Disney Princess Article: Why Belle Reads Fairytales

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posted by hisblueeyes

The question, "Which princess do you think is the smartest?" is asked very often and every time it is asked, there are those people who pick Belle. There are the people who not only pick Belle, but comment, "Because she reads." Then, there are the people who think that is a dumb thing to say, and begin immediately saying stuff like, "She only reads fairy-tales." Every time this process has been repeated I have wanted to say something like what I am about to say, but never got the chance. So now I'm going to say it.

I think many people forget that Beauty and the Beast is not set in 2011. It isn't set in the 1950's, either. It is set a long while back, before laptops and iPad's and cars. Before gigantic bookstores with every book genre and every book title you could possibly think of. Belle lives in a small, provincial town, and the only "library" is a little bookshop with maybe two or three shelves. There aren't any trucks that come into town every week, with stacks & stacks of the newest books. No, in Belle's library, the books in there are probably the only books that are in there for months at a time. At the time Belle was alive, there also probably wasn't a Harry Potter or a Great Expectations. The only books that were probably in that library were fairy-tales. Not thin paperback fairy-tales with pictures, no, the thick, complicated, original versions of fairy-tales. Have you ever read the original version of The Little Mermaid? It's not something just anyone can read.

Another thing I think people forget is that Belle was a dreamer, a dreamer who wanted to escape her boring town. Books like Pride & Prejudice offer no escape. Fairy-tales? Now those are something. Reading books like those, of far of places, dashing sword fights & a prince in disguise were possibly Belle's only source of comfort in that town she so wanted to leave. They offered her adventure that she couldn't have. If you think that it is very childish of Belle to read such stories, put yourself in her place. Pretend that's all your library had. Pretend you need to flee where you are, but you can't, and unfortunately, Harry Potter doesn't exist yet. She also states that she's read all the books in

I'm going to end this article with the wise words of someone who has written a very fairy-tale like series himself:
Some day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy-tales again. - C.S. Lewis

Portia0623, Sparklefairy375 and 15 others like this

Swanpride Good argument - What people also tend to forget: Belle read all the books available in her little town. I really doubt that all of them were fairy tales (I'm sure that there were some philosophical excurses between them at teh very least). Yes, she picks out books with stories - but what kind of book would you rather reread, the book with the stories, or the sience book? My reading interests are very diverse, but for a reread, I would chose a story book too. And which book would you read to a someone else? A story book, naturally. Plus, you learn a lot, even if you read just stories - for example, I have never been to sea, but I know most of the nautic words because I had a thing for pirate stories for a while. Not just the made up ones, but also the real ones, which descripe parts of a ship.

sumerjoy11 Wow, this is very good! I really can relate to this article. I live in a boring town and my only escape for me is either reading or drawing. Of course, most of the things I read or draw are Diney related. People call me immature just because I still like Disney and I'm 16, but Disney helps me not only to escape the ridicule and boringness, it also helps me to dream. I never really looked at Belle from this perspective before, until I read your article.

DreamyGal You make a good point, but I disagree with what you said about Pride and Prejudice offering no escape. That is one of my favorite novels; one of the main reasons I love it is because it takes me to a different place; a place where men were gentlemen and women were ladies...the language was proper and elegant...people actually bowed to each other whenever they met. And actually for the longest time I have thought that Belle and the Beasts relationship is very similar to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

hisblueeyes ^Oh, I love Pride and Prejudice too, it's one of my favorite books. I just thought it wouldn't offer Belle much escape, because it might make her feel like her town is even more provincial - reading about such elegant towns.

Swanpride I think Pride and Predudice wouldn't mean much to Belle, because it carricates a society, Belle knows next to nothing about. We can understand the "jokes" and the critizism in the book, because we have enough second source material to understand it, but I'm not sure if that would apply to Belle, too.

