Beauty and the Beast is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins. Its lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 in Magasin des enfants to produce the version most commonly retold and later by Andrew Lang in the Blue Fairy Book of his Fairy Book series in 1889. It was influenced by Ancient Greek stories such as "Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis in the 2nd century AD, and The Pig King, an Italian fairytale published by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola around 1550. Variants of the tale are known across Europe. In France, for example, Zémire and Azor is an operatic version of the story, written by Marmontel and composed by Grétry in 1771, which had enormous success into the 19th century. Zémire and Azor is based on the second version of the tale.
| Name | Beauty and the Beast |
| Also known as | Die Schöne und das Biest |
| Aarne-Thompson grouping | ATU 425C (Beauty and the Beast) |
| Region | France |
| Published in | La jeune américaine, et les contes marins (1740), by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Magasin des enfants (1756), by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont |
| Related | Cupid and Psyche (ATU 425B), East of the Sun and West of the Moon (ATU 425A) |
About Beauty and the Beast
The original version of the classic Disney musical fantasy about a young woman who takes the place of her imprisoned father under the watch of a terrifying beast unaware that her captor is actually a prince. It was the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Achievement of Beauty and the Beast
The story is based on a French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont as well as some ideas from the 1946 French film of the same name directed by Jean Cocteau. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Beauty and the Beast
Eros and Psyche - Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses, written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche and Cupid or Amor, and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.. East of the Sun and West of the Moon -"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is a Norwegian fairy tale."East of the Sun and West of the Moon" was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe.. Noble savage - A noble savage is a literary stock character who embodies the concept of the indigene, outsider, wild human, an"other" who has not been"corrupted" by civilization, and therefore symbolizes humanity's innate goodness.. Shapeshifting - In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ability.. French fairy tales.. Literary duos.. Love stories.
Latest information about Beauty and the Beast updated on July 28 2021.
