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.

Why Mother Gothel is a role model for other villains

posted by elsafan1010

" Punz, have you ever wondered why I don't cut your hair?"

Disney's "Tangled" was such a good movie that Tangled had great characters. Of course, my favorite was Rapunzel, but I also loved mother Gothel. It's weird that I don't like mother Gothel. Because I hated every bad guy except Audrey and Hades. Audrey and Hades had points that sounded similar and logical to me. For example, Audrey was stabbed in the back and Hades was wronged, and it was funny, so I loved them both.

I've watched Tangled about seven times, and it's only the seventh time I've come to love mother Gothel. After all, Gothel was separating Rapunzel from her family, using her, and raising...

Ariel really should have been blonde, gifs proving it.

posted by elsafan1010

Ariel blonde, so pretty! Prettier then Belle and Aurora!

My last article was about the eye colors of Disney princesses, but today I'm focusing on the hair. Ariel has red hair that no princess has ever had. Red hair looks great on Ariel, but blonde hair... It suits her better than red hair. Blonde hair pairs perfectly with her light blue eyes. Straw yellow color is the best! Here are some gifs that prove it now.

This time with black eyes but still amazingly beautiful

" Look at me, aren't I am pretty, so blonde?"

My Favorite Disney Princess List ( CHANGED)

posted by elsafan1010

I LOVE HER!

My list of favorite Disney Princesses has undergone a slight change. Moreover, this time I will start from 12, not 10.

12- Merida
The only princess I hate is Merida. Actually, she was one of my favorite princesses for a while, but as I got older, I started to dislike her. And right now Merida is at the worst place on my list.
Merida fans: Crying
Those who don't like Merida: Happy
I don't like Princess Merida because she thinks illogically and ruins her life despite her mother's efforts.

11- Aurora
Well Aurora is a much loved princess and I know you adore her but I... I don't like her very much. She...

Snow White, The fairest of them all???

posted by elsafan1010

Snow White has never been pretty to me. Princesses like Elsa, Anna, Aurora and Belle have always been beautiful to me. Snow White was the ugliest to me, the ugliest. Even uglier than princesses like Merida, Mulan, and Kida. I don't understand how they call Snow White "the fairest of all people" in the movie.

Things that make Snow White ugly:

Snow White's neck looks combined with her head.

The shape of Snow White's hair is so ugly, it's like a cotton candy that doesn't look realistic at all.

Snow White's nose is sometimes not visible

These princess eyes are scary and the pupils don't fit in her eyes.

His eyebrows are thin

_____________________________________________________

Oh my god, she's so ugly except for her crimson lips and rosy cheeks! In the movie, either the mirror was broken or the movie was. Snow White is so ugly! Duh should make it to the list of the ugliest in the world!

Why I Dislike love at first sight in DP movies

posted by elsafan1010

I believe in love at first sight, but it sounds ridiculous and isn't exactly love. Love at first sight often happens with classic princesses:
1- Snow White
2- Cinderella
3- Ariel

These princesses fall in love the first time they see it, but that's ridiculous because you can't fall in love with someone you've just seen. Actually, that might be it, but it just depends on the prince being handsome. Snow White fell in love with her prince the moment she saw him, and that was just for the prince's appearance. That's why I don't like love at first sight in DP movies.

In Frozen, one of my favorite Disney...

Stop Hating Princess Audrey

posted by elsafan1010

Almost every Aurora fan hates Princess Audrey. I will explain to you why:
"Because it looks like Aurora raised Audrey to be a bad person"
No, neither Aurora nor Audrey had any fault in this. Audrey was choosing to be bad just because her heart broke. If Ben had chosen Audrey over Mal, then Audrey would still be good.

Seriously, don't you pity Audrey, heartless? Wouldn't your heart break if your boyfriend suddenly left you and started dating someone else?

Moreover, there was a small detail in the song "Queen of Mean". In one of the many pictures in Audrey's room, the childhood photos of Ben and...

Top 4 ugliest DP's

posted by elsafan1010

The most beautiful princesses are my favorite princesses, Elsa and Anna. Third, there's Belle. This article is about ugly princesses. I'll rank them from least ugliest to ugliest.

4- Mulan
Mulan isn't that ugly, she just has thick eyebrows when she's a man. Mulan's eyes are so ugly without makeup. If Mulan had stayed with make-up and long hair throughout the movie, she wouldn't be on this list.

3- Merida
The only thing I love about Merida is her long curly orange hair. His face and eyes are very round.

