Disgruntled at not being invited to the princess' christening, a wicked fairy casts a spell that dooms the princess to sleep for a hundred years. Source: LOC

The tale of the sleeping princess awoken by her handsome prince is a well known one. The precious child long sought after by a prosperous King and Queen is finally delivered to the great joy and delight of the kingdom. However disaster strikes when an offended fairy, not invited to the christening through her own reclusiveness that caused others to forget her existence, proceeds to curse the child to death on her fifteenth birthday. Luckily another fairy was able to alter the curse so that not death but sleep would befall the princess. And so a hundred years later the sleeping princess was awoken by her prince and they all lived happily ever after.

The Sleeping Beauty is a classic story for so many reasons; it is a tale of caution, to not offend powerful fairies or go wandering into locked towers. But more than this it demonstrates that you cannot run from your fears but must face the inevitable, come what may. A story that speaks to the romantic in all of us, that true love is worth waiting for, even if it takes a hundred years. Ultimately, though, it is about the curse of ignorance and the power of knowledge, for if someone had thought to tell the poor girl of her curse she might not have been so keen to use a spinning wheel. A much beloved classic here retold that should be reread. ( )

My copy of Arthur Rackham’s illustrated Sleeping Beauty (retold by C.S. Evans) is not a very fancy edition, being one of the cheap Dover reproductions, but since the artistic style that Rackham is employing are his signature silhouettes, so the simple style of the book does not hinder the illustrative content. Rackham’s silhouette style is put to the test to showcase this story, having to illustrate the intricate details of the spinning wheels (and the fires that destroy them), the tangle of briar roses that surround Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and the myriad of surrounding story details. With his usual aplomb, Rackham brings his characters to life throughout the story, as his simple linework expresses the anger of the slighted fairy, the grace of Sleeping Beauty, and the daring action of the prince who eventually rescues her. But where this story stands out for me, are in his more extensive scenes which depict the stage upon which his characters play. The bathing scene where the Queen meets the prophetic frog who promises her a child depicts her bathing chamber as a lush, vine encrusted grotto, which becomes reminiscent of antique Greek artwork and sculpture when paired with her nude outline. I was also impressed with the active feel of the scene where the pile of spinning wheels are set afire in the capital following the King’s decree. Rackham grounds the image with the castle and town in the background, with the flames overlapping the structures in careful white cut out sections, which I am sure were tricky to plan and execute. The final action scene of the Prince cutting through the massive briar patch was the standout moment, though, as Rackham must carefully depict the intricacies of the tangled rose branches without overwhelming his image with either dark or light spaces. He maybe went a little lighter than I would like, but the addition of the skeletal remains of the fallen princes who came before heightens the intensity of the image and clearly showcases the danger for our winning prince. I still very much want a copy of this book which matches my other Rackham fairytale publications, but for now at least I have the lovely silhouette illustrations - which are what really counts with books like these! ( )

398.2

republication of 1920 original. Silhouette style illustrations.