Rumpelstiltskin: Children’s Book
the classic fairy tale illustrated and retold by Paul O. Zelinsky
Rumpelstiltskin is a classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale. This version, retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky is a classic in its own right.
The Story
Paul O. Zelinsky did not write the text for this story from his memories of the childhood classic but went back and studied history of the story as it was recorded and shaped by the brothers Grimm. Zelinsky includes in the book a note, in which he describes the history of the story from the first record of it through the various variations it was published under by the brothers Grimm.
Zelinsky decided to work from the 1819 text because the story told in that edition of Children’s and Household Tales compares to most of the elements of the story, as we know it today. Zelinsky does however, make it clear that while the 1819 version of the story was his working text, he also included elements from other versions and added a few lines of his own in order to create a text that would work the best with a picture book.
The Illustrations
Paul O. Zelinsky’s illustrations are not only beautiful but they also subtly hint at the sub-text that runs through this fairy tale. It is the story of a woman who is betrayed by the men in her life and who learns to rely on herself.
Heidi Anne Heiner of Sur La Lune captures the Miller’s daughter position and the psychological implications of her problems when she writes:
Note that the Queen, now sure of her victory, plays with the tiny man by guessing common names instead of the unusual ones she tried the previous two days...In my view, this is the first time she has the upper hand in any situation and she is savoring it. She has been a victim of the three men in the story, her father, her king/husband, and her helper. Finally, she has triumphed and gained some control, the control she needs to protect her child.
Zelinsky captures this subtext in the opening illustration in the book where he shows the miller’s daughter scooping flour while looking over her shoulder, through the doorway, at her father who is saddling his horse. There is something in her gaze and her posture that speaks to the instability in her life. As she pauses her work and turns her head over her shoulder we see much of the white of her eye, the tightness of her lips, the noncommittal posture neither working nor turning to say goodbye to her father. Perhaps her father’s boast and her subsequent trials were not completely unanticipated by her.
In her first interaction with the manikin Rumpelstiltskin, the miller’s daughter smiles as he begins his work. The smile is small and her eyes look sad but she still has hope. When she meets him again her posture and the look in her eyes when he pulls the ring from her finger as his reward is again noncommittal. At their third visit, her gaze as she peers up at the little man who is crouched over her like a carrion bird is fearful but there is still something reserved and strong in the back of her posture. She agrees to his request for her child because as she thinks to herself “who knows whether that will ever happen?”
When she weds the king, his gaze is neutral and while it seems to be on her it also seems to look past her. She on the other hand looks straight out at the viewer for the first time. In that gaze she throws at us, there is something challenging and perhaps even calculating. This is a woman who has decided to seize her unhappy destiny and make the most of it.
A year passes and the Queen gives birth to a boy. When Rumpelstiltskin enters the room to claim his prize, you see not only her slight gasp of fear but you also see her mind turning as she seeks her way out. Many pages of beautiful and detailed illustrations describe her attempts to determine the name of her benefactor and bane. On the last page, we see the Queen holding the infant, her eyes nearly closed as she gazes at him, a full smile on her face. The King stands behind her with a perplexed expression on his face, a hand held out in inquiry. One gets the impression that the Queen hopes to mold this fourth man in her life into something better.
In Conclusion
One might wonder why you would read such a grim story of female oppression to your children. There are two good reasons. First, it is a classic fairy tale. Second, they won’t read the sub-text. They will see beautiful illustrations that capture the imagination and lead them to a new world (and give them an appreciation for fine art) and they will hear a story where the Queen wins and evil is driven away never to be ‘heard from again.’
For more books illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, try Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel.
Rumpelstiltskin, Retold and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton Children’s Books, 1997, ISBN 0-525-44265-0).
