Disney Princess Article: Why Belle Reads Fairytales

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posted by hisblueeyes

The question, "Which princess do u 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 titel u could possibly think of. Belle lives in a small, provincial town, and the only "library" is a little bookshop with maybe two of 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 boeken in there are probably the only boeken that are in there for months at a time. At the time Belle was alive, there also probably wasn't a Harry Potter of a Great Expectations. The only boeken that were probably in that bibliotheek were fairy-tales. Not thin paperback fairy-tales with pictures, no, the thick, complicated, original versions of fairy-tales. Have u 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. boeken like Pride & Prejudice offer no escape. Fairy-tales? Now those are something. Reading boeken like those, of far of places, dashing sword fights & a prince in disguise were possibly Belle's only bron of comfort in that town she so wanted to leave. They offered her adventure that she couldn't have. If u think that it is very childish of Belle to read such stories, put yourself in her place. Pretend that's all your bibliotheek had. Pretend u need to flee where u are, but u can't, and unfortunately, Harry Potter doesn't exist yet. She also states that she's read all the boeken in

I'm going to end this artikel with the wise words of someone who has written a very fairy-tale like series himself:
Some day, u 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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Snow White

added by PrincessFairy

Source: http://tinkeperi.tumblr.com/post/64857305938/disney-princess-snow-white

Belle Clipart

added by sweetie-94

Source: disneyclips.com

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sweetie-94's favoriete DP Dance Scenes

posted by sweetie-94

This maand it's been 3 years since I joined Fanpop and what better way to celebrate it than door listing up my favoriete DP Dance Scenes, I would've liked to write my favoriete Disney Princess lijst of any other lijst that I've written, but that I could update, but I decided to wait until after Merida's coronation so that I can include her too, also I've been wanting to write this lijst ever since I wrote my first article, so here we go :)

10. Ma Belle Evangelie

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New Disney Princess Figurines for 2014

added by PrincessFairy

Source: http://world-wide-art.com/

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Princess jasmijn

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Disney Princesses

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Ariel with brown hair

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princess belle

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Why I Love jasmijn

posted by dclairmont

I've already made an artikel like this for my top, boven 7 (link, link, link, link, link, link, and link), and thought it was about time to make one for my eighth, Jasmine. Despite Jasmine's "low" place, I really, really love her! If u don't include Anna and Elsa on my list, she's actually sixth. I've really been warming up to jasmijn lately, moving her slowly out of my bottom 5 and there's a possibility that she could verplaats up even higher. This will be a scene-by-scene review, so it may get quite long. So let's get started with the article!

We're introduced to jasmijn with a bit of a bang. I love...

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Duncan_Courtney's Favourite Disney Princess lijst

posted by Duncan_Courtney

I know everyone and their grandma has written one of these, but I have yet to write my official lijst until now, and I swore I was never gonna do one of these. For some reason, I just couldn't sit down and nit-pick about who I liked the most of who I like the least. But now I've finally broken down and forced myself to sit down and sort this crap out (Even thought I have much better things that I should be doing right now...) BUT ANYWAYS, the order of this lijst has been bouncing around in my head for months and I've been over-analyzing every frickin' princess. So, if u haven't gotten sick...

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The Little Mermaid - Destruction Of The Grotto (English)

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This is not my video! Credit: Disney.

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ariel

The Little Mermaid (2023 Remake) Film Review

posted by whatsupbugs

The Little Mermaid is a 2023 live-action film that's a remake of 1989's Little Mermaid animated film. Live-action Disney remakes have gotten a lot of mixed reception. They tend to make lots of money, but they also tend to get mixed reviews. When it comes to the remakes, I've enjoyed a fair number of them. I didn't care for some of them, such as Aladdin, Lady and The Tramp and Mulan. However, there have been some remakes that I enjoyed, such as Cinderella, Dumbo and both Maleficent films. Also, the live-action Disney Alice in Wonderland films are two of my favoriete films.

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Ariel as Kylie Minogue - DISCO

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posted by whatsupbugs

The first Frozen film made such a big impact on me that I became very excited for a sequel. The sequel ended up coming out about six years after the first film. This was because the makers of Frozen planned on Frozen being a standalone story. However, after coming up with an idea that they thought was good enough, they decided to make a seconde film. I'm so glad that they made the decision to do that.

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posted by whatsupbugs

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Should Mulan be considered as an Disney Princess?

posted by elsafan1010

Mulan is considered a Disney princess and I find that ridiculous because if Mulan is a Disney princess why not Elsa and Anna? Mulan has the characteristics of a hero and a princess, but there is a reason that prevents her from being a princess.
Although she is vrienden with an emperor, that does not make her a princess. Either she would be a royal door birth, of she would marry a prince and earn the titel of princess. Being a hero doesn't make a princess, does it? This is really silly. There are a lot of other female characters at Disney who do great heroics, but they're not even one step closer to being princesses. What a great injustice. What a pity. While I love Mulan, Mulan is overrated.

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Half Good, Half Bad. It's right in the Middle of the Tentacles

posted by wavesurf

So...I begin this door saying that I am an adult fan of Ariel. Impacted door The Little Mermaid from the age of 9, I am an adult collector, and I currently have Ariel ALL OVER my adult bedroom.

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posted by elsafan1010

I haven't written an artikel for two days, let's say I couldn't finish it. Actually, I had an artikel for u that ranked princess hair from worst to best, but I thought u might not like it. So I have a better idea. This artikel is about changing the colors of Rapunzel and Ariel. Their hair, lips and eyes.

I actually love their color palettes/some of my favoriete princesses/, and I'm writing this artikel just for fun. Let's start with Rapunzel.

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My review on Raya And The Last Dragon.

posted by mhs1025

I LITTERALLY just got done watching the movie, and I must say-I was pleasantly surprised. Disney really got creative with this one. I see it winning some Academy Awards volgende year. That was just a bit of what I thought all together. Now, let's get to the real deal.

The animation:

I like how they used what looked like some 2D animatie in the beginning and during some parts of the movie. It gives, not only me, but I'm sure a bunch of you, hope that 2D animatie isn't dead. I also liked how they all these regenboog like colors when the dragons get resurrected. (Am I the only one who was obsessed with...