DreamyGal Well, we all have our opinions, I think Belle would've liked it...especially the romance.

princesslullaby ^I think Belle would've like it a lot too. I don't remember where in the movie it says Belle read every book in the library. I know she says "Have you got anything new?" But that doesn't mean she read every book on the shelf. Maybe only the ones that interested her ran out, so she's hoping for a new one. I know quite a few stupid people who read a lot, and I know quite a few smart people who rarely read. I'm not entirely sure Belle reading thick fairy-tales is a concrete argument that she's smart. And I really doubt Belle would read philosophical books, not that she's not smart enough, I don't see it particularly interesting to her. I understand why Belle reads fairy-tales, I never found it frivolous of her to do so. But I think when people comment saying "Belle is smart because she reads" it is a poor argument, but what aggravates me is when people say Belle is the SMARTEST princess because she reads. Throughout the movie, I find Belle to be an intelligent, capable person, but she doesn't do anything extraordinarily genius. She has a sensible set of smarts, but I don't find her to be the most clever or the smartest.

hisblueeyes ^I completely agree, I'm not saying she's the smartest, and I do think "because she reads" is a stupid argument. But I also think saying "she only reads fairytales" is a stupid thing to say when your trying to tell people Belle isn't the smartest one. That's what this article is about.

princesslullaby My guess is Belle does only read mainly fairy-tales, but the occasional other genre. But yeah, I don't see how reading fairy-tales would give an indication of intelligence either way.

KataraLover I love that Belle reads fairy-tales and it's one of the reasons I like her. But I just don't think that sayings she's the smartest just because she reads, fairy-tales aren't meant to be educational, they're meant to make us happy. I don't think she's that smart. But I do know how she feels, I like to read my fairy-tales and other books to escape the stupidity of my town.

MrsEmmaPeel I love your article. I agree 100% and this is how I feel about Belle as well. I'm glad to see someone written an article on it. Great job.

Swanpride @princesslullaby Believe me, when you're addicted to books you will read anything you get your hands on. Since Belle doesn't has the luxury we have, she can't afford to be choosy. But yeah, I don't think that she is necessarily the smartest - there is first Mulan (who seems to be some sort of genius at times), then Rapunzel (who seems to be multitalented) and then Belle - but not because she happens to read (though it does play a part in it), but because she outsmarts Gaston (admittingly an easy thing to do), Cogsworth and Lumiere, and has the ability to beat the beast with words quite easily.

princesslullaby I don't think Rapunzel is all that smart, she makes a lot of dumb decisions. But, it depends on what kind of smart you think is the smartest. And I still think Jasmine is very smart, although lately I've knocked her down to #2 for a couple of less-than-smart things.

Swanpride I don't think that Rapunzel makes dumb decision, not when you consider the information she bases the decision on. It's easy to say that you would know better when you see the whole picture, but the question is, would you be as smart as she is in her situation? First outwitting Eugene (who isn't stupid himself), forcing him to bring her to the lights, and later figuring out Mother Gothel on her own? The only dumb thing she does is not keeping an eye on her, but that's the woman she has known as her loving mother her whole life. But I'm also impressed that she studied astronomy and chartered stars on her own. Jasmine on the other hand - well, she says that she is a fast learner, but if that's true, how did she manage to walk across the market without picking up on the simple concept of "you have to pay for what you take"? Why doesn't she pick up on the fact that it's nearly impossible that Aladdin was already killed when she reaches Jafar, and totally impossible that he was killed for kidnapping her, since nobody know that she even was with him? (and why doesn't she stay close to him to make sure that he is okay?) Why doesn't she notice Jafar hypnotising her father - Aladdin picks up on it nearly immediatly. For someone as cunning as her, she isn't perceptive at all!(And face-blind, but that seems to be some sort of desease in that movie).

ivebeendreaming I agree 100% with this article. I actually only read fairytales. It truly is an escape from everyday life. And I think I live in a pretty boring town. There's nothing magical about it. I miss living in New Jersey where there were big romantic victorian houses everywhere and real trees. Now I live in Arizona in the middle of the desert. There's no snow, no magic, and I don't really like any of the guys here. Everything is stereotypical and a year behind in fashion. Everyone acts the same (within their social groups) so there's no creativity. In fact, a lot of people are pretty judgmental when it comes to differences. Most people wear Abercrombie and Hollister tops with jeans and Vans or Toms every day. Even the Emos and Scenes are all exactly the same. I remember on the first day of 8th grade a few years ago I dressed up. And when I say "dressed up" I was wearing a babydoll style top with a skirt and leggings. The few friends I had at the time asked me why I was so dressed up. At least I'm a little different. But I feel like Belle most of the time. I have friends but most of them are like everyone else.

