Beauty and the Beast - Humanities Resource

1 Beauty and the BeastMadame de VilleneuveStory Length: 26 pagesRead-Aloud Time: About 52 minutes About the StoryWhile returning home to his family, a merchant plucks a rose from a garden and is confronted by the Beast , who demands that the merchant send him one of his daughters in payment for his theft. As the rose was meant to be a gift for his daughter Beauty , she volunteers to go to the Beast . Once she arrives in the Beast s castle, she begins to have a recurrent dream in which a handsome prince beckons her. She wonders who he is, and what his connection is to the Beast . Beauty s questions are answered when she learns not to trust appearances. About the AuthorGabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, born in Paris in 1695, is considered to be the original author of the tale known as Beauty and the Beast .

2 The story was drawn from fairy tales and folklore, and was first published in 1740. The original book was 362 pages long, but it was later abridged and republished by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de 2011 by The Great Books Foundation35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 400 Chicago, IL Little you know what this rose has cost. Beauty ANDTHEBEASTM adame de VilleneuveOnce upon a time, in a far-off country, there lived a merchant who had been so fortunate in all hisundertakings that he was enormously rich. As he had sixsons and six daughters, however, who were accustomedto having everything they fancied, he did not find hehad a penny too much. But misfortunes befell day their house caught fire and speedily burned tothe ground, with all the splendid furniture, books,pictures, gold, silver, and precious goods it father suddenly lost every ship he had upon the sea,either by dint of pirates, shipwreck, or fire.

3 Then heheard that his clerks in distant countries, whom he hadtrusted entirely, had proved unfaithful. And at last fromgreat wealth he fell into the direst that he had left was a little house in a desolateplace at least a hundred leagues from the town, and tothis he was forced to retreat. His children were in despairat the idea of leading such a different life. The daughtersat first hoped their friends, who had been so numerouswhile they were rich, would insist on their staying intheir houses, but they soon found they were left former friends even attributed their misfortunesto their own extravagance and showed no intention ofoffering them any nothing was left for them but to take theirdeparture to the cottage, which stood in the midst of adark forest and seemed to be the most dismal place onthe face of the earth.

4 As they were too poor to have anyservants, the girls had to work hard, and the sons, fortheir part, cultivated the fields to earn their clothed and living in the simplest way, the girlsregretted unceasingly the luxuries and amusements oftheir former life. Only the youngest daughter tried to bebrave and had been as sad as anyone when misfortune firstov ertook her father, but soon recovering her naturalgaiety, she set to work to make the best of things, toamuse her father and brothers as well as she could, andto persuade her sisters to join her in dancing andsinging. But they would do nothing of the sort, andbecause she was not as doleful as themselves, theydeclared this miserable life was all she was fit for. But sheuMADAME DE VILLENEUVE uwas really far prettier and cleverer than they , she was so lovely she was always called two years, when they were all beginning to getused to their new life, their father received news that oneof his ships, which he had believed lost, had come safelyinto port with a rich cargo.

5 All the sons and daughters atonce thought that their poverty was at an end andwanted to set out directly for the town; but their father,who was more prudent, begged them to wait a little, andthough it was harvest time, and he could ill be spared,determined to go himself to make the youngest daughter had any doubt but thatthey would soon again be as rich as they were all loaded their father with commissions for jewelsand dresses which it would have taken a fortune to buy;only Beauty , feeling sure that it was of no use, did notask for anything. Her father, noticing her silence, said: And what shall I bring for you, Beauty ? The only thing I wish for is to see you come homesafely, she this reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she wasblaming them for having asked for such costly father, however, was pleased, but as he thought thatat her age she certainly ought to like pretty presents, hetold her to choose something.

6 Well, dear Father, she said, as you insist upon it, Ibeg that you will bring me a rose. I have not seen onesince we came here, and I love them so much. uBEAUTY AND THE Beast uThe merchant reached town as quickly as possible,only to find that his former companions, believing himto be dead, had divided his cargo between them. Aftersix months of trouble and expense, he found himself aspoor as when he started on his journey. To make mattersworse, he was obliged to return in the most terribleweather. By the time he was within a few leagues of hishome, he was almost exhausted with cold and he knew it would take some hours to getthrough the forest, he resolved to go on. But nightovertook him, and the deep snow and bitter frost madeit impossible for his horse to carry him any a house was to be seen.

7 The only shelter he couldget was the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there hecrouched all the night, which seemed to him the longesthe had ever known. The howling of the wolves kept himawake, and when at last day broke, the falling snow hadcovered up every path, and he did not know which wayto length he made out some sort of path, but it wasso rough and slippery that he fell down more than esently it led him into an avenue of trees which endedin a splendid castle. It seemed to the merchant verystrange that no snow had fallen in the avenue of orangetrees, covered with flowers and fruit. When he reachedthe first court of the castle, he saw before him a flight ofagate steps. He went up them and passed throughseveral splendidly furnished DE VILLENEUVE uThe pleasant warmth of the air revived him, and hefelt very hungry; but there seemed to be nobody in allthis vast and splendid palace.

8 Deep silence reignedeverywhere, and at last, tired of roaming through emptyrooms and galleries, he stopped in a room smaller thanthe rest, where a clear fire was burning, and a couch was drawn up cosily before it. Thinking this must beprepared for someone who was expected, he sat down to wait till he should come and very soon fell into asweet his extreme hunger wakened him after severalhours, he was still alone; but a little table, with a gooddinner on it, had been drawn up close to him. He lostno time in beginning his meal, hoping he might soonthank his considerate host, whoever it might be. But noone appeared, and even after another long sleep, fromwhich he awoke completely refreshed, there was no signof anybody, though a fresh meal of dainty cakes andfruit was prepared upon the little table at his he was naturally timid, the silence began toterrify him, and he resolved to search once morethrough all the rooms; but it was of no use; there was nosign of life in the palace!

9 He wondered what he shoulddo. To amuse himself, he began pretending that all thetreasures he saw were his own and considering how hewould divide them among his children. Then he wentdown into the garden, and though it was wintereverywhere else, here the sun shone, the birds sang, theuBEAUTY AND THE Beast uflowers bloomed, and the air was soft and sweet. Themerchant, in ecstasies with all he saw and heard, said tohimself: All this must be meant for me. I will go this minuteand bring my children to share all these delights. In spite of being so cold and weary when he reachedthe castle, he had taken his horse to the stable and fedit. Now he thought he would saddle it for his homewardjourney, and he turned down the path which led to thestable.

10 This path had a hedge of roses on each side of it,and the merchant thought he had never seen suchexquisite flowers. They reminded him of his promise toBeauty,and he stopped and had just gathered one totake to her when he was startled by a strange noisebehind him. Turning round, he saw a frightful Beast ,which seemed to be very angry and said in a terriblevoice: Who told you you might gather my roses? Was itnot enough that I sheltered you in my palace and waskind to you? This is the way you show your gratitude,by stealing my flowers! But your insolence shall not gounpunished. The merchant, terrified by these furious words,dropped the fatal rose and, throwing himself on hisknees, cried, Pardon me, noble sir. I am truly gratefulfor your hospitality, which was so magnificent I couldnot imagine you would be offended by my taking such alittle thing as a rose.