Now, I'm pretty sure that all of us have at least heard of Beauty and the Beast. I was introduced to the tale through the Disney animated movie, and I've only grown to love it more over time. What I find extremely interesting though, is the way it shares features with other stories and has the potential to be retold over and over, each time with some new element to shake things up!
First of all, I just want to go over the things that make me adore this story.
Belle. She is one of my favourite female protagonists of all time. I love that she loves to read because... well I'm a book blogger! But that's not the only reason I think Belle is great. She doesn't want to settle for a mediocre life with a piggish husband who thinks that she is no more than an ornament to make him look good. She decides what she wants in life and goes for it.
The love story is still one of my all time favourites; the angst, the redemption and the moral of Beauty and the Beast makes it unforgettable- not to mention the beautiful dress Belle wears in the ball scene.
Lately I've become enamored with Greek Mythology, namely the myth of Hades and Persephone. Then I realised why I loved the myth so much- so many of the elements are shared with Beauty and the Beast! I love finding parallels between the two because it adds so much more depth to both of the tales.
Not only does Beauty and the Beast share similarities with myths, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of retellings of the story. There are the TV power-couples, such as Rumbelle from Once Upon a Time, as well as many books. One that I'm hoping to read very soon is Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It features around a girl called Nyx, who is forced into an arranged marriage with the Gentle Lord, who just so happens to be the Prince of Demons. That's all I know about the book, but I'm hooked on the idea already. I only hope it lives up to the original, and I'm excited to see what twists and turns are in store!
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