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La Véritable histoire de Blanche Neige

ici des infos supplémentaires

Blanche Neige a-t’elle une mère et un père ? Qui est la marâtre ? Pourquoi veut-elle tuer Blanche Neige ? Combien de fois essaie-t’elle ? Quel âge a Blanche Neige lorsque le chasseur l’entraîne dans la forêt ? Que représentent  les nains de la forêt ? Que proposent-ils à Blanche Neige ? Quel âge a-t’elle lorsque le prince la découvre dans son cercueil ? Comment la marâtre est-elle chatiée ?

Le conte des Frères Grimm…

(Schneewittchen en version originale allemande) est le titre d’un conte célèbre en Europe et en Amérique du Nord, dont la version la plus connue est celle de Jacob et Wilhelm Grimm parue en 1812. Les frères Jacob et Wilhelm Grimm auraient été inspirés par un mythe germanique. Plusieurs mythes européens peuvent correspondre à ce personnage.

La Véritable histoire

Une reine se désolait de ne pas avoir d’enfant. Un jour d´hiver, alors qu’elle était assise près d’une fenêtre au cadre d’ébène, elle se piqua le doigt en cousant et quelques gouttes de sang tombèrent sur la neige. « Ah ! » Se dit la reine, « Si j´avais un enfant, au teint blanc comme la neige, aux lèvres rouges comme le sang et aux cheveux noirs comme le bois d´ébène ! ».

Peu de temps après, elle mourut en accouchant d’une petite fille. Le roi prit une nouvelle épouse, belle mais méchante, orgueilleuse et jalouse de « Blanche-Neige ». Son miroir magique lui répétait qu’elle était la plus belle femme du royaume, jusqu’au jour où il dut reconnaitre que Blanche-Neige était devenue plus belle que sa marâtre. La reine demanda alors à un chasseur d’aller tuer l’enfant, mais l’homme se contenta de l’abandonner dans les bois.

Errant dans la forêt, Blanche-Neige découvrit une petite maison où elle entra se reposer. C’était la demeure des sept nains qui, apitoyés par son histoire, acceptèrent de la cacher et de la loger comme servante.

La méchante reine, apprenant grâce au miroir que Blanche-Neige était toujours vivante, essaya par trois fois de la faire mourir. La troisième fois, déguisée en paysanne, elle trompa la vigilance de la jeune fille et réussit à lui faire croquer une pomme empoisonnée. Blanche-Neige tomba inanimée. Affligés, les nains lui firent un cercueil de cristal qu’ils déposèrent sur une colline afin que toutes les créatures puissent venir l´admirer.

Un prince qui chevauchait par là en tomba amoureux. Il obtint des nains la permission d’emporter le cercueil. Mais en route un porteur trébucha, délogeant le morceau de pomme coincé dans la gorge de la jeune fille qui se réveilla. Le prince lui demanda sa main.

Invitée au mariage, la méchante reine fut condamnée à chausser des escarpins de fer rougis au feu et à danser jusqu’à ce que mort s’ensuive.

I’ve been meaning to update this for quite a while now. So I’m on page 59. Yes, this is good, BUT only in terms of page count. Structurally, it’s a mess. I’ve got some big story points decided, planned for, and a couple even scripted, but it’s not at all the way I’d planned it. Plus, several things are place-holders. I have a good idea of what I want, but the execution is currently considered just there ’til I think of something better. And many of the building blocks of the story, such as basic character motivations, have been in major flux this whole time.

I still hope to get a decent draft done by the end of the month, but am not sure that’s realistic. We’ll see.

Cateva zile mai tarziu, vaduva isi trimise fetele la oras sa cumpere ata si ace, panglici si gateli pentru rochii. Drumul trecea printr-un tinut pustiu, presarat ici-colo cu stanci inalte si golase. Au mers ele ce-au mers prin pustietatea aceea, fara sa intalneasca tipenie de om ori picior de vietate, pana cand deasupra lor aparu un vultur urias. Se roti de cateva ori, din ce in ce mai aproape, apoi se lasa batand din aripi pe un colt de stanca, de unde se auzira imediat niste tipete jalnice. Rozalba si Rubiroza alergara intr-un suflet pana acolo sa-l salveze pe nenorocitul care implora ajutor. Cand ajunsera in dreptul stancii, vulturul tocmai se pregatea sa-si ia zborul tinandu-l in cioc pe cine credeti? Pai cine altul putea sa fie decat piticul nesuferit, cu barba ciuntita? Se afla din nou la ananghie si fetele nu pregetara sa-l scoata din impas, ca de fiecare data.

Lupta n-a fost usoara, dar in cele din urma, tragand amandoua din toate puterile, au reusit sa-i smulga vulturului prada. Piticul nu-si reveni bine din spaima ca si-ncepu sa-si verse veninul asupra lor:

- Nu puteati sa fiti mai cu bagare de seama? Uite cum mi-ati desirat bunatate de haina! Dupa ce ca abia ma cuprindea, acum e toata zdrentuita si asta numai din pricina voastra, nepricopsitelor.

Piticul avea langa el un sac plin cu nestemate care scanteiau de-ti luau ochii, in lumina soarelui. Dar sa nu credeti cumva ca i-a trecut prin minte sa le dea si fetelor macar o pietricica, in semn de multumire. Lega iute sacul la gura si se strecura cu el cu tot, printr-o crapatura a stancii, in pestera unde-si avea barlogul.

