
And then she knew for certain that no one in the world was more beautiful than she.
Now Snow-White grew up, and when she was seven years old, she was so beautiful, that she surpassed even the queen herself. Now when the queen asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror said:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Little Snow-White is still
A thousand times fairer than you.
When the queen heard the mirror say this, she became pale with envy, and from that hour on, she hated Snow-White. Whenever she looked at her, she thought that Snow-White was to blame that she was no longer the most beautiful woman in the world. This turned her heart around. Her jealousy gave her no peace. Finally she summoned a huntsman and said to him, "Take Snow-White out into the woods to a remote spot, and stab her to death. As proof that she is dead bring her lungs and her liver back to me. I shall cook them with salt and eat them."

Maxfield Parrish
 
The huntsman took Snow-White into the woods. When he took out his hunting knife to stab her, she began to cry, and begged fervently that he might spare her life, promising to run away into the woods and never return. The huntsman took pity on her because she was so beautiful, and he thought, "The wild animals will soon devour her anyway. I'm glad that I don't have to kill her." Just then a young boar came running by. He killed it, cut out its lungs and liver, and took them back to the queen as proof of Snow-White's death. She cooked them with salt and ate them, supposing that she had eaten Snow-White's lungs and liver.
Snow-White was now all alone in the great forest. She was terribly afraid, and began to run. She ran over sharp stones and through thorns the entire day. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, she came to a little house. The house belonged to seven dwarfs. They were working in a mine, and not at home. Snow-White went inside and found everything to be small, but neat and orderly. There was a little table with seven little plates, seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, seven little mugs, and against the wall there were seven little beds, all freshly made.

Snow-White was hungry and thirsty, so she ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each little plate, and from each little glass she drank a drop of wine. Because she was so tired, she wanted to lie down and go to sleep. She tried each of the seven little beds, one after the other, but none felt right until she came to the seventh one, and she lay down in it and fell asleep.
When night came, the seven dwarfs returned home from the work. They lit their seven little candles, and saw that someone had been in their house.

Artist: ??
 
The first one said, "Who has been sitting in my chair?"

The second one, "Who has been eating from my plate?"

The third one, "Who has been eating my bread?"

The fourth one, "Who has been eating my vegetables?"

The fifth one, "Who has been sticking with my fork?"

The sixth one, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh one, "Who has been drinking from my mug?"

Then the first one said, "Who stepped on my bed?"

The second one, "And someone has been lying in my bed."

And so forth until the seventh one, and when he looked at his bed, he found Snow-White lying there, fast asleep. The seven dwarfs all came running, and they cried out with amazement. They fetched their seven candles and looked at Snow-White. "Good heaven! Good heaven!" they cried. "She is so beautiful!" They liked her very much. They did not wake her up, but let her lie there in the bed. The seventh dwarf had to sleep with his companions, one hour with each one, and then the night was done.

When Snow-White woke up, they asked her who she was and how she had found her way to their house. She told them how her mother had tried to kill her, how the huntsman had spared her life, how she had run the entire day, finally coming to their house. The dwarfs pitied her and said, "If you will keep house for us, and cook, sew, make beds, wash, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay here, and you'll have everything that you want. We come home in the evening, and supper must be ready by then, but we spend the days digging for gold in the mine. You will be alone then. Watch out for the queen, and do not let anyone in."

Kay Nielsen

 The queen thought that she was again the most beautiful woman in the land, and the next morning she stepped before the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror answered once again:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Little Snow-White beyond the seven mountains
Is a thousand times fairer than you.
It startled the queen to hear this, and she knew that she had been deceived, that the huntsman had not killed Snow-White. Because only the seven dwarfs lived in the seven mountains, she knew at once that they must have rescued her. She began to plan immediately how she might kill her, because she would have no peace until the mirror once again said that she was the most beautiful woman in the land. At last she thought of something to do. She disguised herself as an old peddler woman and colored her face, so that no one would recognize her, and went to the dwarf's house. Knocking on the door she called out, "Open up. Open up. I'm the old peddler woman with good wares for sale."

Warwick Goble

 Snow-White peered out the window, "What do you have?"

"Bodice laces, dear child," said the old woman, and held one up. It was braided from yellow, red, and blue silk. "Would you like this one?"