princesslullaby ^SEE? NEW JERSEY IS A MAGICAL, WONDERFUL LAND <3

hisblueeyes ^...I never said it was bad.

princesslullaby ^....I never said that you said that...??

heathersvan I agree with you that Belle's reading was the only place she could escape to her dreams, but I don't think that makes her any smarter. Nice article, though! Lot's of thought put it.

heathersvan @ivebeendreaming: YES! New Jersey is amazing! I love it around here ^_^

pretty_angel92 you have a good point, i read tons of fairytales and i actually consider myself a smart person. i just find it stupid how people's explanation is always "oh, she reads". that doesn't mean anything. i know a lot of people who likes to read but they're still pretty dumb. and it's frustrating to see belle always winning these kind of picks(with the exception of mulan), when rapunzel doesn't and she also reads. so what's the explanation now? simple, most of them are just being biased. i'm not saying that rapunzel makes smarter decisions, but she certainly seems to know more about general culture. she reads about botany, geology, math...

PrincessAyeka12 100% Agree with you! Reading this made me realise I'm so much like Belle.

magicfairydust Love this article! and yes, you make a very good point. :D

FlightofFantasy Good article! I never understand why adults who read fairy tales are looked down upon. I love fairy tales, always have. They are what got me into reading, into fantasy, into mythology. They were the first books I was able to read on my own, without help. Basically, they helped shape who I am. I'm now in my 20s and am a proud, unabashed fairy tale fan. I'm a fan of the "original" fairy tales (although it's basically impossible to say what the original version of any folk tale is) and of Disney's fairy tales, and I always will be. Is it a form of escapism? Yes. So is any fiction. There's nothing wrong with that. And yet adults who still love fairy tales are treated as if they're naive, or idiots, or children. I've found you actually get a lot more out of fairy tales when you revisit them as an adult. You pick up on things you never did as a child. Some might be negative (sexism, racism, etc.), but even that presents a fascinating opportunity to learn about the culture and society of the time. After all, fairy tales are really mirrors that reflect the cultural attitudes of their time. That's why they change over time, because societal attitudes change over time. What was once acceptable is now unacceptable. What was once unacceptable is now acceptable. Fairy tales are not only beautiful and magical, they are also a great learning experience and a way to introduce you to different cultures, peoples and historical periods. There's nothing childish or immature about that.

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Princess

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Source: http://www.americanprinthouse.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=10

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Top Three Smartest Princesses

posted by Annabethandco

Originally, this article was supposed to be a full countdown. However I couldn't decide any of the placings. Instead, I give you a top three smartest princesses article.

Side note: When I mean smart, I'm talking about how much knowledge they have and how logical their thinking is.

3. Elsa

I guess this might surprise people, but it seems perfectly logical to me. Elsa has a lot of knowledge (as revealed in "A Sister More Like Me"). She spent hours a day studying while she was inside her bedroom. Also, she's 21. That means she must have at least a university level understanding of pretty much all...

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Mother Gothel's Backstory

posted by bluethunder25

OK, so in my last article, I gave my reasons as to why I don't think Gothel is a full villain. In THIS article, I'm gonna give a list of possible backstories that may have influenced Gothel to be the way she is.

I'll start off with the one that's the most likely, but the one I don't wanna believe.

1. In her youth, Gothel was a very sweet child, but as she grew into a teenager, the trials and tribulations of teenage life took their toll on her. She lost most of her innocence and became obsessed with things such as her looks, so much so, that it drove her to vanity, obsession with her looks. The...

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Top 20 Prettiest Disney Female Countdown

posted by LizzieBeth-xox

I've seen many of these articles on here, not many of them are that recent though. Hardly any include the CGI princesses or Tiana in extreme cases. Not offence intended
So I decided to do a slightly more up to date countdown. Hope you enjoy it! :)
IMPORTANT NOTE - This is an opinion article. if you do not agree with any of my choices that's fine but there's no need to make harsh comments.

