After seeing Beauty and the Beast, I knew I wanted Belle’s life—secret castle far away from everyone, talking household items fulfilling my every need, and an enormous library. Getting to kiss the prince was just a bonus! And the only way to be a princess like Belle was to dress the part.
But nothing lasts forever. Whether it was a growth spurt or my love of fruit punch, I had to give up my Belle dress for the pedestrian collection of clothes waiting in my unfortunately inanimate wardrobe. So I channeled my love for provincial French fairy tales into something more sustainable: reading. It’s likely that Disney Belle’s love of books is an homage to B&B’s original author, Gabrielle-Suzanne Bardot de Villeneuve, a noblewoman who defied social convention by earning her living from her writing. Regardless of who is telling this story, I wanted to read it. So for Princess Week, here is a list of Beauty and the Beast retellings that I have cultivated through the years. Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
Far darker than the stories familiar to audiences of today from the phenomenally successful Broadway musical and the early Lon Chaney, Jr. film, Leroux's Fantom is a genuine murderer, and the story, a true Gothic murder/horror tale. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, terrorizes the Opera Garnier (or Paris Opera House) by a successful multi-year blackmail plot. When new owners take over the Opera, Erik's reign of terror is abruptly curtailed. With this threat to his formerly comfortable living, and his budding, if bizarre relationship with the lovely soprano Christine Daee, coming to a halt, Erik takes drastic and murderous action. More complex, and far darker than the Broadway musical and film, some have criticized Leroux's novel for its deliberate Nineteenth century pace, and its talkiness. Others have found it fascinating and absorbing reading, with depths not to be found in the later, extraordinarily popular adaptations. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischutz."
What if Beauty became the Beast? Discover a new angle on the classic fairytale in this fantasy retelling that's perfect for anyone who can't get enough of Beauty and the Beast.
In the city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra is raised to be a human sacrifice. Her death will ensure her city’s vitality.
In the desert, a mutant beast named Gem fights to save his people, known as the Monstrous, from starvation.
Neither dreams that, together, they can return balance to their worlds.
When Gem is captured for trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, he becomes a prisoner of the city. Isra enlists his help, and soon begins to care for him—and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.