Perrault, Charles. "Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36.
Item
Book Title
Perrault, Charles. "Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36.
Book Author/Editor
Perrault, Charles
City of Publication
Paris
Publisher
Jean-Baptists Coignard
Date
1695
Language
French
Fairy Tale Title
Peau d'asne
Author of the Chapter/Fairy Tale
Perrault, Charles
Summary
A princess lives in the palace with her parents the king and the queen, surrounded by interesting people and horses, and a donkey with big ears that, instead of producing waste, produces gold coins. The queen grows ill, and makes the king promise to only marry another woman as wise and beautiful as she. The queen believes he will never find such a woman, but in fact the king falls madly in love with the only woman who can surpass the charms of the wife, his daughter, the princess.
Miserable, the princess goes to her fairy godmother, who says she can avoid the marriage without refusing. She tells her to ask her father for a dress the color of the sky (temps), believing this to be impossible. The father has it done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the color of the moon, and this too is done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the sun, which the king has made with fabric of gold and diamonds. The godmother then recommends that she asks for the skin of the donkey, believing that the king would not deprive himself of this source of wealth. But, with a love of his daughter stronger than that of gold, he has the skin delivered.
The princess runs away, wearing the donkey skin and carrying her godmother's magic wand, which has the power to summon a magic chest packed with her dresses and toiletries. She finds a farmer to take her in as a servant. The valets call her "Peau d'Asne" (Donkey Skin) and make fun of her. On Sundays, alone in her room, she admires herself in the beautiful dresses.
One day, the Prince Cephale sees her in her beautiful dress, and is consumed with love and desire, and tells his mother, the Queen, that he wants Peau d'Asne to make him a cake. Peau d'Asne, perhaps by accident, or perhaps intentionally because she senses she is loved, bakes a ring into the cake. To heal his yearning heart, the court searches for the woman whose finger will fit the ring, who will become the Prince's bride. All the women of the town attempt to carve down their fingers to fit the dainty ring. Finally, Peau d'Asne fits the ring. She presents herself to the court in her finest dress. At the wedding, the fairy godmother reveals the entire story, and Peau d'Asne is crowned with glory and reuinted with her father, whose desire has been tempered with time.
Miserable, the princess goes to her fairy godmother, who says she can avoid the marriage without refusing. She tells her to ask her father for a dress the color of the sky (temps), believing this to be impossible. The father has it done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the color of the moon, and this too is done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the sun, which the king has made with fabric of gold and diamonds. The godmother then recommends that she asks for the skin of the donkey, believing that the king would not deprive himself of this source of wealth. But, with a love of his daughter stronger than that of gold, he has the skin delivered.
The princess runs away, wearing the donkey skin and carrying her godmother's magic wand, which has the power to summon a magic chest packed with her dresses and toiletries. She finds a farmer to take her in as a servant. The valets call her "Peau d'Asne" (Donkey Skin) and make fun of her. On Sundays, alone in her room, she admires herself in the beautiful dresses.
One day, the Prince Cephale sees her in her beautiful dress, and is consumed with love and desire, and tells his mother, the Queen, that he wants Peau d'Asne to make him a cake. Peau d'Asne, perhaps by accident, or perhaps intentionally because she senses she is loved, bakes a ring into the cake. To heal his yearning heart, the court searches for the woman whose finger will fit the ring, who will become the Prince's bride. All the women of the town attempt to carve down their fingers to fit the dainty ring. Finally, Peau d'Asne fits the ring. She presents herself to the court in her finest dress. At the wedding, the fairy godmother reveals the entire story, and Peau d'Asne is crowned with glory and reuinted with her father, whose desire has been tempered with time.
Commentary
Peau d'asne is written in verse. The king desires his daughter. The moral of the story is given in that virtue which survives an unfortunate challenge will always be rewarded. Perrault points out the importance of having beautiful clothing, and says that there is not a woman under the heavens that doesn't believe herself the most beautiful. There is a dedication written in verse to the Madame la marquise de L... extolling the virtue of fairy tales in general. There is a footnote defining the word ogre. He alludes to the feminine transmission of tales, mentioning mothers and grandmothers who will keep this story alive in their memories.
Page Range
3-36
Link to Digital Source
https://cudl.colorado.edu/luna/servlet/detail/UCBOULDERCB1~53~53~433486~132678:Griselidis-nouvelle?qvq=w4s:/who%2FPerrault%25252C%2BCharles;q:Perrault%2C%20Charles&mi=2&trs=7