Due to the recent 'Merida Princess Makeover Scandal' I am only judging the girls on how they look in the movie, not in the merchandise.

20. Merida

Super brave, not super beautiful...

She may be brave,...

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Snow White VS Aurora: Who is better?

posted by sweetie-94

Let's see who of these two that really is better

I saw that KataraLover had written an article about Ariel and Merida and who of the two that was a better character, I decided to do the same, but with my two favorite princesses Snow White and Aurora, but also because they're imo the two most similar princesses, but anyway here we go

Similarities:
They have a lot of things in common, they both love animals, they have the same dream, they're both considerd beautiful by people around them and they both had to be saved by their princes

Differences:
One of the biggest differences between them is that Aurora is pessimistic and Snow White is more optimistic,...

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My favorite moments from each DP Movie where the princess isn't happy

posted by sweetie-94

I decided to write this because there's always a moment where each of these princesses aren't happy so well here we go :)

The only rule I had was that the princess has to show any feeling except happiness for majority of the scene so not the whole scene that's too hard to find almost at least!

Snow White: The Forest Scene

This is in my opinion one of the scariest movie moments, maybe even the scariest, it scares me whenever I watch the scene. What makes me love this scene so much is the animation, it's so well done that it scares me. This scene clearly shows that Disney has a dark side!...

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Top Five Actresses-Aurora (Updated)

posted by JNTA1234

There's been a slight change to Aurora's list. Basically I just copied and paste all the words and made a simple switch. There's a new #1.

5.Blake Lively
This choice is purely based on appearance because personally I think this girl is a terrible actress. But I also think she's beautiful enough to play Aurora. Besides, it's not like she has to do much.

4.Amber Heard
Now this actress actually is talented but keeps doing borderline awful projects. Amber has definitely has the sex appeal to play this role. She's one of my favorite actresses right now and I think she could do a great job....

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Top Five Actresses-Ariel

posted by JNTA1234

Ariel is probably the hardest princess to find actresses for. Alot of the women who play could her, like Alyson Hannigan, are alittle old now. Anyway don't expect to see Amy Adams because she's already Giselle and I find her very unnattractive.

5.Emma Stone
Even though Emma is pretty much the princess of Hollywood right now, I don't think she's that good of choice to play Ariel. Sure she has red hair and blue eyes but I don't think she's ever played a role similar to a bubbly princess. Which is why she's at the bottom.

4.Miley Cyrus
I know guys, but let's face it, She Looks Like Ariel....

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Top Five Actresses-Snow White

posted by JNTA1234

Well this idea just came to me. Everyone has different opinions on who should play the princesses. This is my opinion on the top five actresses who could play Snow White. I'll be doing this with the other princesses when I have the time. And what better way to do it than chronologically.

5.Ellen Page
The ironic thing about Snow White is that most of the actresses today that look like her usually play roles that are more or less the opposite of her personality. Ellen Page may look like Snow White but she plays roles of girls who are cynical, sarcastic and sometimes have low self esteem,...

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Starlight77's Favorite DP Wardrobes

posted by starlight77

Sigh..... I know this is the third Disney princess outfit article in a row but with all due respect to KataraLover and sweetie94 I've been working on mine for awhile and I hope you don't feel like I ripped you off. There's not a princess who's outfits I entirely hate, so this list was a bit difficult to make. Keep in mind these are just my opinions also.

10. Rapunzel

Ok so our list starts out with one of the favorites gone. I know a lot of people enjoy her purple dress but I just don't. It reminds me of a kids costume that little kids wear at the parks. It's short and is that purple that...

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Comparing Disney Princesses to other films: Mulan

posted by justinfangrrl

Note that I had help with this article (wikipedia and such), so I didn't do it alone!

Author's note; I haven't done this for a while, but I'm gonna keep going with them. I am very excited to be writing this, because It's been SO fun researching! Oh, and BTW, if you want to read my article BEFORE this one, the link is link The one before this one isn't as good as the others, but it's alright, I guess.
I think you'll enjoy this article, I hope you do. :)

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She's the man: This movie was directed Andy Fickman and Stars Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Robert Hoffman. It starts off with a high school student named Viola who plays on...