"Oh, yes," said Snow-White, thinking, "I can let the old woman come in. She means well." She unbolted the door and bargained for the bodice laces.

"You are not laced up properly," said the old woman. "Come here, I'll do it better." Snow-White stood before her, and she took hold of the laces and pulled them so tight that Snow-White could not breathe, and she fell down as if she were dead. Then the old woman was satisfied, and she went away.

Nightfall soon came, and the seven dwarfs returned home. They were horrified to find their dear Snow-White lying on the ground as if she were dead. They lifted her up and saw that she was laced up too tightly. They cut the bodice laces in two, and then she could breathe, and she came back to life. "It must have been the queen who tried to kill you," they said. "Take care and do not let anyone in again."

The queen asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror answered once again:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Little Snow-White with the seven dwarfs
Is a thousand times fairer than you.
She was so horrified that the blood all ran to her heart, because she knew that Snow-White had come back to life. Then for an entire day and a night she planned how she might catch her. She made a poisoned comb, disguised herself differently, and went out again. She knocked on the door, but Snow-White called out, "I am not allowed to let anyone in."

Jennie Harbour
 
Then she pulled out the comb, and when Snow-White saw how it glistened, and noted that the woman was a complete stranger, she opened the door, and bought the comb from her. "Come, let me comb your hair," said the peddler woman. She had barely stuck the comb into Snow-White's hair, before the girl fell down and was dead. "That will keep you lying there," said the queen. And she went home with a light heart.
The dwarfs came home just in time. They saw what had happened and pulled the poisoned comb from her hair. Snow-White opened her eyes and came back to life. She promised the dwarfs not to let anyone in again.

The queen stepped before her mirror:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror answered:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But Little Snow-White with the seven dwarfs
Is a thousand times fairer than you.
When the queen heard this, she shook and trembled with anger, "Snow-White will die, if it costs me my life!" Then she went into her most secret room -- no one else was allowed inside -- and she made a poisoned, poisoned apple. From the outside it was red and beautiful, and anyone who saw it would want it. Then she disguised herself as a peasant woman, went to the dwarfs' house and knocked on the door.
Snow-White peeped out and said, "I'm not allowed to let anyone in. The dwarfs have forbidden it most severely."

Jennie Harbour

"If you don't want to, I can't force you," said the peasant woman. "I am selling these apples, and I will give you one to taste."

"No, I can't accept anything. The dwarfs don't want me to."

"If you are afraid, then I will cut the apple in two and eat half of it. Here, you eat the half with the beautiful red cheek!" Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the red half was poisoned. When Snow-White saw that the peasant woman was eating part of the apple, her desire for it grew stronger, so she finally let the woman hand her the other half through the window. She bit into it, but she barely had the bite in her mouth when she fell to the ground dead.

The queen was happy, went home, and asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
And it answered:
You, my queen, are fairest of all.
"Now I'll have some peace," she said, "because once again I'm the most beautiful woman in the land. Snow-White will remain dead this time."

Marianne Stokes
 
That evening the dwarfs returned home from the mines. Snow-White was lying on the floor, and she was dead. They loosened her laces and looked in her hair for something poisonous, but nothing helped. They could not bring her back to life. They laid her on a bier, and all seven sat next to her and cried and cried for three days. They were going to bury her, but they saw that she remained fresh. She did not look at all like a dead person, and she still had beautiful red cheeks. They had a glass coffin made for her, and laid her inside, so that she could be seen easily. They wrote her name and her ancestry on it in gold letters, and one of them always stayed at home and kept watch over her.

Snow-White lay there in the coffin a long, long time, and she did not decay. She was still as white as snow and as red as blood, and if she had been able to open her eyes, they still would have been as black as ebony wood. She lay there as if she were asleep.

Henry M. Rheam


One day a young prince came to the dwarfs' house and wanted shelter for the night. When he came into their parlor and saw Snow-White lying there in a glass coffin, illuminated so beautifully by seven little candles, he could not get enough of her beauty. He read the golden inscription and saw that she was the daughter of a king. He asked the dwarfs to sell him the coffin with the dead Snow-White, but they would not do this for any amount of gold. Then he asked them to give her to him, for he could not live without being able to see her, and he would keep her, and honor her as his most cherished thing on earth. Then the dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin.

