The History of Cinderella | Fairy Tales with Jen

[@dsandhumytube]

I am so thankful about your videos. I am thrilled to hear the different versions of the story. The different 'links in description' are so helpful. Meticulous work indeed! Keep it up. Thanks again.

[@rogeriacatto5633]

Cinderella is my favorite fairy tale. I love your accent, Jen! Much respect, peace and love from Brazil for all of you in England.

[@TheMirrorWorld]

We have a movie version of Cinderella here in Germany that is even more popular than the Disney version. It's called 'Three wishes for Cinderella', or sometimes 'Three nuts for Cinderella'. If you ever get the chance you should definitely watch it! It's really lovely and it is set in winter so they usually show it in the days before christmas on almost every channel on TV. I like this movie a lot better because Cinderella actually has a character and takes action on her own, instead of being pushed around by everybody else. But also, if you watch it, keep in mind that it's a production form Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia and that it is from the mid 70s, so the visual effects are not the greatest.

[@biankaj300]

oh you mean 'three nuts for cindrella' I love it,in Slovakia we always have it on TV at 24th december ,it's big tradition here for years .

[@Applepopess]

Also Cinderella dresses up as a boy at some point and does some very cool gender-bending, confusing the hell out of the prince. :D It's quite the lovely film.

[@Goldfog]

Isn't that a Czech film though? I love it as well

[@TheMirrorWorld]

Goldfog I think it's an East German and Czech coproduction

[@malloryanderson724]

I love that one! too bad most of the versions of it on youtube don't have english subtitles

[@rachelrice9266]

I could watch your videos all day. I wish you'd do your own audiobooks of these stories! These always cheer me up, I was such a fairytale fanatic as a child and you have rekindled my love for them, Thank you!

[@bluedancelilly]

Good overview. Glad you included Charles Perrault as he is often overlooked. Disney used his version for their movie of Cinderella (even though people assume it was the Grimm Brothers' version). The Grimm Brothers get too much credit. Maybe you should emphasize Perrault more since he is deemed the father of the modern day fairy tale (his pen name was Mother Goose, yep THE Mother Goose) and recorded many of the stories we know today. One correction I'd make in your retelling of the Grimms' version. They first told the story with an "evil mother" not stepmother. There was an outcry about the idea that a mother would act that way toward her daughter, so Grimm rewrote the story (they had many editions to all their stories) as an evil stepmother (as Perrault told it) instead.

[@jenvcampbell]

The Grimms did not retell Cinderella with an evil mother, even in their 1812/15 editions, which you can find translated into English by Jack Zipes - they had an evil mother in many of their stories, such as Snow White etc, but not this one. I would also argue that the creator of the modern day fairy tale is Madame D'Aulnoy, not Charles Perrault.

[@michelethomas6875]

I think this is one of my favorite video series of yours! It's so cool to learn how far back our stories go and over vast cultures. I love your expressions - you are too cute!

[@ruthr0xy]

Chinese Cinderella was my favourite book when I was in primary school! Really great story about family, tradition and history

[@rwaggs2623]

This was FANtastic! I am in awe that you were able to find so many variations from so long ago. I could listen to your fairy tale histories all day, Amazing job!

[@ttjnaaa]

As always, a lot of knowledge, a lot of laughter on my side, a lot of fun. Thank you!

[@zoesbookchat1050]

Oh my word! I kind of wanted it to end but didn't because I LITERALLY was holding my breath w/the majority of these tales. ☺😥😧 Wow! Thank you for sharing. I'll have to check out which book I want to purchase of yours. I like them both but you know...gotta save money. 😕☺

[@florencecalvez9016]

I really love this series (well, I love all your videos...)! Fun fact about the French Cinderella: in previous versions, it is said that her slippers were made of "vair" (which is squirrel fur, kind of fancy at the time, I suppose!) but for some reason Charles Perrault wrote that they were made of "verre", which is pronounced the same but means glass. I guess that's why she wears glass shoes in the Disney film, although I've always thought glass shoes must be really uncomfortable!

