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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 11:44:25 -0600
I agree with Carrie Schadle (see her message below) that I wanted a different resolution to Ella Enchanted. I was disappointed that Ella couldn't find her voice on her own behalf; only when she needed to speak to save the prince did she overcame the curse. I wanted an ending that would say to girls, to whom the book will appeal, "YOU are worth fighting for yourself" because I wanted Ella to realize "I am worth fighting for--I will find a way to speak on my own behalf." I think romance can be well and fine, but I thought that Ella Enchanted presented the perfect opportunity to be affirming for girls in a delightful context--it wouldn't have had to seem didactic at all. So it is hard for me to separate what I think about the book as it stands from the book as I wanted it to be, because it was heading down such a promising path.
Megan Schliesman Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
One thing that bothered me about _Ella Enchanted_ is that in the end, despite the spunk shown by Ella, I had the feeling that it was all about getting the Prince. I know it is accomplished in a more novel way, but if my memory serves me correctly, she kind of becomes obsessed with him
(too strong a word?) in the end, and nothing else seems to matter. I enjoy these kinds of fleshed-out fairy tales enormously, and this one will surely find a popular audience, but I wanted a stronger, more feminist resolution to the story.
******************************** Carrie Schadle Aguilar Branch, New York Public Library bz227 at freenet.buffalo.edu 212/534)30
Received on Tue 10 Feb 1998 11:44:25 AM CST
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 11:44:25 -0600
I agree with Carrie Schadle (see her message below) that I wanted a different resolution to Ella Enchanted. I was disappointed that Ella couldn't find her voice on her own behalf; only when she needed to speak to save the prince did she overcame the curse. I wanted an ending that would say to girls, to whom the book will appeal, "YOU are worth fighting for yourself" because I wanted Ella to realize "I am worth fighting for--I will find a way to speak on my own behalf." I think romance can be well and fine, but I thought that Ella Enchanted presented the perfect opportunity to be affirming for girls in a delightful context--it wouldn't have had to seem didactic at all. So it is hard for me to separate what I think about the book as it stands from the book as I wanted it to be, because it was heading down such a promising path.
Megan Schliesman Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
One thing that bothered me about _Ella Enchanted_ is that in the end, despite the spunk shown by Ella, I had the feeling that it was all about getting the Prince. I know it is accomplished in a more novel way, but if my memory serves me correctly, she kind of becomes obsessed with him
(too strong a word?) in the end, and nothing else seems to matter. I enjoy these kinds of fleshed-out fairy tales enormously, and this one will surely find a popular audience, but I wanted a stronger, more feminist resolution to the story.
******************************** Carrie Schadle Aguilar Branch, New York Public Library bz227 at freenet.buffalo.edu 212/534)30
Received on Tue 10 Feb 1998 11:44:25 AM CST