Rozalba si Rubiroza erau acum obisnuite cu toanele lui, asa ca-si vazura linistite de drum. Odata ajunse in oras, facura toate cumparaturile si o pornira grabite inapoi spre casa, caci se temeau sa nu le prinda seara prin pustietatile acelea.

Cam pe la asfintit ajunsera din nou in preajma stancii unde-l salvasera de la pierzanie pe barba-cot. Mergeau gandindu-se la el, cand deodata le aparu in cale. De data asta nu daduse peste el nici o napasta. Iesise la loc neted, in campie, sa-si admire netulburat avutia. Fermecate de sclipirile multicolore ale nestematelor, Rozalba si Rubiroza se oprira sa le priveasca.

- Ce mi-ati ramas asa, gura-casca, se otari piticul la ele, de indata ce le vazu. Fata lui pamantie se inrosise de furie si tocmai se pregatea sa le improaste cu vorbe de ocara cand, de undeva din apropiere, se auzi un mormait ingrozitor care-i facu pe toti trei sa inlemneasca de spaima. Un urs mare si fioros se indrepta spre ei, amenintator. Piticul o lua la goana spre pestera, dar mai-nainte s-ajunga la adapost, ursul il prinse din urma.

- Ursule, Domnia-ta, ai mila de zilele mele! Cruta-mi viata si-ale tale vor fi toate nestematele, toate avutiile mele, il imbie piticul, care deveni dintr-odata umil si generos. Ce sa faci cu-n batran slabanog si prapadit ca mine? Nu ti-as ajunge nici pe-o masea. Mai bine uita-te la mucoasele astea blestemate. Sunt tinere si dolofane, un adevarat ospat pentru tine.

Ursul facu insa urechea toaca la vaicarerile piticului si, dintr-o lovitura, il amuti pentru totdeauna.

Fetele, care auzisera si vazusera totul, o luara la fuga inspaimantate.

- Rozalba, Rubiroza, nu va fie teama! Stiti doar ca nu va fac nici un rau. Asteptati-ma! vreau sa vin si eu cu voi

Recunoscandu-i glasul, fetele se oprira, deopotriva usurate c-au scapat de primejdie si bucuroase sa-si revada prietenul. Cand ursul ajunse in dreptul lor, ii cazu dintr-odata toata blana dand la iveala un tanar frumos, invesmantat tot numai in aur.

- Aflati ca sunt fecior de imparat, le spuse el. Am fost vrajit de piticul asta blestemat sa ratacesc in chip de urs, fara odihna, prin paduri, pana ce moartea ii va veni de hac. Acum el si-a primit pedeapsa binemeritata iar eu am scapat, in sfarsit, de apasatorul blestem.

Rozalba se marita cu printul, caci v-amintiti, desigur, ca ea il indragise inca din vremea cand era preschimbat in urs. Dar nici Rubiroza n-a ramas mai prejos. S-a maritat si ea cu fratele printului si-au trait fericiti cu totii, sporindu-si avutia cu comorile lui barba-cot, pe care le-au impartit in buna intelegere. Fetele s-au ingrijit si de maicuta lor sa aiba o batranete indestulata si fericita. Au luat-o cu ele la palat, impreuna cu cele doua tufe de trandafiri, pe care ea le indragea atat de mult. Rozele albe si rosii cresteau parca mai frumoase, cu fiecare an, imbalsamand gradina cu parfumul lor suav.

-  SFARSIT -

y Deaf Culture teacher asked us to get into groups and adapt a regular hearing children’s story to contain elements of Deaf Culture, including pictures.  She would then turn them into a book of short stories for an elementary school classroom at a deaf school.  My group picked the Grimm fairy tale The 12 Dancing Princesses, and I’m so proud of how it turned out!!  I couldn’t resist posting it here with the pictures.  I did all the Illustrations myself.   Here it is:

 nce upon a time, a hearing king had twelve deaf daughters, each one more beautiful than the last.  They all slept together in one large, splendid room.  Their beds stood side by side and every night when they went to bed the king locked the door and bolted it so he knew his children were safe.  Every morning when  he unlocked the door, he saw that their shoes were worn out, with holes in the toes and laces broken.  The king ordered an investigation, but after many weeks of trying, no one could find out how the princesses were able to leave the locked and bolted room. 

The king was very upset that he had to spend so much royal money on new shoes for his daughters, for princesses could not wear shabby shoes.  He proclaimed that whoever could discover where his daughters went at night could choose one of them for his wife and be king after his death.  If, however, they could not discover where his daughters went after three days and nights, they should be banished from his kingdom forever.

It was not long before a prince from the next kingdom came and offered to discover where the princesses danced at night.  He was welcomed warmly into the palace with a large feast, and in the evening, was led into a bedroom next to the pricesses bedroom.  He was to watch and discover where the twelve went, so the princess’s bedroom door was left open.  Nevertheless, the prince’s eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.  When he awoke in the morning, all twelve pairs of shoes had holes in them and he had no idea how this had occured.  The same thing happened on the second and third nights, so he was banished forever from the kingdom.  Many others came after and undertook the mystery, but none discovered how the shoes got holes in them and were banished as the first prince had been.

One day a poor, wounded veteran found himself on the road to the town where the princesses lived.  He met a funny old woman on the road who asked him where he was going. 

“I really don’t know,” he answered jokingly. “I thought I might discover where the princesses danced holes in their shoes and become the king.”

