His consent gives Beauty her freedom.īut what truly makes this a fairytale is Beast’s respect of Beauty’s consent.
In fact, at the time, if the consent of Beauty’s father was not given, it was considered to be rape, which was punishable by death. Later, when she returns home and discusses her options, her father’s advice that she should marry the Beast also rings of practicality and typical marriage advice. Thus, Beauty’s arrival at the castle and the dowry paid to her father are very much like a traditional arranged marriage. It was only in the 1700s that marrying for love became seen as desirable, and even then arranged marriages still occurred. The idea of marrying for love is revolutionary to traditional marriage. In other words, it was the perfect place for a story like Beauty and the Beast to circulate because it was being read by young women who were looking to soon become brides. Men dedicated themselves to more ‘serious studies”. Since these salons were the province of amateurs, they were often frequented by more women than men.
It soon became popular in French salons, places of social gatherings meant to inspire, amuse, and educate. In 1740, Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, a poor widow trying to earn money, wrote and published this story. Beauty and the Beast is one of the few fairytales that can be traced back to a single author.
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