[@jenvcampbell]

Yes, I forgot to mention that here; I always found that odd, ha. Though going back further, her shoes are often made of gold, which seems equally uncomfortable! x

[@ImmaterialDigression]

The older versions are so much cooler! It's so strange how some stories seem to have lasted thousands of years in different iterations.

[@jenvcampbell]

+ImmaterialDigression indeed they are!

[@er1nyes_]

I adore this series. You're amazing Jen, to put so much research into making this brilliant series. And "Interstellar Cinderella"? I didn't know that even existed, it sounds amazing!

[@claresmeaton5903]

Thanks Jen. The effort you put into these videos is very clear and it is thoroughly enjoyable

[@jenvcampbell]

+Clare Smeaton it's worth it ☺️ I'm glad you enjoy the series x

[@steffievm]

You're an excellent storyteller, I could listen to you all day! I'm really loving this series too, always looking forward to it!

[@jenvcampbell]

thank you x

[@TheWickedMerman]

Something I think you should've mentioned was that the version of Cinderella written by Charles Perrault actually had one of the stepsisters be SLIGHTLY more compassionate to Cinderella. Cinderella's real name was Ella but because of how she would sit by the fireplace to keep herself warm at night (Since she had no bed) she would have a lot of ash all over her. One stepsister and the stepmother called her names like Cinderslut (Which didn't mean what it sounds like) but the younger and SLIGHTLY more compassionate stepsister called her Cinderella. This is also, in my opinion, what inspired both the movie Ever After and the sequels to Disney's Cinderella to have one of the stepsisters (Anastasia in Disney's case and Jacqueline in the case of Ever After) end up reforming.

[@jenvcampbell]

There are hundreds of versions of this story; I chose to highlight a few.

[@AprendizdeLeitor]

This series has to be the best thing in the world, amazing work, thanks Jen!! :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Glad you like it! x

[@susans.k.3025]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: love these videos! Thank you for making them!

[@CionMohler]

Jen, this video is hilarious. Please do more.

[@caitlinquinn79]

Interstellar Cinderella sounds fantastic! I love this series, I'd missed this one somehow so I'm glad to find it- fairy tales are so fascinating, I particularly love it when you link them to history, the real life people who may have inspired the tales, and how the time they were written or adapted influences the different versions- I love it.

[@iola05]

I love fairy tales so I've really been enjoying these videos. Up until now the Chinese tale was the oldest version I knew of, so it was interesting to learn about the Egyptian tale. Always happy when I see you've uploaded a new video!

[@jenvcampbell]

thank you x

[@gothprincess0705]

Gosh, so interesting! The last version was my favorite. I love these series, keep on doing them, Jen. Much love. xxx

[@lesleydeeming9479]

Love these videos so much..I always knew that the clean 'Disney' versions came from older more gruesome stories and it is so nice to hear them. Thank you for taking your time to do these videos for us...😀x

[@jenvcampbell]

+Lesley Deeming you're welcome :) x

[@fallingjupiter]

I'm curious if you've ever heard or read of Ella Enchanted. It was a childhood favorite of mine, and I still find it absolutely magical as far as retellings go.

[@sandragm8874]

I started watching your videos less than a week ago and I love how you speak, you've become one of my favourite booktubers. I'm going to have to watch the rest of the videos from this series, I enjoyed how you told the stories very much :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+Sandra G M thanks, Sandra - and welcome! x

[@dangerousbirdy]

This series is my favorite thing on KZbin!

[@ladyfox6705]

Another interesting episode, Jen! I recently read 'Cinder' (the first book of the Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer, which was a fun read. Here, Cinder is a part-cyborg teenager living in New Bejing, Earth and works as a mechanic! It's a fun, futuristic read and the whole series is based on different fairy-tale females set in a sci-fi-ish setting.

[@jenvcampbell]

+TheWellReadLady I've read it :) I liked the premise but overall not for me x

[@hikkipedia]

I am loving this series so much.

