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The Jealous Princess.

Article Excerpt
Translator's Introduction

The question of sources for the classical fairy tale has been a subject of debate. Because of a lack of documentation, we can only speculate on the nature and impact of oral tales that may have served as inspiration for the classical tales penned by writers like Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy and Charles Perrault. While the nature and impact of the oral tradition may be difficult to determine with certainty, recent scholarship points to the importance of written collections of tales by Giovan Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile in the development of the French fairy tale. This translation contributes to the history of documented sources for the classical tale.

Charles Perrault was an admirer of the works of Jean-Pierre Camus, bishop of Belley, who was known for his collections of tragic stories. Perrault celebrates Camus in his tribute to "illustrious men" of his century--Les hommes illustres qui ont paru en France pendant ce siecle (2 vols. [Paris, 1696-1700] and translated as Characters Historical and Panegyrical of the Greatest Men that Have Appear'd in France, during the Last Century, trans. J. Ozell [London, 1704-05])--which points to the fact that Perrault was familiar with Camus's works. Arguably, Camus's "La princesse jalouse" ("The Jealous Princess"), published in L'amphitheatre sanglant (Paris, 1630)--The Bloody Amphitheater--is one of the main sources for Perrault's "La belle au bois dormant" ("The Sleeping Beauty"), as is Basile's "Sole, Luna e Talia" ("Sun, Moon, and Talia"). Perrault takes the basic elements of his plot from Basile: a princess falls into a deep sleep after pricking her finger; a king finds her sleeping; she has two children; she awakens; the king's jealous wife intends on serving him a meal of his own children, but they are substituted with kids; the queen dies in the manner in which she intended on killing her rival. Camus's tragic story likewise includes apparent deaths, substitutions, secret births, and a monstrous woman, Princess Gorgonia. Perrault specifically draws from Camus in having the king spend two years of bliss with his beloved, during which they have two children. Most importantly, Perrault follows Camus's suit in having a wrathful and monstrous woman wreak havoc at the precise moment at which the male ruler is called away to war, and male authority momentarily is suspended.

One might speculate about a common...

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