The prince had it carried to his castle, and had it placed in a room where he sat by it the whole day, never taking his eyes from it. Whenever he had to go out and was unable to see Snow-White, he became sad. And he could not eat a bite, unless the coffin was standing next to him. Now the servants who always had to carry the coffin to and fro became angry about this. One time one of them opened the coffin, lifted Snow-White upright, and said, "We are plagued the whole day long, just because of such a dead girl," and he hit her in the back with his hand. Then the terrible piece of apple that she had bitten off came out of her throat, and Snow-White came back to life.

She walked up to the prince, who was beside himself with joy to see his beloved Snow-White alive. They sat down together at the table and ate with joy.

Their wedding was set for the next day, and Snow-White's godless mother was invited as well. That morning she stepped before the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?
The mirror answered:
You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But the young queen
Is a thousand times fairer than you.
She was horrified to hear this, and so overtaken with fear that she could not say anything. Still, her jealousy drove her to go to the wedding and see the young queen. When she arrived she saw that it was Snow-White. Then they put a pair of iron shoes into the fire until they glowed, and she had to put them on and dance in them. Her feet were terribly burned, and she could not stop until she had danced herself to death.

Creators of images are named directly beneath them.

23 comments:

Josh said...

Thank you. My 6 year old daughter walked up behind me and demand this for her story, hot iron shoes and all. I especially like the Goldilocks parallels with the dwarfs. BTW, I only seem to be able to access these articles by clicking on a direct link to them; they don't appear when I click on your main website.

Christie said...

I am having the same trouble accessing the posts as Josh.

Very interesting to think that Disney is the one who patriarch-ed (not a word) the story. I'm not fond of gender readings of fairy tales, myself.

Kate W. said...

Hi Josh and Christie!
First, thanks for reading and commenting. The EC Fairy Tale Project is something I should probably be keeping in draft form, as I do not plan on announcing it officially until about 10 stories are finished. So I am putting really old dates on them.

That used to insure that the posts just kind of hung out in the past until I was ready to update and make them official. It seems that now they are still popping up as new, but are just plain hard to access!

I'll keep the next seven in draft until ready, but I am so glad you are reading the ones that are up.

Please keep coming back and don't let my confusion about Dear Old Blogger deter you.

Josh said...

I see the dates are 2011, so the invisible article mystery makes sense to me now.

Shame to have to wait, I was really enjoying these posts. Can't wait for the rest.

Teresa Robeson said...

The prince is pretty lame in this version but at least he's not the philandering jerk like the one in the Sleeping Beauty/Talia tale. Wow...I need to re-read my collections of Grimm, Anderson, and Lang. I'm starting to wonder why I loved fairy tales so much in my youth. ;)

EssentialWriter said...

This was always my favourite story as a child – I think I just loved the idea of having seven little friends to fight with me against adversity! Re-reading it now it's clear I missed the darker aspects of the tale :S

Anonymous said...

I am also a life- long fan of “Snow White”. I was surprised to see this version of the tale after reading the 1857 version by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They wrote the same tale, but changed a few details which made all the difference. What was most surprising to me in this particular version is that the Queen is actually Snow Whites birth mother, and not her step mother as in the 1857 version. I think this added an element of surprise because usually Snow White’s mother dies after she’s born and the Queen is her step mother. I think it intensifies the fact that the Queen would be so jealous of Snow White, her own daughter, that she would want her dead. I also found it interesting that in this version they actually state that Snow White is seven years old. Most other versions of the story leave her age a mystery. By telling her actual age in the story, it gives the reader more of an idea of how young she was to have to leave home and get married.

Lauren D. said...

I am also a life- long fan of “Snow White”. I was surprised to see this version of the tale after reading the 1857 version by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They wrote the same tale, but changed a few details which made all the difference. What was most surprising to me in this particular version is that the Queen is actually Snow Whites birth mother, and not her step mother as in the 1857 version. I think this added an element of surprise because usually Snow White’s mother dies after she’s born and the Queen is her step mother. I think it intensifies the fact that the Queen would be so jealous of Snow White, her own daughter, that she would want her dead. I also found it interesting that in this version they actually state that Snow White is seven years old. Most other versions of the story leave her age a mystery. By telling her actual age in the story, it gives the reader more of an idea of how young she was to have to leave home and get married.

