Madame de Villeneuve's The Story of the Beauty and the Beast: The Original Classic French Fairytale

The reviews were not kidding about this story going off the rails at the halfway point. The first half is the story as we're generally familiar with it - especially if you've ever read the more readily available abridged version. I liked the extra details about the Beast (he has scales? And an elephant tusk?) as well as the increased thematic focus of judging by actions, not by appearances. The dream sections are a bit of a mixed bag - we don’t really hear why Beauty has fallen for this dream boy, just that he compliments her a lot and that they spent a lot of time in the dreamscape - but I did like how it wrapped back around to the story’s theme through her choice. Was she going to continue living in a fantasy that may or may not be true, or was she going to commit to the real life individual that she truly cared for? 

And it was great, until the second half of the story decides to bend over backwards to justify an incredibly convoluted plot twist to make Beauty royalty all along. All that stuff about being a good person and judging by actions and not appearance? Forget about it! It’s just because she was secretly royal, and royalty is always good. Please do not fact check this pre-revolution French story on this. And definitely do not side eye the fairy who knowingly set up two cousins. That’s just how royalty was back then. Because they were so pure of heart. (Please read the past several sentences with heavy sarcasm.)

In any case, I’m glad I finally read the full version if only to have the context for why the second half of the story gets tossed out. It turns out that moral hand-wringing about Stockholm Syndrome is not the main concern for OG Beauty and the Beast - it’s royal incest!