[@reneekychin]

Lovely episode! Love the way you tell the stories (with a dash of sass!). Looking forward to the next in the series! x

[@BlatantlyBookish]

I love these videos about the history of fairy tales. I feel like I've heard about Cinderella's origins in China, but I had never heard about the Egyptian version before! I can't wait to see which fairy tale you'll do next.

[@shukriisse6917]

Actually that last french retelling of Cinderella at 14:22, sounds a lot like an old East African folklore my mother used to tell me about when I was a kid.It's called Dheegdheer and is about this infamous cannibal with a taste for children (Dheegdheer) who's daughter brings home three little girls, hiding them from her mother who'd surely eat them.The mother insists that there are children because she can smell them, so her daughter ands up introducing the girls to her as the new servants meant to cook and clean for her and bathe her and brush her hair. Anyway Dheegdheer who is known for her inhumanly long ears falls asleep, and when she does her long ears droop to the floor. The young girls waited until they were certain of her slumber and molted a metal bar in the heat of the fire and stuck it up her ****** and she died on the spot. The three girls rejoiced and held hands while singing "Dheegdheer dimatay dulkii nabadeey" Dheegdheer is dead we are finally at peace.

[@jenvcampbell]

There's a lot of cannibalism in folklore, which I (bizarrely) rather like, ha. I touched on it in my Hansel and Gretel video, and might make a whole video dedicated to it at some point :)

[@MercuryCalling]

Yay! Enjoyed this one very much, Jen. I'd heard the Brothers Grimm tale before--so gruesome! The older Egyptian and Chinese versions are super interesting!

[@DarkVeracity]

I loved this entire series so much! i love the fairy tale videos!! THANK YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE!!

[@nka30]

Got so excited when I saw this in my feed! Love this series so much?

[@Liz86000]

Thank you very much for these videos. I find your opinions and descriptions so interesting, especially the ones about Fairy Tales. Thanks again, I'm going to watch more! ;)

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you x

[@RachelAnn]

Space Cinderella!! I am charmed in every way.

[@jenvcampbell]

She has a mouse-bot :) x

[@RachelAnn]

I MUST READ THIS BOOK.

[@chiming_]

This series is excellent. thank you.

[@indubitablyzara]

This was so interesting! I had no idea how far back Cinderella went as it does, so I especially enjoyed hearing about Rhodopis.

[@lukunurkka543]

Thank you for this series. It is just my cup of tea. :)

[@shellyowens8629]

This was excellent :) I just finished reading Mansfield Park and the Cinderella themes are strong.

[@tracyjtz]

This may be my new favorite thing! I loved this!

[@theresavonphul633]

St. Germaine Cousin is a real life "Cinderella" who lived in France ~1580. Super fascinating. She is the patron saint of abused children. I love these videos you are doing. And WHAT is the foot thing?! I agree.

[@HeyPaulaCooper]

Can't wait for you to do a "little mermaid" video !! And also "BEauty and the Beast", my two favourites !!

[@Applepopess]

Excellent! I love these so much. Would also love one of those videos you mentioned on overarching fairy tale themes like beauty representing goodness etc., if possible.

[@NEHOMAS2]

If I could click a "fangirl" button on this video series, I would. And I'm just going to put my vote out there for 'Ever After' being, thus far, my most beloved Cinderella film adaptation. I bloody adore that movie, despite it's flaws, and can return to it again and again. And many readers love 'Cinder' as part of the Lunar Chronicles, which should be a nice, fun introduction to folks to hopefully get into other adaptations

[@ellamarie4257]

This series is amazing jen!! The only fairytale interpretations I've read are The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter, and I loved that collection. Will definately be looking into more :)

[@musicgirl12357]

I have to say of all the Cinderella stories the Vietnamese version is my favorite, killing the stepdaughter then tricking her mother into eating her remains. Now that's South Park style.

[@ingadubinska]

Thank you. My favourite part of today! Last book - right into the book basket.