“That’s not so difficult.”  Said the old woman mysteriously.  “The secret is that you must pretend to be sound asleep.”

With that, she gave him a little cloak and said, “If you put this on, you will be invisible.  Then you can follow the princesses at night.”

When the soldier recieved this good advice, he decided to try his luck.  He went to the King and announced that he also wanted to take the challenge.  The King welcomed the old soldier, and had his servants dress him in royal garments.  At the feat that night, the oldest princess stood up and performed an ABC story in sign language for everyone in the hall.  Her signing was beautiful and it made the soldier want to learn more.  It also made him want to succeed more than ever before.

Later that evening, he was led into the bedroom next to the twelve princesses.  He lay down immediately, and after a while began to snore as if in the deepest sleep.

The twelve princesses felt the vibrations of his snoring, and so they got up.  They then opened the wardrobes and brought out pretty dresses and dressed themselves in front of the long mirrors.  They sprang about and rejoiced at the thought of going to the dance.  Because the girls were deaf, they didn’t realize how noisy they were being while getting dressed and dancing about laughing.  But the youngest princess wasn’t feeling joyful and signed to them that she had a bad feeling.  Her sisters just thought she was being silly and teased her.

When they were all ready to go, they looked carefully at the soldier, but he had closed his eyes and did not move or stir, so they felt themselves quite secure.

The eldest went to her bed and tapped it.  It immediately sank into the ground, revealing a secret pathway.  The sisters went down through the opening, the eldest going first.  The soldier, who had watched everything, did not wait any longer.  He sprang out of bed, put on his invisibility cloak, and went down last behind the youngest princess.  Halfway down the stairs he stepped a little on her dress.  She was terrified, and she began waving her arms to get her sister’s attention.

She signed, “My dress is stuck.  Someone is pulling my dress!”

The eldest signed back, “Don’t be silly, you caught it on a nail.”  They then continued down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were standing in a wonderful avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were silver shone and glistened.  The soldier thought, “I must carry a token away with me.” and broke off a twig from one of the trees.  The youngest thought she saw something, but since her sisters had made fun of her before, she decided not to say anything.

As they traveled deeper into the forest, the leaves of the trees turned to gold, and then to diamonds.  Again, the soldier broke branches from each of the trees, and each time the youngest princess thought she saw something move, but he was too quick for her to be sure.  They went on and came to a great lake where twelve little boats stood, and in each boat sat a handsome deaf prince.  Each took one princess with him.  The soldier seated himself next to the youngest.

The youngest prince signed to his princess, “I don’t know why the boat is so much heavier today, and I will have to row with all my strength if I am to get across the lake.”

“What could be the cause,” she signed, “but the warm weather?  I feel very warm too.”

On the opposite side of the lake stood a splendid, brightly lit pavilion, perfect light for signing and dancing.  The princes rowed over and endered a silver and gold ballroom.  Each prince danced with the girl he loved most all night long.  The dancers could feel the pulsating music and they moved with so much joy.  They did not know that the soldier danced with them unseen.  They danced until 3 o’clock in the morning, and when they were finished all their shoes had holes.  The princes then rowed them back across the lake and this time the soldier seated himself by the eldest, so he could get back to bed without suspicion.

On the shore, the girls took leave of their princes, and promised to return the following night.  As they were saying their long goodbyes, the soldier ran out in front and lay down quickly on his bed.  When the twelve had come up slowly and wearily from their midnight dance, the soldier was already snoring so strong that they could feel the vibrations.  They felt confident that he had slept the whole time they were away.  They took off their beautiful dresses, laid them away, put the worn out shoes under the beds, and went to sleep.

The next morning the soldier did not tell the king what he saw.  Instead, he went with the twelve princesses again to their wonderful dance, and again the next night.  Everything happened has it had before, and each night the princesses danced until their shoes were worn to pieces.

When it came time for the soldier to give his answer to the king, he took the three twigs with him as proof.  The sisters stood outside, peeking through the window, trying to read his lips as he spoke to the king.  They noticed the tree twigs and wondered, worried, how he got them.  The youngest concluded, “He must have followed us.”  They knew they had been caught.

When the king asked the soldier, “Where have my twelve daughters danced there shoes to pieces at night?”  the soldier answered, “in an underground pavilion with twelve princes.”  The soldier then explained how he had found out.

The king then had his court guard get his twelve daughters and bring them in.  The king yelled at the girls as he always did, thinking that if he shouted loud enough they could hear him.  Of course, it was not until the interpreter signed that they understood what their father was saying.  He asked if the soldier told the truth.  When the princesses saw that they were betrayed, many of them closed their eyes so they could not see the interpreter signing.  However, the eldest felt obliged to confess all.  Hearing this, the king asked the soldier which one of his daughters he would have for his wife. 

The soldier answered, “I am no longer young, so give me the eldest.”  But he was also thinking of how beautifully she had signed the ABC story on his first night in the palace.

