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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posted by GreatLance_30

The Disney Princesses are characters that are currently featured in the Disney Princess franchise. The franchise is now comprised of ten female protagonists from ten different Walt Disney animated films who are either royal by birth, royal by marriage, or considered a "princess" due to their significant portrayal of heroinism in their film.

The character lineup has varied since the creation of the franchise; Princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Fa Mulan and Tiana have most consistently been included. A new addition, Princess Rapunzel, made her debut in...

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My Favorite Quotes Of The Characters from Aladdin

posted by cuteasprincie

Here they are :))

Aladdin

Perfect timing, Abu. As usual.
[After learning that Genie will grant him three wishes; to Abu] Now I know I'm dreaming.
[Jafar becomes the ultimate genie, showing off his powers] Not so fast, Jafar! Aren't you forgetting something? You wanted to be a genie, you got it! And everything that goes with it!

Iago

Look at this! I'm so ticked off I'm molting!

Genie

[After Jafar has become a Genie] Al, you little genius, you!
Jafar, Jafar, he's our man, if he can't do it: GREAT!
Aw Al, I'm gettin kinda fond of you, kid. Not that I want to pick out curtains or anything...
Oy! Ten-thousand...

1

Melody's nanny chapter 3

posted by faya27

Melody shut her eyes tight as she held her ball in her face, preparing for the car to crash into her. But the car's aim never came. Melody felt herself being swept off her feet by a pair of slender and soft arms. Somebody saved her! When she was gently dropped onto the sidewalk on her feet, her eyes opened. Melody found herself face to face with a young woman who bended her knees to meet Melody's level. She is a petite woman with long red hair and baby blue eyes. The young woman was also, wearing a purple tank top and a green skirt with matching shoes.

"Are you okay, honey?" the young woman...

1

Melody's Nanny chapter 2

posted by faya27

Melody's Nanny Chapter 2

Normally, Eric would be in his office, working on countless papers for his boss. But last night, after he put the nanny advertisement on the newspaper, he had requested a day off on Saturday from his boss thus he could find a nanny for Melody. His boss agreed and hoped to have him back at work soon.
Now Saturday came and everybody read Eric's advertisement. Many nanny candidates showed up at Eric's house. The Interviews took place in the living room. While Eric was sure to hire a nanny, Melody was not thrilled.

I don't know why Daddy is doing this! I don't want a nanny!...

Favorite DP Songs as chosen by Fanpop users

posted by alexon31

Finally here it is my long overdue article. Movies wouldn´t be the same without music, and DP movies are not the exception. A couple of months ago I made some picks in order to find out fanpop users´ favorite song from each Disney Princess movie. I must say some of the results were surprising and not everybody agreed on them, but those were the results of the picks. Most likely opinions may have changed by now, but I decided to write the article nevertheless. I´m not going to write much about each song, just some information about them. The lovely images that appear in the article were also...

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John and Pocahontas: Found Again PART 4

posted by SarahCorine

“This kiss,” Pocahontas thought. “It’s nothing like the kiss of John Smith. He kissed me with such passion and love.”

PREVIOUS PART
link

PART 4

    Pocahontas slowly made her way to John. When she finally reached his side, he put his arms around her and gave her a hug. She sighed because for once, in a long time she liked hugging John, only because her imagination let her think it was John Smith.
    “I can see that you’re worrying about something.” John finally spoke.
    “That is true.” Pocahontas agreed.
    “Let’s go for a walk.” John said.
    He wanted to get away. Maybe if they were alone,...

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Jeannette Thomas: Secret Disney Spy, Part Four

posted by Candy77019

"Who are you?" said Phillip, starting to emerge from the tub.
I gasped and scrambled onto my feet. I was too chicken to talk to him, so I ran out of the bathroom.
But I'm not a lucky girl. I slipped on water, and slammed hard on the linoleum floor.
Damn it, I muttered, standing again. Phillip was in his robe now.
I couldn't take any chances. I ran out of the bathroom, back in the hallway again. My only options were the staircase that had a sign that read "Dungeon", and a shiny armor.
I picked the armor. I stuffed the camera in my pocket and climbed in, making sure the helmet closed tightly...

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An Interview With Pocahontas

posted by Candy77019

I was out hiking in the woods with a few friends of mine, when we all got lost and accidentally split up. Unfortunately, I got myself into the middle of the forest, and now I have NO idea how to get home.
For about an hour or so, I sat on a stump, praying that my friends would find a chopper and pick me up.
Pfft. Some friends I have.
Suddenly, a dark figure was walking toward me. She had beautiful, long black hair, and was wearing a skirt that went over her knees--bad clothing for the forest.
I took my notepad out of my backpack and set it on my knees.

Me: You're Pocahontas, right?

Pocahontas:...

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The Backstory of Eugene Fitzherbert, "Tangled" Fanfiction, Chapter 2.

posted by TotallyMe105

A/N: Here's the second chapter! Please review and give me any suggestions or share your concerns or just tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own "Tangled" or it's characters, they belong to Disney.

The next day was crazy, his sisters attended their "interview"
and thankfully they did get choosen by a couple who were very well off.

Eugene couldn't help but feel terrible though, he was glad his sisters were gonna get a better life then he ever would but he just didn't want to let them go.

Natalie and Elizabeth were all he had left as a family, everyone else had abandoned him. Were they about...