Anonymous said...

I watched Disney’s Snow White for the first time in quite a while last year. I was really surprised that I didn’t like it as much as I use to. I didn’t remember it as being that far fetched. I mean how many people would just see someone and think “She is my true love and I am going to spend the rest of my life with her and live happily ever after. I guess I have become cynical in the last 10-15 years, but that is just too crazy. When I read this version of Snow White, it made me think even less of the Prince than what I already did. The Prince is just downright creepy. She is in a sleeping death and he want to keep her so that he can look upon her beauty forever. He forces his servants to carry her around so that she will be with him at all times. That is just too weird.
I thought it was very neat that they had a bit of the Goldilocks story in this version of Snow White when the Dwarfs are asking, “Who has been...?”

Abbey Ward

Unknown said...

Snow White makes me want to shake my head and laugh throughout the entire story. The vanity of the queen is over the top. Not to mention she is relentless in her pursuit of Snow White. She would likely have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness by today’s standards. The huntsman is a stereotypical villain with a change of heart, instead of sparing Snow White because she is so beautiful, maybe he should not kill her because she is a defenseless child. Despite the efforts of the dwarves, Snow White does not help herself out in the slightest. The dwarves warn her about the dangers of talking to strangers, but just like her mother, the queen, she allows her vanity to almost get her killed on three separate occasions. Finally the prince, an absolutely irrational character, lugs Snow White’s casket around with him until one of his servants, in a rare instance of lucidity in this tale, finally has enough. I wanted to jump into the story and personally thank the servant, but even then his actions lead to more outrageous events. Snow White awakes from her slumber, she and the prince get married, and the queen allows her vanity to lead her to her demise. The tale of Snow White is frustratingly fun.
-Adam Z.

Joyce D said...

The dynamics of the relationship that Snow White has with the rest of the characters are what really made this story. We see envy, vanity, greed and revenge all in one story. Snow is born with the qualities that her mother wished for her only to have to suffer her mother’s attempts at killing her for the rest of her life. We are told that the huntsman spared her life “because she was so beautiful.” This I believe is where we start to see that Snow’s life is dominated by her beauty. Her beauty is also what gives her a place to stay. The seven dwarves are portrayed as clean by nature and didn’t really need someone to keep the house neat and tidy. They take her on as sort of adoptive parents warn her about letting anyone inside the house. She attempts to heed their warning but is overtaken by her vanity. She can’t help but want the bodice laces or the glistening comb. In the end the apple is what took her life away. The apple might be representative of the “apple” we've come to associate with Adam and Eve. Perhaps showing that not only was she vain but was easily tempted. She also exhibits another adverse characteristic: the desire to exact revenge on her mother. Growing up we have an image of Snow that is a complete contrast to the ways she is portrayed in this version. She seems more similar to her mother than I would ever thought reading the “cleaned-up” versions.

Kristina T. said...

Honestly, at the risk of being incredibly “punny” the apple really did not fall far from the tree in regards to Snow White and the Queen. Of course we like to think of the Queen as this evil person, after all, she make attempts on Snow’s life on four separate occasions. Snow really is not much worse than her mother though—at the risk of death Snow’s own yearning for more beauty is the motive each time she accepts gifts from the stranger who she knows she isn’t supposed to open the door to. Snow does not listen to the dwarves even after they tell her again and again not to open the door to strangers. The servants moving the body around don’t even know her, but still find her annoying. I wonder if they found her vanity just as annoying once she woke up. I find the ending of the story incredibly morbid. She tortures her mother by making her dance in hot shoes until she dies. When I read it, I can’t help but think Snow is really just mocking her mother once more reminding her who really is the beautiful one.

Anonymous said...

