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Putting a New Spin On It

By Tahlia Merrill

There are more ways to begin a fairy tale than “Once upon a time.” Those famous words can generate a sense of timelessness, or an author may scrap them and use a more original phrase—the rules of fairy tale rewriting are incredibly flexible. It is this endless plasticity that allows authors hundreds of years after a tale’s birth to continue melting it down in imagination’s furnace to be molded as an original creation. So it is with "Sleeping Beauty," which first took root in the 17^th century, and has since sprouted, budded, and blossomed enough Briar Roses (and Auroras) to cover a kingdom. I picked up three books written as Sleeping Beauty retellings—a mere sprinkling of the many available—to read and compare.

1. “Charm” from The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block.

This is one short story in a collection of nine—each written more as silhouette than reflection of its fairy tale counterpart. Block sets “Charm” in the slums of Los Angeles and serves the story in flashes of free verse poetry. There is no sleeping princess to be found, only Rev, a model trapped by drug addiction. Her life is a hazy dream ruled by the continuous pricking of needles. Despite the harsh content, Block’s style is lyrical and sensual. She brings details into sharp focus, while blurring the plot into the background. Tastes and scents override sights, sounds and even sense of time. Abundant rose imagery is one of the few winks to tradition the author makes because at its core, this is a story of a victimized girl breaking away from a sordid existence. There is a strong presence of abusive men in Rev’s past, which means that when she is saved, it is not by a Prince Charming.

I would like to point out that none of the stories in The Rose and the Beast should be read by children or even pre-teens. Block’s tales while written with calligraphic elegance, deal with mature themes almost too gritty to be put in the YA section of the library. While some will undoubtedly find “Charm” moving, I personally found myself squirming with every page I turned.

2. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey. Part of the “Once Upon a Time” series, this book mixes a modern writing style with a traditional magic-castle-princess setting. Princess Aurore narrates her story, starting with the childhood curse that includes not only spinning wheels, but any sharp object that could draw blood. Her parents slowly allow her more freedom, which keeps her from rebellion, but not a hunger for independence. Aurore is a princess with a winsome blend of sweet and spunky, not only sharing her father’s concern for the common people, but joining him in plowing fields and tending the sick. What could have veered into the typical misfit princess formula is kept fresh by the presence of Prince Oswald, who is originally nicknamed “Charming” in contrast to his poor manners, but then decides to adapt his behavior to better suit his name. Beauty Sleep is close enough to the original to comfort readers, but inserts plenty of creative twists to gain momentum as the book progresses.

3. Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley: This novel gives Sleeping Beauty a Lord of the Rings-style makeover. As a writer, I found myself muttering under my breath at the end of every chapter, “This must have taken years to come up with!” The sheer scope and multi-layered richness of the world is truly awe-inspiring. McKinley’s concept of magic alone is so highly developed that the magic not only has a personality, but becomes a central character. The book is divided into four parts, starting before the princess is born, with Katriona, the fairy destined to protect the princess by raising her away from the palace. Katriona assures the queen that her daughter will be “as safe as ordinariness can make her”, which turns out to be a surprisingly good defense against Pernicia, the evil witch who placed the curse. At the halfway point, the story switches over to Rosie, who learns of her true identity when she is only a few months away from her fated twenty-first birthday. Rosie’s tomboy tendencies as a child mature into a heroic strength when she grows into an adult, which serves her well in the final battle she must fight against Pernicia. Although the tension of the curse weighs heavily on the minds of the characters, it never drags the story down or darkens the mood. The curse is what binds everyone together and it serves as a test of loyalty and love.

These three interpretations each recreate the tale in unique ways, starting with their portrayal of the Sleeping Beauty herself. How she is rendered shapes all of the surrounding details into satire, tragedy, or “happily ever after.” No matter the spin, though, I think my favorite part about reading Sleeping Beauty retellings is that there is no danger of me pricking my own finger on a cursed spinning wheel—only of thumbing a page too earnestly and getting a paper cut.

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