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Submission of this paper to the Faculty predates date of submission to the Digital Commons. This document was received by the Digital Commons on May 6, 2008 and posted on May 7, 2008.

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Article

Abstract

Feminists often denounce traditional fairy tales because they perpetuate the ideals of a patriarchal society by encouraging girls to behave like proper princesses and wait for charming princes to take charge and save the day. In response to these traditional fairy tales, many authors have tried to reclaim the realm of fairy tales for girls. These retellings feature active protagonists who are not scared of taking charge and do not need princes to save them. One example of this new fairy tale genre is the 1998 children's novel Ella Enchanted by Gail Garson Levine, an untraditional feminist retelling of the story of Cinderella. This paper examines why, when it was adapted into a movie in 2004, this story is, shockingly, no longer an effective feminist text.

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