Cinderella

Cinderella is a European legend or folk tale about a motherless girl. She was raised by her father, but he remarries unwisely and suddenly dies, leaving her at the mercy of a wicked stepmother and two selfish stepsisters. She is helped by a fairy godmother to meet and wed a handsome prince. The story is a favorite of little girls.

The classic plot element which makes the story memorable is the slipper (or shoe) which Cinderella loses while running out of the ball. The prince uses this as a token to identify the mysterious girl he enjoyed dancing with. The prince or his agents scour the countryside, having every unmarried lady try it on. In some variations of the story, the stepmother tries to prevent Cinderella from trying it on ("She's only a servant.")

Movie versions

• Cinderella (1950): A Disney animated version
• Ever After (1998): A live action film with Drew Barrymore

Operatic versions

• La Cerenterola by Gioacchino Rossini, a comic opera

External links

• Cinderella, from the Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales, as translated in 1884 by Margaret Hunt. See also: Grimm index page