The engagement was announced by the royal herald and the whole kingdom was invited to the wedding the following month.  The sisters were dismayed that their older sister was marrying a hearing man, but eventually he won them over.  During that month, the soldier used pen and paper to communicate with his fiance, but he was secretly taking sign language lessons.  On his wedding day, the soldier signed his vows to his new bride.  He learned as much as he could about the deaf world, and always went with his wife and her sisters to all their social activities.  As the soldier’s sign language skills grew, so did the love between him and his princess, and they lived happily ever after.  The End,

Trecura saptamanile si primavara sosi pe nesimtite, trezind natura la viata. Intr-o dimineata, cand Rozalba, potrivit obiceiului, ii deschise ursului usa spre padure, bunul ei prieten se opri in prag zicandu-i :

- Tare bine mi-a fost cu voi, insa de-acum sunt nevoit sa va parasesc si n-o sa ma mai vedeti pana la toamna.

- Dar unde si de ce vrei sa pleci, ursuletule drag? il intreba cu parere de rau Rozalba.

- Trebuie sa merg in padure ca sa-mi apar comorile de piticii cei rai. Iarna, cata vreme totul e sloi de gheata, n-au cum sa iasa afara din ascunzisurile lor subpamantene. Dar, de indata ce se topesc gheturile, hotomanii astia incep sa-si bage nasul peste tot. Scotocesc padurea si se tin numai de furtisaguri. Iar de ti-a incaput un lucru pe mana lor si-au apucat sa-l bage in vreuna din ascunzatorile anume sapate sub pamant, poti sa-ti iei adio de la el, caci doar printr-o minune il mai scoti la lumina.

Cu sufletul impovarat de tristetea despartirii, Rozalba isi lua ramas bun de a prietenul ei drag. Ursul se strecura afara prin inchizatura cam ingusta pentru unul ca el, indepartandu-se apoi cu pasi mari spre padure. Un petec de blana ii ramase insa agatat de zavorul usii, iar Rozalbei i se paru ca-n locul de unde-i fusese smulsa ursului blana sclipea ceva lucitor ca aurul. Dar nu putea fi sigura si el era deja departe, ascuns privirii de copaci.

La cateva zile dupa aceea, vaduva le trimise pe fete s-adune vreascuri din padure. Odata ajunse acolo, le atrase atentia un copac urias, doborat la pamant, in preajma caruia parea ca se misca ceva prin iarba. Apropiindu-se dadura cu ochii de un pitic cam batraior, cu fata zbarcita si cu o barba alba, lunga de doi coti. Capatul barbii era prins ca-n menghina intr-o crestatura de-a copacului, iar piticul se smucea, topaind incoace si-ncolo, neputincios ca un caine in lant. Fetele nu-si revenisera inca din uimire, cand barba-cot le zari si-ncepu sa se stropseasca la ele :

- Si voi, ce-mi stati protapite acolo ca doua momai de ceara? Doar n-oti vrea sa va cad in genunchi, ca sa-mi dati o mana de ajutor!

- Dar ce-ai patit, omuletule? il intreba Rubiroza.

- Dupa ce ca esti proasta ca o gasca, mai esti si curioasa pe deasupra, o repezi piticul. Afla c-am vrut sa tai din copacul asta niste surcelute pentru foc, s-avem si noi cu ce gati. Ca piticii nu-s lacomi si nesatui ca voi, oamenii, iar la putinul ce ne trebuie noua ca sa ne ostoim foamea, lemnele prea groase ne-ar face mancarea scrum. Ei, si cum va spuneam, ma pregatisem sa despic copacul si bagasem o pana in crestatura cand, dintr-odata, pana a sarit iar crestatura s-a inchis prinzandu-mi barba ca-ntru-un cleste. Si-acum uite-ma agatat aici, fara putinta de scapare, in timp ce voi va tineti deoparte ca niste mironosite si radeti de mine pe-nfundate. Pfui! Ca urate mai sunteti!

Fetele s-au straduit in fel si chip dar n-au reusit sa-i slobozeasca piticului barba din stransoare.

- Ma duc sa caut pe cineva sa ne dea o mana de ajutor, spuse Rubiroza.

- La ce ne mai trebuie unul in plus, cand si doi sunt prea multi pentru o bagatela ca asta? Alta idee mai buna nici nu putea sa-ti treaca prin capul ala sec, o mustrului barba-cot.

- Nu te supara, o sa te ajut eu sa scapi de necaz, ii spuse Rozalba.

Fata avea la ea un foarfece cu care taie intr-o clipa varful barbii eliberandu-l, in sfarsit, pe uracios. De indata ce s-a vazut scapat, piticul incepu sa scotoceasca la radacina copacului, de unde dadu la iveala un sac burdusit cu aur. Apoi, fara sa le-arunce fetelor macar o privire, il lua la spinare si pleca bombanind :

- Ce fiinte necioplite! Auzi colo nerusinare : sa-mi cioparteasca frumusete de barba!

Nu la multa vreme dupa intamplarea cu pricina, Rozalba si Rubiroza s-au dus intr-o zi la rau sa pescuiasca. Cand aproape s-ajunga la mal, zarira o vietate ciudata, un soi de lacusta uriasa, care topaia alandala prin stufaris de parc-ar fi vruit sa-si ia avant sa se-arunce in apa. Va-nchipuiti ca nu s-au bucurat prea tare cand, dupa ce-au ajuns in dreptul ei, isi dadura seama ca ciudatenia aceea era de fapt vechea lor cunostinta, piticul cel nesuferit.

- Ce faci acolo? il intreba Rubiroza. Sper ca n-ai de gand sa te-arunci in apa.

- Cum o sa-mi treaca prin cap una ca asta, ca doar nu-s nebun? Nu vezi ca blestematul asta de peste ma trage la fund? Pana si-un orb putea sa-si dea seama, numai tu nu pricepi, ii spuse piticul, aruncandu-i cautatura furioasa.