Snow White, By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, 1812 Version

This fairy tale version of “Snow White” is much different than the cute kid friendly one I knew of when I was just a child. I began to notice a trend of obscure behavior from the beginning of the tale. The one detail from this fairy tale that somewhat shocked me was that when Snow’s mother wanted to kill her but to be sure she was dead she wanted to eat her lungs and liver. This disgusting act really surprised me reading this version because that was new to me. Snow’s mother wanted nothing but for Snow White to be dead so that she herself would be the most beautiful person. Another aspect of this version that was new to me was at the very end where Snow’s mother had to dance in hot iron shoes until she died. I guess this is kind of what the mother deserved since she tried to kill her one and only daughter on four separate occasions but I still found it shocking that she died in this version because I do not remember her dying in the movie that I grew up with.
-Tiffany P.

Anonymous said...

Warwick Goble’s painting of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a wonderful piece of art. It is obvious that the dwarfs are simply amazed by the beauty that Snow White encompasses. I find their facial expressions to be quite humorous. The man on the far right seems to have lost all control of the muscles in his face, just staring at her without another thought in his mind except for her beauty. I also like the third man from the right in the red hat and red top. His smile and the way he is leaning in towards Snow White gives the impression that he is already willing to do anything that she may ask of them. I may be just another victim of Disney, but this is not the stature that I typically think of when I imagine the seven dwarfs but I still enjoy Goble’s portrayal.

-Thomas L

HD said...

“Snow White’ is another one of those classic tales which Disney has corrupted into a frolicking tale of dish-washing woodland creatures, and true love. In almost every version of “Snow White” there is absolutely no mention of any real love, but only that of a transparent love for all things beautiful and materialistic. The biblical reference of the seven deadly sins is at large throughout the tale in metaphorical form (seven dwarves, seven mountains, etc.) as well as the apparent presence of each actual sin whether displayed in the wicked queen or Snow herself. What really drives me crazy is the fact that Snow is just so darn stupid, opening up to the Queen in disguise and never learning her lesson! I’d almost venture to say she deserves if for lack of sensibility. Then the real cherry topper is the way her vanity and the creepy prince’s coveting of her beauty, is rewarded in the end with a grand wedding and a very public execution. How distasteful.

Anonymous said...

There are multiple things within the story of Snow White that are rather irritating to me. First of all, the Queen; why does she feel the need to ask a mirror day in and day out if she is the fairest and most beautiful of them all? This is another great example of how some people put way too much emphasis on and prioritize external beauty. Secondly, Snow White does tend to irritate me in this story by simply disobeying the dwarfs after they distinctly tell her not to answer the door for anyone or take anything from anyone. However; what does Snow White do? She answers the door both times and the second time eats an apple from a complete stranger and the end result is the same! Both times she ends up hurt and the second time even killed. However; just because these things irritate me doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the story!  These situations simply add a twist and plot making the story interesting as well.
Also, I wanted to add something that we discussed in class about this story earlier concerning the dwarfs and how they are perceived in the Disney movie Snow White and how they truly are in the story here. In the movie they are dirty, grungy, and gross; however in the story here they come across as neat and tidy and as our professor informed us they were quite clean individuals! 
- Kelsey S.

Unknown said...

Wow, I must say that I didn't see that one coming. Good for Snow White. If it were me I would have made her mother's death much worse. Hot shoes just aren't enough torture to endure for trying to kill your own child. I sort of liked this fairy tale just because the queen got what was coming to her but at the same time, as with reading Cinderella, it was just so different from what I know of Snow White. I guess I'm just going to have to come to terms with the fact that these are the original fairy tales and Disney changed them all to fit into our modern culture. This is going to take some getting used to throughout the semester! I found the fact that the prince or king (whatever he was) actually had his servants carry her coffin around everywhere he went, creepy! What a weirdo. Who wants to carry around a "dead" person? This guy had serious issues.

Anonymous said...

Wow, talk about people filled with psychiatric disorders in this story! I guess the biggest difference is that now I am reading this story with the eyes of an adult and not watching the movie with the hyperactive imagination of a child. The queen is quite bipolar. First she wants a child of her own that is white as snow, red as blood, and as black as ebony. She gets her and once Snow White begins to appear as more beautiful she does a 180 and despises her? How terrible for a child to have a mother that is so vain that she cannot stand that her daughter is prettier than she. Then Snow White after running away and finding refuge with the seven dwarfs is either stupid or very, very trusting. Time after time she lets one supposed stranger after another lure her into engaging with them causing her presumed death. Let us not forget about the obsessive prince! He buys her dead body and spends his days watching her “sleep” because he thinks he’s in love. He definitely has some unresolved issues there. At the end she wakes up and decides to marry the lovely prince that bought her after presumably knowing him all of one day. To end the wedding festivities they decide to torture the old queen to death. Sounds like a great family to me (sarcasm!). It was a very entertaining story. I hadn’t watched or read Snow White in many years but this is definitely better than the movie. – Melinda P.