[@jenvcampbell]

Definitely getting a copy for my niece ^_^

[@LoveMeSomeSarcasm]

Again, love love love this series. It's genuinely so interesting, if only they taught this in school :3

[@WeepingPrince]

This isn't a book but a fun twist on fairytales that I rarely hear being talked about is the 10th kingdom, which has several moments where it points out the oddness of certain fairytale tropes including Cinderella with a loving hand.

[@tinkerspell4850]

I want a tree that fairies come out of. The thing about Zezolla(?) and the present reminds me of the fairy tale where the daughter tells her father to bring her back the first twig he sees where her step sisters ask for riches and things. I don't remember the whole story, though...

[@Tinahgirl83]

I'm going to have to get my hands on Interstellar Cinderella. And the other French one (not the Charles Perrault one) was like a mash-up of Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Jack and the Beanstalk! I'll definitely be trying to read that one. I love the way that you go through the different incarnations from different parts of the world. I learn tons. Looking forward to the next one. 😊😊

[@Tinahgirl83]

Thank you for all the work you do to make these.

[@abdulwasey3506]

Cinderella's real name was Ella. The reason why the preffix Cinder was attached to her name is that she used to clean the fire place and ash(cinder) would get on her clothes. The name was given to her by the step sisters.

[@paudreamer13]

I love this series, thank you for making it!!

[@jenvcampbell]

you're welcome :)

[@BeckieArt]

I love this so much. lots of interesting old Cindetella stories to look up now :)

[@christinetreasure5321]

Love this series! I have read some of the earlier versions of Cinderalla and find it fascinating how much they can change but still remain essentially the same.Definitely going to pick up Interstellar Cinderella for my nieces now I know that it features a girl mechanic and no marriage at the end, a nice change to the typical disney story! :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Indeed! ^_^ x

[@jasminekolasa3633]

Oh Jen I love these videos so much! Thanks for taking the time to research all of this! So interesting, sometimes shocking even how gruesome some of the versions were I love it :)

[@cosmopolisan]

I love this series! Your videos are great, great content! Really different from most other booktubers :) Looking forward to the books you're writing!

[@Galerna_Carter]

This was simply magnificent! I cant even began to imagine the research behind it! Really really interesting :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+Noël Castillo very glad you're enjoying them ☺️ thank you x

[@katieclarke1286]

I love this series!! You are fabulous! :)

[@niidiimii]

The Grimm version I read actually had Cinderella's crows peck out her sisters eyes (not the Prince's doves) at her (Cinderella's) wedding. I liked that version because, although through the whole story she's so passive, there's a subtle idea of her own agency because the crows (harbingers of death) exact Cinderella's secret vengeful wishes on her horrible sisters.

[@nymeria941]

As always, love your fairy tales videos! Hopefully my prof for children's poetry next semester will also teach fairy tales.

[@jenvcampbell]

+Anna Morgan bring Anne Sexton into the mix ☺️

[@nymeria941]

+Jen Campbell oh, I didn't know she wrote children's poetry!

[@jenvcampbell]

+Anna Morgan I missed the word children's there, ha! Get out Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes instead ;)

[@carly1628]

I loooove these videos!! Thanks for the great content Jen. So interesting to learn about these origns. My tbr definitely extends every time I watch one of your videos :P haha xxx

[@radio_static6222]

This is so cool! Interstellar Cinderella reminded me of Cinder from the Lunar Chronicles :)

[@Han3lizabeth]

Yay! These are my absolute favourite videos! I let out a mini squeal when I saw it ahha! Thank you xx

[@jenvcampbell]

* blush * thank you x

[@dsandhumytube]

Could you please do a video for '1001 Arabian Nights'? I will really like to hear about it from you and know about your interpretations.

[@laurendonnelly6311]

This is my all time favourite series EVER to be on KZbin. Absolutely love them. P.S They also work wonders for context in my English Lit course for certain texts we read :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+Lauren Donnelly ☺️ thank you x

[@teaspoones]

This was so wonderful, thank you! I can't wait for the next episode!