Venise ca si ele sa pescuiasca. Numai ca, din nefericire, tocmai cand pestele muscase din momeala, o pala de vant i-a ravasit barba infasurand-o pe undita si incalcindu-i-o atat de tare, ca n-a mai fost chip sa si-o descurce. Pestele se zbatea in carlig, tragand cu putere de firul unditei. Era pesemne un peste mare caci piticul, oricat s-a straduit n-a putut sa-l traga afara, ba, mai mult, agatat cum era de undita, se vazu luat pe sus, gata sa fie tras in adancuri. Se agata disperat de tot ce intalnea in cale dar, la fiecare zvacnitura a pestelui, era smucit din loc cu o forta careia nu i se putea opune. Asadar, fetele sosira tocmai la timp. Fara sa stea pe ganduri, i-au sarit in ajutor. Au incercat mai intai sa-i descalceasca barba, dar n-au reusit. Asa ca s-au vazut nevoite sa se foloseasca iar de foarfece, spre nemultumirea piticului care incepu sa tipe cat il tinea gura :

- Nu vedeti ca m-ati slutit de tot, nevolnicelor ce sunteti. Nu v-a ajuns ca mi-ati scurtat-o la varf data trecuta, a trebuit sa va intoarceti anume ca sa taiati bucata cea mai frumoasa! M-ati schimonosit in asemenea hal, ca nici n-o sa mai pot da ochii cu ai mei si-or sa m-arate toti cu degetul in lumea piticesca.

Dupa ce-si descarca naduful, ocarandu-le pe binefacatoarele lui in fel si chip, piticul trase afara din stufaris un sac plin cu perle, pe care-l tabarci cu mare cazna pana-n dreptul unui bolovan, dupa care se facu nevazut.

Ursul insa li se adresa cu blandete in grai omenesc :

- Nu va fie teama! N-o sa va fac nici un rau. Vreau numai sa ma incalzesc putin langa foc, daca-mi ingaduiti, caci sunt pe jumatate inghetat.

- Bietul de tine! Vino sa stai aici, langa soba, il indemna vaduva. Numai, baga de seama, sa nu-ti parlesti frumusete de blana, c-ar fi pacat de-asa cojocel. Haideti, fetelor, iesiti din ascunzatoare, isi striga ea odraslele. Nu va temeti de Mos Martin, ca n-a venit cu ganduri rele.

Prinzand curaj, Rozalba si Rubiroza se apropiara si imediat mai apoi mielutul si porumbita revenira si ei la locurile lor.

- Fiti bune, dragele mele – spuse ursul – si curatati-ma de zapada ca m-a udat pana la piele.

Fetele nu s-au lasat rugate si-ntr-o clipa indepartara cu o maturica toata zapada din blana deasa a ursului care se lungi langa foc, mormaind de placere. Acum, ca se imprietenisera, fetele aveau chef de joaca. Facand glume pe seama staturii lui matahaloase, incepura sa-l mangaie, aranjandu-i blana in fel si chip, ba chiar sa se catere pe spinarea lui, infingandu-si manutele in coama desa.

Ursul se lasa in voia lor fara a zice nici pas dar, cand din nebagare de seama, incepura sa cam intreaca masura, le ruga mai in gluma mai in serios sa-i crute viata :

- Rubiroza si Rozalba, Aveti grija surioare! Ca ursitul sa nu moara…Va purtati mai cu-ndurare.

Cand veni ora de culcare, dupa ce toti ai casei se randuira pe la locurile lor, vaduva ii spuse ursului :

- Ramai la noi peste noapte. Poti sa-ti faci culcusul chiar aici, langa soba, ca-i loc destul si nu ma rabda inima sa te stiu afara pe-o vreme ca asta.

Ursul dormi asadar la gura sobei pana dimineata, cand se intoarse in padure inotand prin zapada.

Insa in faptul serii, in timp ce vaduva isi depana povestea, el ciocani din nou la usa, iar de-atunci n-a mai lipsit in nici o seara. Venea mereu la aceeasi ora, se lungea langa foc si lasa copilele sa se joace in blana lui dupa pofta inimii. Facea de-acum parte din viata lor si se obisnuisera atat de mult cu el incat nici nu mai puneau zavorul pana nu aparea.

Sinds Shrek heeft huisgehouden in de wonderlijke wereld van de sprookjes, kun je er dus niet meer op vertrouwen. Heksen, trollen, kabouters, boze stiefmoeders, geitjes, biggetjes, wolven, koene ridders, knappe koningen, prinsen en prinsessen, zeemeerminnen, de goede fee èn de boze fee, hoe ze ook allemaal door het leven mogen gaan: je kunt er niet meer van op aan! Dat bleek gisteravond (eigenlijk afgelopen nacht) wel weer. Stom-stom-stom, want we hadden eigenlijk onze nachtrust goed kunnen gebruiken, lieten we ons verleiden tot een film die pas tegen een uur of half twaalf begon:  Snow White: A Tale of Terror. Deze Grimmige Sneeuwwitje-remake – met Sigourney Weaver en Sam Neill in de hoofdrollen – uit 1997 verloopt heel anders dan je gewend bent. Op zich is het best een vermakelijke rolprent. Alleen ben je te veel beïnvloed door Walt Disney en consorten. Je verwacht een leuk, lichtvoetig en lieflijk sprookje. Nou, nee dus. Horror willen we het niet noemen, maar het is wel een donker verhaal. Op zich blijft het veel dichter bij de bedoelingen van de bedenkers van sprookjes. Het is wel jammer dat ook deze ’schrikversie’ goed afloopt. De boze stiefmoeder sterft en Sneeuwwitje en haar vader overleven. Sterker nog Lily – zoals Sneeuwwitje in deze film heet – vindt ook haar ‘prins’. Oké, dat is dan wel één van de zeven mijnwerkers (de stoere Will), maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Hoewel de filmposter destijds anders deed vermoeden (“The fairy tale is over”), valt het dus wel mee gezien de goede afloop. Ach ja… Na dit donkere verhaal wordt het wel weer eens tijd voor wat lichtvoetigers. Iets van Disney?

