Children's Literature: A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training ClassesCurry, Charles Madison
General
Children's Literature: A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training Classes
Curry, Charles Madison
Children -- Books and reading; Children's literature -- Study and teaching
"What! my lord Marquis!" cried the king, "and does this castle also
belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court and all the
stately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you please."
They passed into a spacious hall, where they found a magnificent
collation which the ogre had prepared for his friends, who were that
very day to visit him, but dared not to enter, knowing the king was
there. His majesty was perfectly charmed with the good qualities of my
lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter, who had fallen in love
with him; and seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him while
they sat at the feast, "It will be owing to yourself only, my lord
Marquis, if you are not my son-in-law." The marquis, making several low
bows, accepted the honor which his majesty conferred upon him, and
forthwith, that very same day, married the princess.
Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, but only
for his diversion.
164
Perrault attached to the next story this moral:
"Diamonds and dollars influence minds, and yet
gentle words have more effect and are more to
be esteemed. . . . It is a lot of trouble to be
upright and it requires some effort, but sooner
or later it finds its reward, and generally
when one is least expecting it." English
versions are usually given the title "Toads and
Diamonds," though Perrault's title was simply
"The Fairies" ("Les Fées"). Lang calls
attention to the fact that the origin of the
story is "manifestly moral." He thinks "it is
an obvious criticism that the elder girl should
have met the fairy first; she was not likely to
behave so rudely when she knew that politeness
would be rewarded." It would be interesting for
a story-teller to test the effect of relating
the incidents in the order suggested by Lang.
TOADS AND DIAMONDS
There was once upon a time a widow who had two daughters. The oldest was
so much like her in face and humor that whoever looked upon the daughter
saw the mother. They were both so disagreeable and so proud that there
was no living with them. The youngest, who was the very picture of her
father for courtesy and sweetness of temper, was withal one of the most
beautiful girls that was ever seen. As people naturally love their own
likenesses, this mother ever doted on her eldest daughter and at the
same time had a sad aversion for the youngest. She made her eat in the
kitchen and work continually.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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