[@teaspoones]

I'm not sure if you have mentioned this anywhere, but which one is your favourite fairy tale? :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+Jackie teaspoons of the popular ones, probably little red riding hood (for the history). Of the lesser known ones, I'm a big fan of the Inuit fairy tales :)

[@lemanhasanli]

LOVE your fairy tale history videos! amazing! please keep them coming

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks - will do! x

[@philippamary9177]

I always look forward to seeing this in my sub box!! Love them - so interesting!

[@jenvcampbell]

+Philippa Mary thank you x

[@RacoonsOnToast]

This is such a lovely series :) thank you

[@eleanordavies7884]

Very much liked your history of Cinderella, very clear and very interesting. Also enjoyed listening to different stories of Cinderella. Great video! Just watched this with my daughters because we're reading Grimms Cinderella for our weekly family bookclub. Have you come across Glass Slipper Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischmann?

[@samantharivera756]

Can you possibly recommend some good cinderella retellings??

[@EvenStarRute]

Great video! This is my favourite series of yours :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks :)

[@charr441]

Loving this series!

[@aparnasreverie68]

I love this series. So much history that is very interesting to know :)

[@ausiemolina]

I enjoy these fairytale series a lot!

[@c.w.r.794]

I'm reminded of a production I was in as a teenager in theatre class. We were assigned roles in Cinderella and I was the prince. It was set in the 1950's and it was awesome. The prince in this version was a bite of a wash up pop star who came to his hometown for a revival concert and who ever lip synced a karaoke song the best would be awarded tickets to his concert. However upon the night of his concert the prince named Michael discovers a maiden wearing silver shoes. She lip synced perfectly and he decides at that moment the girl must belong to him. Bla blah. You know how it goes and the 3 step sisters were blinded by birds and forced to have their voices auto tuned for the rest of their lives. (It was very odd but I loved it! Best role I've ever played.)

[@alnsubuga]

Love this series!

[@t.j.forest6657]

Firstly, thank you for these videos; they are very informative and interesting. :) I have a copy of Folk & Fairy Tales, edited by Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek, that I needed for my Fairytale class. It has many different versions of many different fairy/folk tales and also essays on different topics. These videos always make me want to go back to the book and read all the different versions of the featured tale. I don't know if you already have future episodes (roughly) planned out, but would you ever consider doing one on exploring common settings in fairytales? -- e.g., woods/forests comes to mind for me

[@jenvcampbell]

+Timothy Forest have you read Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland? Highly recommend if not and, yes, may cover that in future episodes, thank you :)

[@Idontneedadevil]

Hi Jen. I love fairy tales and I adore this series. Do you have any recommendations for nonfiction about fairy tales? Also, I was wondering if you knew about the story of Psyche and Amor? It appears in Lucius Apulejus' tale The Golden Ass from around 160 BC, and it incorporates a lot of the classic fairy tale-tropes, among other some from Cinderella, like getting birds to pick up lenses(which you didn't talk about?) and in general doing impossible chores for her evil mother-in-law, Venus. There's a lot of tropes from East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which I really hope you will do and episode on too.

[@jenvcampbell]

As I said in the video, I can't talk about everything with regard to one tale; there's far too much out there. As for non-fiction books on fairy tales, anything by Marina Warner and Jack Zipes.

[@Idontneedadevil]

Right. Thanks.

[@OliviaReadinglikeamadwomanPope]

This was a rollercoaster of emotions! Such an interesting look at Cinderella. Frankly, I think Cat Cinderella is a thing that should be done. Just saying. :p x

[@jenvcampbell]

Of you go then ;) x

[@emmarmaladebrainy1554]

Has anybody else watched happily never after? It's based around Cinderella but I think it changes the usual fairytale into a more relatable adaption ... Also it's quite funny.😊

[@sophiewallace7073]

Ah, this was great, genuinely made me laugh out loud at various points x

[@ReadEatGameRepeat]