Sprookjes zijn tegenwoordig niet meer wat ze geweest zijn.

Abia atunci, dand roata cu privirea, fetele bagara de seama ca-n intunecimea noptii isi facusera culcusul chiar in buza unei prapastii in care cu siguranta s-ar fi prabusit de-ar fi inaintat un pas mai mult.

Intoarse acasa, dupa ce ii povestira mamei de-a fir a par despre intalnirea din padure, ea le-a spus ca baiatul acela trebuie sa fi fost ingerul pazitor care vegheaza somnul copiilor cuminti.

Rozalba si Rubiroza tineau gospodaria vaduvei asa de curata si munceau cu-atata ravna de-ti era mai mare dragul sa le privesti. Vara se-ngrijea de casa Rubiroza. In fiecare dimineata ii ducea mamei un buchet de flori proaspete, din care nu lipseau trandafirii – unul alb si unul rosu – alesi din cele doua tufe. Iarna, Rozalba aprindea focul si punea mancarea la fiert intr-o oala de arama, atat de bine curatata si lustruita, ca stralucea de-ti lua ochii.

Cand noaptea se lasa peste casuta ninsa, mama o trimitea pe Rozalba sa zavorasca usa, apoi isi punea ochelarii, se aseza impreuna cu fetele la gura sobei si le citea povesti dintr-o carte. Pentru Rozalba si Rubiroza momentele acelea erau o adevarata incantare. Stateau linistite, ascultand povestea, impreuna cu un mielut intins la picioarele lor si cu o porumbita care motaia pe-o barna, langa soba, cu capsorul ascuns sub aripa.

Intr-o seara, in timp ce vaduva le citea ca de obicei din carte, cineva bocani la usa, cerand cu glas rugator ingaduinta sa intre.

- Du-te repede si-i deschide, Rubiroza, o indemna maica-sa. Trebuie sa fie vreun drumet infrigurat, care cauta adapost.

Rubiroza se indrepta spre usa cu gandul la nefericitul ce se ratacise acolo in miez de noapte. “Cu siguranta c-o fi vreun nevoias” isi spuse ea. Dar, cand deschise usa, dadu cu ochii peste o namila de  urs care pasi greoi in incapere, speriind-o de moarte pe fata.

Rubiroza o rupse la fuga tipand, mielutul incepu sa behaie, porumbita zburataci dand din aripi, iar Rozalba se baga la adapost sub patul maica-sii.

i absolutely love this beautiful Vogue as a high fashion fairytale story!  i actually had this mag and never noticed that Lady Gaga was in it:

You know the score here already: this is one of Grace Coddington’s patented fairytale shoots, wherein familiar stories from childhood are re-enacted by teenage models in $15,000 outfits for the amusement of all. Sometimes these spreads have an enforced sweetness, like saccharin; always they make one wonder just what Bruno Bettelheim would have to say about a publication made by and for adult women finding so much material in sanitized re-tellings of Grimm, with 4″ Fendi heels.

Coddington reports Gaga turned up at the shoot “stark naked except for her white rubber raincoat and some very, very high heels!”

“Gaga was so bubbly and chatty and enthusiastic and excited to be alive,” raves Coddington. Too bad she ends up in the oven, dead.

<3 kt

Traia odata o vaduva sarmana intr-o casuta modesta, asezata undeva, la o margine de padure. Drept in fata usii, de o parte si de alta cresteau doua tufe de trandafiri – una cu flori albe iar cealalta cu flori rosii ca rubinul.

Vaduva avea doua fete frumoase ca doi boboci de roza; una cu pielea alba si delicata ca petalele sidefii ale trandafirului alb pe cand chipul celeilalte, vesnic rumen in obraji parea ingemanat cu trandafirul rubiniu. Asa ca le boteza Rozalba si Rubiroza.

Sa fi stabatut pamantul in lung si-n lat, cu greu ai fi putut gasi doua copile mai cuvioase si mai blande ori mai destoinice si mai cuminti decat acestea. Iar intre ele Rozalba era chiar mai blanda si mai linistita decat Rubiroza. Acesteia din urma ii placea sa zburde pe-afara, sa culeaga flori sau sa prinda fluturi, in timp ce Rozalba ramanea acasa, trebaluind pe langa maica-sa ori citindu-i dintr-o carte, in ceasurile de ragaz.

Fetitele se iubeau tare mult, iar cand ieseau impreuna la plimbare se tineau mai tot timpul de mana, dorind sa se simta aproape.

- N-o sa ne despartim niciodata, spunea Rozalba.

- Niciodata, cat vom trai, adauga Rubiroza.

