The fairy tale of Charles Perrault "Riquet with a tuft": summary, main characters

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"Riquet with a tuft" is one of the most famous fairy tales of the famous French writer Ch. Perrault. It was first published in 1697 in Paris, in the author's collection. The work occupies a special place in his work, since it did not become an artistic adaptation of folklore compositions, but, according to most critics, it is an independent fairy tale. Nevertheless, there are clear references to folk motifs and legends in the text, which will be discussed below. After all, the writer actively studied folk stories, which formed the basis of most of his works.

Creativity

The fairy tales of Charles Perrault are of great importance for the literary development of this genre. In fact, the writer was the first to take seriously the magical stories created by the rich folk fantasy. The merit of the author lies in the fact that the works he published contributed to the growth of interest in this genre among the intelligentsia. He gained a lot of followers, among which are such famous names as the Brothers Grimm, Andersen and others.

The fact is that in the 17th century, when this wonderful author lived and worked, folklore was considered a low genre, and inIt was fashionable in academic circles to study ancient literature and philosophy. Therefore, the fairy tales of Charles Perrault literally gave the green light to writing works of this kind, as well as to their serious analysis, collection and systematization.

Writing

In 1697, the writer published his collection, which later made his name known to the whole world - "The Stories of Mother Goose". The collection includes eight works written in prose (the author put this genre above poetry, considering it the successor to the ancient novel).

However, this also includes several poetic works written by him even earlier - a short story and two fairy tales. The collection, which also included the work "Rike with a Tuft", was a huge success and contributed to the fact that many members of the intelligentsia became interested in fairy folklore. Currently, the works of the book are popular, as evidenced by numerous film adaptations, theatrical performances and ballets.

Backstory

Scientists unanimously agree that this tale has no folk roots. However, it is by no means an original work. The fact is that one French writer, Catherine Bernard, a year before the publication of the essay in question, published her own version of the tale, which is much darker and more serious than Perrault's book. "Rike with a tuft" in this respect compares favorably with the aforementioned work with a happy ending, subtle humor and unobtrusive morality, therefore it has become more widespread. It also bears resemblance tofairy tale "Yellow Dwarf" by another French writer Marie d'Onoy.

This book ends tragically: the lovers were turned into palm trees by an evil wizard. It is not surprising that children liked Perrault's version so much, in contrast to the works listed, which were distinguished by an ominous plot and somewhat crude humor.

Intro

The tale "Rike with a tuft" has a rather traditional beginning, which can be found in many other works of this kind. The author briefly reports on the birth of children in two kingdoms - a prince and a princess. The first was born a terrible freak: judging by the author's mean descriptions, he looked like a terrible dwarf with a hump on his back. The mother grieved greatly, but a good fairy came to her and promised that the boy would be very smart and in due time could make smart the girl she loved more than anything in the world. This promise calmed the unfortunate queen a little, especially since the child really grew up very quick-witted and smart.

Ch. Perrault wrote his fairy tale by the principle of opposition. "Rike with a tuft" is a work that has a mirror plot. An extraordinarily beautiful princess was born in another kingdom, so her mother was very happy and proud of her daughter. However, she gave birth to another girl, who, on the contrary, was very scary. The queen became very worried about her, but the same fairy promised her that the little princess would be smart, while the beautiful one, on the contrary, would remain stupid. When the mother began to ask for a littlemind and for the eldest, the sorceress replied that she could not do anything for her, however, she promised that one day she would be able to give beauty to the person she loves.

Development of action

The fairy tale "Rike with a tuft", a summary of which is the subject of this review, is built on the same principles as other works of the author. After the introduction described above, the author briefly reports on the life of his characters. The prince grew up and, remaining a freak, nevertheless showed so much intelligence and ingenuity that everyone around was surprised at his wisdom and knowledge. The fate of the princess sisters turned out to be completely different.

As the younger one developed and grew wiser over the years, the older beauty, on the contrary, became more beautiful every day, but at the same time she became stupid, so that even parents sometimes could not resist scolding their daughter for absent-mindedness and slow-wittedness. “Rike-tufted” is a fairy tale with deep moral morality, by which the author proves that it is not appearance that determines the inner world of a person.

Mapping heroines

The writer emphasizes the difference between these girls, describing social receptions, during which everyone at first tried to woo the older beauty, but almost immediately abandoned her due to the fact that she could hardly connect a few words. It is indicative that the author draws the reader's attention to the fact that she, being stupid, nevertheless realized the limitations of her mental abilities. Despite all her short-sightedness and slowness of thought, the princess was awarein everything that was happening and, conscious of her backwardness, in every possible way wanted to get at least a little intelligence even at the expense of her extraordinary beauty.

Character Encounter

One of the most famous works of the writer is the fairy tale "Rike with a tuft". Who the main characters are is a question that shows its similarity to other writings of a similar nature. The author's attention is focused on two characters - the prince and the princess.

