Who Wrote The Story Of Beauty And The Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a timeless tale that has captured the hearts of millions of people around the world. The story has been retold numerous times in various forms of media, including movies, television shows, and books. But who exactly wrote the original story of Beauty and the Beast?
The Origin of the Story
The original story of Beauty and the Beast was written by a French novelist named Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. Her version of the story was quite long and complex, and it included many subplots and characters. However, the story that most people are familiar with today is based on a shorter and simpler version of the tale that was written by another French novelist named Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756.
Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the story is the one that has become the most popular and enduring. It tells the story of a beautiful young woman who sacrifices herself to save her father from the clutches of a fearsome beast. Over time, the woman comes to see that the beast is not as monstrous as he appears, and she falls in love with him. In the end, her love transforms the beast into a handsome prince, and they live happily ever after.
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve was a French writer who lived from 1685 to 1755. She is best known for writing the original version of Beauty and the Beast, which was over one hundred pages long and contained many different characters and subplots. Her version of the story was published in La Jeune Ameriquaine, et les contes marins (The Young American and Marine Tales) in 1740.
Barbot de Villeneuve’s version of the story was much more intricate than the simplified version that most people are familiar with today. It included a backstory for the beast that explained how he came to be cursed, as well as numerous other characters and subplots. However, her version of the story was also criticized for being too long and complex, and it was not as popular as the simplified version that was later written by Leprince de Beaumont.
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont was a French writer who lived from 1711 to 1780. She is best known for writing the simplified version of Beauty and the Beast that most people are familiar with today. Her version of the story was published in Magasin des enfants (Children’s Magazine) in 1756.
Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the story was much shorter and simpler than Barbot de Villeneuve’s original version. She removed many of the subplots and characters, and focused primarily on the story of the young woman who falls in love with the beast. Her version of the story was also more moralistic than Barbot de Villeneuve’s, and it placed a greater emphasis on the importance of inner beauty.
Conclusion
While Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve was the original author of Beauty and the Beast, it was Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s simplified version of the story that became the most popular and enduring. Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the story has been retold countless times over the years, and it continues to capture the hearts of people all over the world.