- Asa sa fie, iar tot ce-aveti se cuvine sa impartiti una cu alta, le povatuia mama lor.

Rozalba si Rubiroza mergeau adeseori singure la padure sa culeaga ierburi de leac. N-aveau a se teme, caci nicicand vietatile codrului nu le facusera vreun rau. Iepurasii le mancau varza din palma, puiul de caprioara le calca pe urme, cerbul le iesea in intampinare. Nici macar pasarile nu-si luau zborul din calea lor, ba chiar isi inteteau trilurile, urandu-le parca bun-venit.

Uneori, cand noaptea le surprindea pe neasteptate in padure, fetele isi faceau un culcus pe muschiul moale si dormeau acolo pana la revarsatul zorilor. Cunoscandu-le obiceiul, mama lor nu-si facea griji.

Intr-o dimineata, cand abia se desteptasera dupa o astfel de noapte petrecuta in padure, Rozalba si Rubiroza descoperira langa ele o frumusete de copil invesmantat intr-un strai alb, imaculat, ce-i ajungea pan’ la calcaie. Asa cum sedea colo, parea o minune intruchipata din vis. Dupa ce si-au mai revenit amandoua din uimire, copilul s-a ridicat in picioare si le-a zambit prietenos. Dar nu le-a adresat nici un cuvant si, imediat apoi, s-a facut nevazut de parca l-ar fi inghitit padurea.

Après Tim Burton pour Haarper’s Bazar, c’est au tour du Vogue d’emprunter aux contes de fées ses séries mode.

Lily Cole et l’acteur Andrew Garfield interprètent les personnages d’Hansel et Gretel, photographiés par Annie Leibovitz. Des hommes arbres, des poissons costumés et des forêts enchantées, un conte féérique avant les fêtes de fin d’années à retrouver dans le Vogue US du mois de décembre…

http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2009_December_Hansel_And_Gretel/?mbid=fbvps

NDLR : La demoiselle qui pose avec les acteurs de L’Imaginarium du docteur Parnassus n’est autre que… LADY GAGA!

Blackitten

I have a serious question for all you readers out there. I’ve heard many women grumbling against fairytales. “They should be illegal”, “I’d never let my daughter read them”, “misleading” and so forth.

Some friends and I were chatting one night about this very subject and I was astonished that they felt so hostile towards fairytales. One friend is going through a separation from her husband, her illusions of Happily Ever After destroyed when her Prince Charming turned out to be a toad. Another is dealing with family issues and a husband who prefers to view the world through rose tinted lenses. A third friend is married to an emotionally distant, psychologically abusive jerk.

Seeing things from their point of view I can understand I suppose. As little girls most of us grew up dreaming of the handsome prince who would ride in, sweep us off our feet and carry us away to his land of love and happiness. When you put a stake in this dream and fool yourself into believing it, it makes the bitterness easier to comprehend.

But these women are alone in their feelings, right? After all it’s our personal experiences that color all our reactions, right?

So I believed…

In the movie, “Enchanted” Patrick Dempsey plays a disillusioned father/lawyer who refuses to buy his little girl the fairytale book she wants because it gives the wrong idea. He thinks that Happily Ever After is a corny ending that doesn’t apply to the real world. Instead, he wants her to grow up as a strong independent woman.

Can’t a woman have both? I mean, what is so wrong about wanting to be viewed as an equal but still wanting respect? I miss the days of men opening the door, holding out the chair, giving up his seat, calling me Ma’am. It doesn’t detract from my ability to kick butt when it’s needed. It doesn’t mean that I can’t have my own opinions, be treated fairly, receive the same pay, etc.

Sorry getting off track here. The question is are fairytales psychologically damaging to our little girls? Or is the attitude of death to the fairytale a nasty side effect of our “evolution” into the 21st century? Can it be blamed directly on the Women’s Liberation Movement?

Honestly? I don’t think there is one thing wrong with fairytales. The real world is a scary and dark place, our future is colored in shades of gray, blackening on the edges. What’s so wrong with offering our girls a glimpse of happiness? They will learn soon enough Happily Ever Afters are few and far between.

So, what do you think?

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I hit the end of Act I last night. It’s technically on page 28, but that’s only 1 line. And who knows how much that’ll fluctuate between now and the time I send it out to anyone. I also realized almost immediately after I’d said good for the night that there was a good detail I could add/change that’d be interesting for the rest of the story. So I have to go back and adapt that. At this point, I’m not really sure what to do next. As before, I have a good idea of the general direction and big points that need to happen, but am not clear at all on how to get there. That and there may be some kind of treasure-hunting aspect for which I have the end point, no start point, and maybe another point. I’ve not done many of these types of storytelling devices, so think I’ll maybe use placeholders of a sort, then figure out the interesting “ah ha!” details later. I’m hoping I can hit the mid-point by a week or a little more.

I’d meant to update this earlier and more frequently, but didn’t get around to it. I’m now on page 19. And I know how the rest of act I is going to go. Not really sure about immediately after that, but that’s okay. I’ll figure it out. I always do. Considering that the end of the month is this weekend, I clearly didn’t make that deadline, but I’ll hopefully have the 1st draft done soon thereafter.

i am retouching our grimm shoot and i cant not post up these pics of katy, rachel and jenny, they look too stunning to put into words so heres the screen shot

and here is a pic i just had a bit of a play with

well time to get back to it….