Anonymous said...

This version of Snow White is vastly different than the Disney version I am used to. First of all, may I just say the mother/Queen is a terrifying woman. She’s incredibly vain, but then again, if you’re asking an enchanted mirror every day if you’re still the most beautiful woman of all, vanity is easily an assumed and deserving trait. I believe that vanity is what drove the Queen to desire a child in the first place. It would be natural for her to desire the unconditional love of a child, someone who would always be around to look up to her and admire her. Based on her vanity, she should have expected that her daughter would also be beautiful, but she never planned for Snow White to overpower her own beauty. The Queen must have only hoped that Snow White would be beautiful enough that all those who looked upon her would immediately think of her mother, the Queen, and think of her beauty. The Queen should have been more careful about what she wished for.
Rachel B.

Anonymous said...

I must comment on the illustration included with this story. The picture by WC Drupsteen immediately caught my eye. I think what attracted me initially was its similarities to pieces created by symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt. Drupsteen and Klimt are not similar in style by any means, but specific elements of the Snow White illustration are reminiscent of Klimt’s technical decisions. I first noticed the warm color palette that is slightly muted by the inclusion of green. Klimt’s pieces are very heavy on colored patterns, which are most often gold and other warm hues. Again mentioning the patterns, the Evil Queen’s robes in this depiction are red, broken up by white pattern and fringed with what could very well be gold sheer. This choice provides the viewer with a sense of opulence on the part of the Queen. The composition allows the eye to move from the left side of the page to the right with ease. The posture of the queen, aided by her pattern, draws us from the tail end of her dress, over her back, onto the equally patterned wall, and right onto the mirror on the wall. What I love about the mirror is the reflection. It is of the queens own face, tilted up, scrutinizing; not the cliché depiction of a floating male head. Last, but certainly not least, the inclusion of the running water in the basin, as well as what could be either a flaming hearth or light showing through curtain, gives the piece lively movement. What a pleasant piece to look at.

-JP

Anonymous said...

I truly loved how this did not resemble the Disney movie in the slightest. It was nice to see that there was still that happy ending, just as most people picture as a "fairytale." I especially liked the fact that she was not wakened by true loves kiss, but rather by one of his servants hitting her in the back. Although this was not a very pleasant thing to picture, it was still an amusing thought that the servants thought nothing strange or weird of carrying around a dead body so that the prince could look at her all day long. I personally found it to be quite disturbing that he had planned on living his life this way. That was the one thing that I had enjoyed about the Disney version was that the moment he saw her, he had longed to kiss her, which when seen as a little kid you think it is cute and romantic, but seen as an adult you still find it to be a little bit on the creepy side. Over all, I thought this was a great version of the story and it was nice to finally be able to go back and read these as an adult.

Taylor B.

AlexandraC said...

This is the most interesting version of Snow White. I appreciated seeing just how creepy the whole situation was. There was a time indeed when seven year old princesses married princes. The unrestrained evil of the Queen Mother is really remarkable.

Unknown said...

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/03/the-trauma-of-facing-deportation?mbid=nl_170328_Daily&CNDID=49079515&spMailingID=10709031&spUserID=MTgzMDc4MDU2NDcwS0&spJobID=1122248743&spReportId=MTEyMjI0ODc0MwS2

Not a comment on the story version here, but I just read this and can't get over it. I'd never heard of this, but the article suggests this "death-like trance" may go way back, part of something we've forgotten. I immediately thought of fairy tales and particularly Snow White. If you believe some fairy tales may have a real "core" element they're based on, I think it would look like this. Talk about security being ripped away - your mother's tried to have you killed and keeps coming back to finish the job herself (I cried throughout this article btw, it's just mind-blowing.)

SITE DESIGNED BY PRETTYWILDTHINGS