Both meet by chance in the forest, and from the conversation the reader learns that Riquet went in search of a beautiful princess, because he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. The girl herself, in a conversation with the prince, told him that she was very worried because of her stupidity. In response, he promised to give her intelligence, and she gave her consent to marry him in a year. After this meeting, the princess became very smart and her life changed a lot.

A new life for a princess

The moral of the tale "Rike with a tuft" is presented by the author with very subtle humor. The main idea is that it is not appearance that determines the inner world of a person, but his moral qualities. It is this thought that sounds during the second dialogue of the characters. But first it is necessary to say about the changes that have taken place with the princess. She became very smart and thoughtful. Since then, even the king himself sometimes consulted with her on certain state issues, and sometimes arranged meetings in her room.

The girl had a lot of fans who vied with each other asking for her hand. After all thesethe princess forgot about the promise she made to the prince. However, one day she wandered into the very forest where she met her fiancé a year ago, and saw the unusual preparations of the underground inhabitants, who informed her that their prince was getting married that day and they were preparing a wedding feast.

Second meeting of heroes

The fairy tale "Rike with a tuft", the main idea of which is that true love can change a person even without magic, reveals the characters during their new dialogue in the forest a year later. The prince reminded the princess of her promise to marry him, but the girl in response tells him that now, having become smart, she has become picky at the same time. She asks for his forgiveness and declares that from now on she cannot fulfill her promise, as she has fallen in love with another beautiful prince, and common sense tells her to accept his proposal. In response, Ricke objects to her that since it is about his life and happiness, he intends to fight for his bride. He further informs her that she can make him handsome at will. The princess, who liked everything in her fiancé except his appearance, immediately wished that he would become a beautiful young man, and the girl’s desire was immediately fulfilled. In conclusion, the moral of the author sounds that the magic of the fairy in this case did not play any role: the heroes simply fell in love with each other and were able to give each other what they lacked.

Image of the Prince

The fairy tale "Khokhlik" is a story of two characters. The main character is Rike himself, who, despite his ugly appearance, nevertheless attractssurrounding with their mind and prudence. There are two scenes with his participation in the work - these are two conversations of the character with the princess. Based on their conversations, the reader can get an idea of what kind of person he was. He is observant, as he immediately notices the sadness of the princess because of her stupidity and understands the reason for her experiences. The prince is sociable and friendly, in a conversation with a girl he is emphatically polite, even during the second conversation, when she initially refuses to fulfill her promise and marry him. Riquet carries himself with captivating simplicity: he starts a conversation with the princess, as with his old friend. The prince is very noble: for example, he does not demand or insist that the girl fulfill her promise and marry him, although she has the right to do so. As an intelligent person, he first finds out the reason for her refusal and proposes to remove the obstacle that interferes with their common happiness. Therefore, the ending looks especially touching, especially after the heroine, convinced by his arguments, confesses her feelings to him.

Princess look

The author pays great attention to the disclosure of this character. The girl is interesting because she changes over the course of the story. At first, the writer draws the reader's attention to the fact that although she is stupid, she has the ability to introspect. The princess is aware of her mental retardation and is aware of everything that is happening around. At her first meeting with Rick, the reader may notice that she rather lacks the vocabulary to clearly and clearly express her thought than intelligence and prudence. In the mind of a girlno doubt there is active work going on, but she is unable to express it out loud and articulate her ideas clearly.

Meeting Riquet changes everything. And in this case, again, it's not magic. The mutual sympathy of the characters led to the fact that the girl gained clarity of thought and the ability to speak normally. The fact is that Riquet spoke to her in a way that no one had before. It is not in vain that the author emphasizes that everyone around could not keep up a conversation with her, and even loving parents from time to time reproached her for absent-mindedness. And the prince communicated with her as with the most ordinary person: simply, openly, friendly. Such affectionate and respectful treatment led to such an unexpected change in the image of the princess.

Changes in the character of the heroine

Their second dialogue reveals a different side of the heroine. This time, she spoke to the prince as equals. The girl tried to convince him that she was right, but she did not succeed: after all, now she listened more to the voice of reason than to her own heart. However, under the impression of a conversation with Rick, the girl confessed to him that she loved him. Realizing that only an ugly appearance did not prevent her from marrying him, she wanted him to become handsome, and her wish came true. This moment is interesting because in this scene the princess managed to overcome prejudices, which allowed her to see Rika from a completely different side.

Opinions about the fairy tale

Readers may be wondering what kind of feedback this piece has received. "Ricky-tuft" is positively received by all those who have read Perrault's work. Users note an easy and at the same time deep plot, credit the author for the fact that he managed to create interesting characters. But they see the main advantage of the fairy tale in the fact that the writer expressed the following idea: true love can completely change a person both internally and externally.