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Disney Princess: The Quest to Find the Missing Princes, Chapter Two

posted by Candy77019

All nine princesses sat in the Dining Hall, laughing and eating and enjoying the whole get-together. Cinderella was happy that she lost her feeling of loneliness, and got a new sense of love and friendship.
Mulan looked at the clock. "Aya! It is already noon! I must get home quickly!"
Belle wiped her mouth with a napkin. "But you've only been here a few hours!"
"Yes, but I was assigned to evacuate the city of Xianghua. Shang told me it's not far from here."
Cinderella snapped her fingers. "Yes! I know that place! Perhaps I could accompany you."
Mulan smiled. "Of course you can, Cindy. How nice...

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Wherever The Wind Takes Me, A "Pocahontas" Fanfiction. Chapter 5.

posted by TotallyMe105

A/N#1: So here's Chapter 5, I really don't know where this chapter will
go, I'm just gonna write it and see what comes from it.

Chapter 5:

I could tell my legs were bleeding, they had been dragging me for
atleast 15 minutes and the rocks and twigs had somehow found
their way into my boots scratching against the side and cutting the
skin.
I stopped trying to escape awhile ago, after they had released my feet
I tried to kick and scream for help but it didn't exactly work.
Adam never tried to escape he let them drag him through the forest
without a word. He was being so calm about this that I couldn't...

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Prettiest Princess Countdown Results: REDO

posted by percyandpotter

SOOOOOOOO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!!!!

The first Prettiest Princess countdown was done about seven months ago by princesslullaby, and the article for the results was written six months ago. Since then, I've noticed that people's opinions have changed on several princesses: Belle, Pocahontas, Cinderella, Mulan, and others. I thought a redo should happen, so I got the okay from you guys, and here this is!
EDIT: Pictures (of course) are refusing to download. I add pictures by adding them to iPhoto and then selecting them from it while making picks or articles. So, iPhoto is not connected to the Internet...

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Something There, Beauty and The Beast oneshot,Belles Pov.

posted by TotallyMe105

Heres just a short little look in the mind of Belle as her and the Beast are reading in the library during something there.

Obviously I dont own the characters or the story....disney does....

Belles POV.

The fire was crackling as I read from the book I had come to love so much. The warmth hit me hard but that wasnt the only thing making me feel warm. It was also probably my companion.
The Beast was propped up behind me his legs pulled in as he stared at the pages with those clear as the sky blue eyes that seemed out of place on such a creature. They followed along as I read, him trying to make...

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Princess Pea: A Royal Pain For Every Disney Princess (Part 16)

posted by dweeb

    The Native American woman was strikingly beautiful and had a mysterious quality about her that couldn't be replicated. She stood proudly at the top of the cliff as leaves swirled around her majestic figure.
    "Damn, if I was a lesbian, I'd bang her in a heartbeat," Pea told Conrad.
    "Maybe she knows of a place where we can stay," Conrad suggested.
    "Good thinking," Pea responded. As she and Conrad paddled their raft closer to shore, they noticed another Native woman sitting in a canoe beneath the cliff....

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5 good and 5 bad pre-conceived notions of The princess and the Frog

posted by founten

First a little introduction, I have every intention of seeing this movie, but here are my personal judgments of this movie based on the controversies surrounding it, trailers and so forth. Since i like to end on a happy note, we'll start with the bad.
5. THE pRINCESS: When I first saw this trailer i was thinking "how the hell can a black waitress from New Orleans in the 20's be a princess? but the more trailers that got released i slowly realized that Tiana isn't actually a princess at all, at least not by birth anyway, suddenly the whole she turns into a frog thing made allot more sense. But...

Rapunzel - Tangled

added by MissAngelPaws

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Every Happy Ending has a new Beginning: Chapter three

posted by THEDisneyFreak

Up in the cottage, Aurora woke up early ready for the challenges ahead. She grabbed a royal blue coat, ankle to neck length, and slipped some ballet flats on. She flipped through books upon books containing maps and stuffed them into a concealed basket. Then a small crimpled painting of Fauna edged with burns of fire, "just in case I happen to run into anyone." Aurora disengaged her lips realizing the sound of her voice could awaken Flora. Obviously as you could have told, Aurora was settling of to venture and find Fauna, possibly Merryweather. She gripped tightly to the basket. Walking towards...

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Within Tempation songs that suits each princess (in my opinion)

posted by sweetie-94

Here's the best music group in my opinion

Even though I did an article about which songs overall that suited each princess I wanted to do an article with my two favorite things: Disney Princess and Within Temptation. If you don't know who Within Temptation are here's a link to some facts about them: link So anyway here we go and I can tell you that I had to listen to many songs before I could decide which song that suited the princesses the best.

Snow White: It's The Fear

First of all the title suits her perfectly, but what about the song itself? Not the perfect song for her, but remember the forest scene? That part along with...

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Best unofficial Disney Princess and Prince couple.

posted by ellie53

Article counting down the favourite unofficial disney couple, which were created by these picks:
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10. Shang and Pocahontas

I'm not surprised that this couple was the first to leave. I think this couple might clash just a tiny little bit because they are COMPLETE opposites (imo) and would have very very different views on life. Shang is a war general and Pocahontas hates war, somehow don't see this one working.

- PociandSmith: 'they are not made for each other'

- Justinfangrrl:' ^I agree, It just doesn't fit. Mulan is the only one I can see with him....

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Princesses having a sleepover

added by angeldark13