Rapunzel Stories in Modern Literature
Contemporary Versions of the Children’s Classic Fairy Tale
Oct 13, 2009
In the early 1800s the German folk scholars Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm popularized the story of Rapunzel whose roots have been traced back at least to the 17th Century in Italy with Giambattista Basile’s Petrosinella and in France with Charlotte Rose de Caumont de la Force‘s Persinette, or perhaps as far back as the 3rd Century and the legend of St. Barbara.
Since the last Grimm’s version of the story in 1857, the fairy tale has been retold and adapted many times. The following are some notable ones.
Rapunzel Tales for Pre-School or Early Elementary Readers
There have been several excellent picture book adaptations. Among these are Alix Berenzky ‘s Rapunzel (Henry Holt, 1995), Diane Stanley’s Petrosinella (Puffin Reprint, 1997), which is set in Naples and is based on Basile’s tale rather than the Grimm version, and Paul O. Zelinsky‘s Rapunzel: A Retelling (Dutton Children’s Books, 1997). The last is particularly outstanding because of the Caldecott Award-winning illustrations by the author.
Rapunzel Tales With Additional Characters
Some modern stories have added additional characters to the basic Rapunzel tale. One of the earliest of these is Nicholas Stuart Gray’s The Stone Cage (Dennis Dobson, 1963) in which an array of colorful characters, human and animal, band together to save Rapunzel. The author also created a stage play based on this work.
Cameron Dokey used the same approach in her Golden: A Retelling of Rapunzel (Simon Pulse, 2006). In this novel for young adults and above, Rapunzel, after turning 16, is told by her sorceress stepmother that she has another daughter, Rue, who was cursed by a wizard and needs Rapunzel’s help in breaking it.
Rapunzel-Type Tales in Different Times and Settings
Sara Lewis Holmes updated the story to contemporary times in Letters from Rapunzel (HarperCollins, 2007) in which a young girl believes that she is Rapunzel. However, unlike the original, she is not locked in a stone tower, but rather feels imprisoned in a society made up of people that she doesn’t understand. An award winning book for intermediate readers.
Another book for intermediate readers and above is Shannon and Dean Hale’s graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge (Bloomsbury, 2008), which is set in the mining camps of the Old West and features a very independent young woman. Jack, of beanstalk fame, also takes the place of the handsome prince.
Rapunzel as a Psychological Study
One of the finest of all the Rapunzel adaptations is Donna Jo Napoli’s Zel (Dutton Books, 1996). Set in 16th Century Switzerland, Napoli tells the story from three viewpoints - Zel, her mother (there is no witch in this story), and the young Count Konrad. This book for older readers is a dark, complex story of suffocating possessiveness that delves deeply into each character's psyche.
Rapunzel in Modern Short Stories
One of the earliest of the “modern” short stories is E. Nesbit‘s "Melisande"published in 1901. Since then, Rapunzel short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies.
Robin McKinley’s “Touk’s House” (The Mammoth Book of Fairy Tales, Carroll & Graf, 1997) uses elements from Rapunzel, but reworks the plot extensively. The witch is a sympathetic figure and her adopted daughter, named Erana, must eventually choose between the prince and the witch’s own son.
The anthology, Snow White, Blood Red (Avon, 1995), has several Rapunzel tales ranging from Gregory Frost's “The Root of the Matter," a dark and adult tale exploring the sexual tensions inherent in the original story, to Elizabeth Lynn’s humorous “The Princess in the Tower.“ In the latter story, a shamed Rapunzel locks herself in her room because she is a thin girl living in a country where plump women are prized.
Along similar lines as Lynn’s story, but without the humor, is Emma Donoghue’s The “Tale of the Hair” (Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, Harper Collins, 1997). In this tale, the heroine chooses to live in a tower because she is blind and fears the sounds of the outside world.
Other Rapunzel stories can be found in Black Swan, White Raven (Avon, 1997) and Black Heart, Ivory Bones (Avon, 2000).
Rapunzel in Modern Poetry
The first poem based on the maiden with long hair may have been "Rapunzel" written by the English writer William Morris (1834-1836). Since then, literally hundreds of other poems have been written. Many of the best can be found in Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry (University Press of New England, 1985) and The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales (Story Line Press, 2003).
For more on these, including a link to Morris’s poem, and additional information on Rapunzel novels and short stories, see SurLaLune Fairy Tales.
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