Since"Cupid and Psyche" is a forerunner for the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast," I've decided to do a blog post about the classic fairy tale.
Just what is it about the story of a pretty girl and a mysterious (and usually hideous, though this isn't the case in "Cupid and Psyche") suitor? The story has been adopted many times. Some of the more famous examples I can think of (please list more examples below) are "The Princess and the Frog," the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Phantom of the Opera. On some levels the biblical narrative of Jesus fulfills the basic terms of the "Beauty and the Beast" story: beautiful being redeeming sinners.
Perhaps that's just it: the theme and promise of redemption through love in "Beauty and the Beast" stories are the reason they're so popular.
2 comments:
I also think the "Cupid and Psyche" story has some elements of Cinderella, too. Although Psyche doesn't have two ugly stepsisters, she has two not-as-pretty sisters. She is also trapped in her father's house with no suitors. I just thought it was interesting all of the different threads that run through this story.
Lato sensu it is possible to include in the same pattern of "The Beauty and the Beast" the history of Pasiphae and the bull. There are some features in common such as that Aphrodite (her again...she is a troublemaker!)made Pasiphae fall in love with the bull and that one of the two lovers is in disguise (in this case Pasiphae).
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