That last book kind of reminded me of Cinder by Marissa Meyer - which is a SciFy-type retelling of Cinderella where Cinderella is a gifted Mechanic & a cyborg (which as I understand are discriminated against) - It's a part of the Lunar Chronicles which are all SciFy retellings of fairy tales, thought maybe you'd be interested in these too :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+anne driessen I've read Cinder and enjoyed the premise but overall it's not for me. x

[@1234marimarjul]

there's a film that's shown every christmas in norway (and apparently other countries in europe), i don't know the english name of it, but the norwegian name means three nuts to cinderella, and it's really good! cinderella is of course mistreated by her step mother and sisters, but someone brings her three nuts and she gets one outfit from each that enables her to go to the ball, meet the prince etc. it's really beautiful, wonderful old czech landscape and clothes!

[@18thdandelion]

Thank you for all the peculiar Cinderella stories! I was wondering if you have read 'Godmother' by Carolyn Turgeon. It doesn't garner high ratings but I thought you might like it as it's a retelling of Cinderella, but told from the view point of the fairy godmother. :)

[@satanlover134]

18:59 thats cinder, it's a good series of books

[@paulwinchell6904]

if you don't learn something when Jen does these talks your not listening

[@trinareynolds7747]

I love this series! You're such a good storyteller. Also, have you read Cinder by Marissa Meyer?

[@jenvcampbell]

Yes. I liked the premise but overall the series isn't for me.

[@tomchandler5907]

As I watched the first few stories a question came across my mind. Do we know if the Egyptian 'Cinderella' story influenced the Chinese and the later Italian writers or do these all just form of their own accord? It would be remarkable if they did! I guess as its a lot of oral tradition involved but I was just wondering if you knew anything about it? Thanks! Love this series! Xx

[@vittorias.1405]

I love this series. Do you by any chance have any suggestions of books/sources ABOUT fairytale retelling as a genre? I would love to read some theory, but I can't find much around. Thank you :)

[@jenvcampbell]

+Vittoria S. Not about retellings, no (though I have made videos on those), but if you want fairy tale theory then Jack Zipes and Marina Warner are your people :)

[@vittorias.1405]

Thank you so much!

[@iGwinnie]

I always love whenever you say "that's a discussion for another time" in a video, because it holds the promise of seeing more of you in the future. Lovely video as always. :) Have you read Ash by Malindo Lo? It's a queer Cinderella retelling.

[@jenvcampbell]

+Gwindalyn Harrison I have not - will look it up ☺️ thanks!

[@unlovableghost]

You're amazing, I loved this, made my day x

[@TheMidno]

I have been waiting for thiss i enjoy this series so much i cant thank you enough 🙆❤️

[@jenvcampbell]

+TheMidno you're welcome ☺️

[@mssaarahn]

If only trees gave us such beautiful gifts, and wishes. Too bad they only give us oxygen ;)

[@watchwatchlalala]

Now I know what my Nephews will be getting for Christmas. Interstella Cinderella :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Hurrah! :) Can I also recommend Megalopolis? www.thamesandhudson.com/Megalopolis/9780500650691

[@watchwatchlalala]

Ooooh, yes you can because this Aunt reads all their booky gifts before I give them and I like the look of that myself, cheeky I know. Thank you x

[@AnnaHerrington]

I love how Insterstellar Cinderella ended. A much more happy ending than agreeing to marry a man she doesn't know.

[@leahdavis9434]

There is a book version of the Chinese tale called "Bound" (because of feet binding, and her feet are different because they were never bound but are still fairly small)

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Another great video :D so weird that it's the UK's fav - I don't think anyone has ever told me it's their favourite. I'd have thought it would be featured and the beast or the little mermaid. Maybe it's the cute chubby mouse Gus that swings it 😄

[@jenvcampbell]

I think we'd probably go for those because those are the Disney films that came out when we were little. Though why Cinderella is popular now baffles me. Perhaps it came out as a remastered edition not that long ago? Or perhaps because of the remake?

[@jenvcampbell]

Could well be to do with Cinder, too, of course :) x

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Yeah, very weird! But you're right, it could be all the remakes xx