This week flew by soooo quickly. On monday it was my (Emma) birthday so we all went for drinks at our favourite haunt, the hoxton hotel, Tuesday i cant even remember what we did but it was busy, Wednesday we had the Lostprophets in our studio being shot by Tom Barnes for Rocksound, had to stock up on biscuits for that one! Thursday we had a loooooong day shooting our grimm shoot with Jenny, Katie and Rachel from Elite London and Friday we had meetings galore oh and it didnt stop there, Saturday we had the studio hired out for a jeans shoot which looked pretty interesting, gave me an excuse to get on with the retouching and Sunday i am sat here in the middle of editing two shoots we have recently done with some new faces at Elite London. It is taking up all my time and am beginning to dream about colour balancing, tweaking it from left to right – and + its driving me nuts.

Last week we did a shoot involving scaffolding and massive pieces of material, excuse my lack of enthusiastic writing i am a bit brain dead from the photoshopping but here are a couple of screen shots to show you rather than tell you what we did.

we used two different colours of material and i am still trying to figure out what colour treatment to give them whether to do one for each colour or give an overall treatment, so many pros and cons

we are really pleased with this shoot and the girls were awesome! as were all the new young designers we pulled for the shoot. I will let you know who they all were once i post the final shoot up.

Our next shoot is based around the grimm fairy tales, we were initially going to go shoot in epping forest however the weather report swayed us to come up with a plan at the last minute for a studio shoot. In the end it turned out well and we got to play with smoke machines which was pretty fun, pretty much turned our studio into a nightclub!

Here are few crew shots, yep Luke captured me in my plotting to take over the world moment but not before he crimped my hair!!

Pam doing her scarey sidekick impression

Emily the stylist doing her best regal look

We havent actually finished picking the edits from this set yet but i have got my hands on a couple of them to start editing here is a sneaky peak

better get back to work, we will be adding behind the scenes vids this week, keep your eyes peeled

x

Wer glücklich ist

bedarf nicht der Bosheit.

Max Horkheimer

In dein Gesicht gemeisselt:

das Glück

das du dir selbst vergönnt

haben wirst.

Schieb es nicht

auf das Leben

und auch nicht auf

den anderen.

I reached page 10. Ug, I reworked the exposition over and over. I think it’s now in a state which will allow me at least to move on to the next thing. And I’m not wholly sure what that next thing will be. But pushing forward seems to be working. I got a little giddy thinking about and working on the story, so I think that’s a good sign. It’s been a long time since I felt giddy about a story I was working on.

Grimm is really sick today, so he’s curled up in a corner of the crypt, sleeping in his own hardened shell of fluids.

Meanwhile, Badslayer will be having fun with the show, occasionally bouncing used butt plugs off of Grimm’s feverish head.

So tune in and join the fun!

by Shannon Hale

Brief Summary: The Crown Princess has been strange since birth. She didn’t open her eyes for three days, she was constantly communicating with animals and she nearly died on a failed attempt of running away. Things haven’t improved for Ani ten years later. She’s unsure of her ability to rule and her brush with death has kept people believing she’s frail and should be handled with care. Her mother, the queen, seems to agree when she announces Ani will instead be marrying a neighboring prince.

Ani thinks her mother has betrayed her and life is falling apart around her. But, like a good princess, she complies. On the trip to Bayern, however, there’s more betrayal, and Ani is soon without any trace of her former self. With help from her unusual abilities and friends made along the way, Ani sets out to right the wrongs of her past and redeem her hope of the future.

Kell’s Chatty Review: I’ve been wanting to read a Shannon Hale book for, like, ever. So I was really excited to finally get around to picking this one up. I very much so enjoyed it. There’s something ridiculously old-school about the writing style that I felt like I was reading a fairy tale or classic. Ani’s development over the book is awesome and I loved the many changes she went through over the course of the novel. Will def. be picking up the next in the Books of Bayern series.

On Familial Life: I loved that Ani’s home life wasn’t picture perfect. With a lot of fairy tale-esque books, the hero/heroine’s family is kind of glossed over as these benevolent people or their the most awful people on the planet. While Ani’s father may be seen as the former, her mother is portrayed with both good and bad traits and it made the situation believable.

And Another One: I didn’t think it was, but according to Hale’s website, The Goose Girl is actually based on a Grimm fairy tale. Will have to look into that…

One True Loves: (Pretty spoiler-y in this note kids) So I’m not sure I was a fan of Geric. This might be because we never really got to hear anything from his point of view (except a few brief passages towards the end). He just seemed a little…oh I don’t know…apprehensive about many things. And personally, if my protagonist is smart and witty, I want my protagonist’s OTL to be the same. I realize that’s not how it works and he did redeem himself a bit, but there were times that I was like, man, Ani you could do SO much better. And that’s usually not what you want in a love story.

However…

On the Whole: I adored the secondary characters of this book. All so very, very colorful (almost literally). They were unique personality-wise and I was cheering for them (or despising them for the bad guys) all through the end.

What life lesson I learned from this book: if being escorted to a new country, choose your own guard.

What I most wanted to do after reading this book: I always want to go riding whenever I read a book with horses in it. Now, I want to witness a birth and hear it say its name and speak it back so we can be BFFs (that made no sense to anyone who hasn’t read the book. And it probably was totally grammatically wrong. Just go with it.)

Re-Readability Rating: 2.5

Where this book came from: My personal library.