2- Kida
Kida's hair is white and her bangs are crooked. Also, her bangs are rectangular, which...

My most beautiful 10 Disney Princesses

posted by elsafan1010

10- Princess Mulan
Just being in the bottom of my list, doesn't make her VERY ugly. How can I say she is just... Less prettiest. I love her black hair and her eyes are pretty OK for me, but her eyebrows... They are very thick especially when she becomes a boy.
Also, her eyebrows are raised a lot higher than they should be, which makes her pretty ugly.

9- Princess Merida
I just adore the color and curve of her hair. But her face and eyes are too round. Especially her eyes. OMG, her eyes are like some strange balls. Her smile isn't ugly, but her teeth are very small.

8- Princess Esmeralda
She...

Anna

added by elsafan1010

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Jasmine

added by belle_ami

Snow White

added by belle_ami

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Meet The Disney Princess Fans 2020

posted by cruella

by: cruella

Hello Disney Princess Fans!

First let me apologize for being so bit late getting the article up this time, and explain what happened. Along with the business of the holiday season there was a family emergency. In mid-January my Dad came down with Covid-19 and had to be hospitalized for over a week. Fortunately he's back home and doing better now. But as you can imagine I didn't feel much like writing, nor did I have the time while that was going on.

Anyway, before we get started let me give you a brief run down of the Meet the DP Fans articles, in case you happen to new to the club and/or unfamiliar...

POTM: Why we love Jane Porter

posted by BB2010

She's gentle, kind, and clumsy and is brave enough to stand up to Clayton even when he has a gun -BB2010

I love how awkward yet interesting she is; I admire her bravery and empathy, and I like how she has a talent for drawing and curiosity for the jungle life. I love her relationship with Tarzan, one of my favorite Disney couples; her design is really pretty as well -WhiteLagoon13

Everything! She is smart, she is dedicated to her work, but I also love that her "damsel" moments are the result of her being in an unfamiliar situation, and that she learns to adjust to her new environment by the end of the movie. -Swanpride

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Fan of the Month August 2020: CodyVenusTrent

posted by BB2010

1. Congrats on being Fan of the Month! How does it feel?
Thank you!! I am very honored and I feel very excited because this is the first time I'm Fan of the Month.

2. How did you find this spot and what made you stay?
I'm a big fan of anime, I remember watching “Fushigi Yuugi” at that time. I was obsessed with Tasuki. I still like him (but I don't get obsessed anymore, LOL). Anyway, I was looking for pictures and screenshots of him. That's how I found Fanpop. My reasons for staying? Because I like to participate in activities (polls, quizzes, answers), I made good friends, I love sharing...

Mulan: 1998 vs 2020

posted by deedragongirl

1998

Okay, as promised! Here is the comparison both the 1998 animated feature as well as the 2020 live action reboot. Ready?

The Story

So we start of with the Invasion of the Huns in the animated film, as well as reporting the invasion to the Emperor. We see Mulan getting ready for the Matchmaker later on.
In the live action version, we see Mulan's childhood and even has a sister who is specially created for the film mainly for character developments. (tied)

The Characters

We get to see Mushu in the animated version, this is due to comic relief for the entire movie. He, Cri-Kee and Little Brother...

Pocahontas

added by rakshasa

Source: JStarrC / JSC tumblr aka me

Pocahontas

added by rakshasa

Source: JStarrC / JSC tumblr aka me

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POTM: Why we love Mulan

posted by BB2010

What I love the most about Mulan is she's someone who was trained for battle but instead of depending on weapons to win the war, she uses strategy. It shows that you don't always have to rely on brute strength or weapons to win, you can use your own brain. It really bums me out that people forget that about Mulan and just remember her for learning how to fight. -BB2010

I love her bravery, perseverance and how she's willing to disguise as a man and go off to war to save her father. -LMH5113

I love Mulan's love for her family. She loved her family so much that she would risk her own life to save...

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On the Ninth Day of Princess

posted by Swanpride

On the Ninth Day of Princess Walt Disney gave to me

Nine Ships are sailing

eight mice a-sewing
seven dwarves dancing
six sisters singing
five cursed friend

four braiding girls
three fairy spells
two lucky pals
and the wisdom of an old tree.

If you ever want to establish a new international holiday, do it in September. I am serious, there are surprisingly few actual holidays in this month - but a lot of really weird ones. I was kind of tempted to mark "Talk like a Pirate Day" in the calendar for that reason alone, but soon I had two hot contenders. One was Heritage Day which would have most likely...

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Sleeping Beauty - First Snowfall

added by tiffany88