First off, I'll recuse myself by sharing that I am a huge fairy tale fan. I read them exhaustively as a child, collecting the variations like other children collected stickers or cards. I can sing and recite most of the Disney versions (and do, given half an opportunity).
That doesn't mean I'm blind to the flaws in many of the stories.
Any story reflects the time it is created. The classic Hans Christian Andersen and Brothers Grimm stories come from the 19th century and reflect many of the Victorian values. Cinderella is from Charles Perrault's collection, which was assembled in the second half of the 17th century. It's a bloodier version than those familiar with Disney's will expect, but it has what are considered the key elements:
- the heroine is blocked by her stepmother and, to a lesser extent, her stepsisters
- the heroine meets her prince at a ball (or series of balls) and he is entranced by her beauty
- there is a magical being (fairy godmother) who grants the heroine beautiful clothes and transportation
- the prince is able to see through any attempts at deception to identify the heroine, despite not knowing her name or status
While I do enjoy stories of women being elevated out of difficult circumstances, there are aspects of the Cinderella story which bother me. The biggest one is her passivity. She is singled out for aid because she is quiet, patient, and virtuous. She is singled out as the ideal bride because she is beautiful. Personally, that bothers me on both sides of the relationship, because physical attraction is one heck of a poor qualification for choosing someone who will eventually be a co-ruler of your kingdom. But I digress.
The other aspect which troubles me is how Cinderella is set up as being different from the other women in her life, and as being in competition with them. They are coarse and vulgar, she is noble and graceful. It's a theme that I see reflected in a lot of modern stories, that the heroine is somehow better than all those other girls (be they co-workers, ex-girlfriends, or rivals for the hero's affection).
Many of Perrault's stories focus on a character's inherent nobility and the message that their goodness will be rewarded. But the idea that people should suffer in silence and wait to be rescued isn't one I can get behind. I much prefer when characters are active participants in their own rescue, though they usually do need help (which is why I also love stories where characters realize they can't do everything on their own).
Women who are set up as "the good one" in fiction are isolated. In reality, female friendships are incredibly important. I would never want to be without my girlfriends, yet it's actually surprisingly rare for a story to have two or more women with a close and supportive friendship.
I've always written stories with independent heroines, but this time, I also wanted to write a story where there was a strong female friendship. And I started thinking about Cinderella, and what it would be like if the stepsister teamed up with Cinderella to overthrow her abusive mother.
And because I'm never happy with just one twist, I wanted to explore another idea, too. What if the fairy godmother was evil, what if she was pushing Cinderella into a world that she didn't want? What if Cinderella just wanted to restore her family home and live peacefully there and it was the fairy godmother who had the whole dream of her charge becoming royalty?So I made sure that my heroine, Katie, had a strong and healthy relationship with her stepsister, Aggi, one where they faced down Aggi's narcissistic mother together. And I made the Director into a dark version of the fairy godmother, one who only makes his own wishes come true.
I hope that people will enjoy the story as much as I do. Deadly Potential is available for pre-order now and will be released on October 23rd!
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