RAPUNZEL

 

Bibliographic Information:

Zelinsky, Paul O.  1997. Rapunzel.  Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky.  New York, NY: Puffin Books.  ISBN 978-0-7569-1310-6.

 

Summary:

A couple expecting a child lives next to the garden of a sorceress.  When the expectant mother begins to crave some of the herb (rapunzel) that she sees growing there, the husband goes to take some and is caught by the sorceress.  He is allowed to take the herb to his sickly wife only if he vows that the sorceress can have the child when it is born.  When this happens, she appears, names the child Rapunzel and takes her away to eventually live alone in an isolated tower in the forest.

 

Years later when a king’s son is riding through and hears Rapunzel singing, he climbs up into the tower via her flowing her as he’d observed the sorceress doing.  They fall in love, marry in a private ceremony and are expecting a child when the sorceress discovers their secret relationship.  What will become of Rapunzel, her prince and baby now?

 

 

Critical Analysis:

The usual good-vs-evil theme is a little toned down in this retelling of Rapunzel.  The sorceress is not some wicked, hag-like crone but rather seemingly (at times) a kind, caring person.  She does take Rapunzel from her parents but the narrative tells us she “cared for the baby, seeing to her every need.”  Only when she reached the age of twelve, does she lock her up in the tower.  Later in the story, she confronts Rapunzel when she finds out she is expecting a child and says “I thought I had kept you safe, away from the whole world, but you have betrayed me.”  She feared the effects living among others in society would have on Rapunzel and attempted to keep her totally away from it all.  But is that really “protection” or is it abusive and unfair?  And is her over-protective behavior and subsequent anger and bewilderment when it didn’t work really any different from that of many parents who attempt to “protect” their child from the world at all costs? 

 

This is another great example of how a touchy question can be addressed without overly sermonizing about it.  The narrative can subtly prompt parents and children to discuss the sorceress’s behavior and motives and how modern parents can avoid the same errors.  Obviously, they’re not going to lock their children in towers in the forests but not allowing them any freedom or privacy is the modern equivalent of that, is it not?  Trying to “protect” them by controlling every aspect of their lives is no less misguided than the sorceress’s attempts to kepp Rapunzel from the influences of the world at large.

 

The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful.  They look like recreations of fine Renaissance art.  According to the extensive notes in the book, Zelinsky used oil painting to evoke the feeling of Italy during that period of time.  The loving expressions on the faces of all the characters, including the sorceress when she is watching Rapunzel play as a young child, really sets the tone and demonstrates the love among the various characters.  Similarly, the looks on their faces at time of trouble are realistically portrayed as disturbed.  The interior of the houses and the exterior shots of the garden, the forest and the tower are all very detailed and alluring.  Who wouldn’t want to live there?  Even the tower is beautiful inside and out.  The accuracy in detail of the wardrobes is very interesting and the recurring appearances of cat’s in the images is another fine detail Zelinsky was sure to include.  Not only are the illustrations exquisite but they are detailed and historically accurate.  It’s a fascinating combination.

 

 

Book Review Excerpts:

“Exquisite paintings in late Italian Renaissance style illumine this hybrid version of a classic tale. As Zelinsky (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990, etc.) explains in a long source note, the story's Italian oral progenitor went through a series of literary revisions and translations before the Brothers Grimm published their own take; he draws on many of these to create a formal, spare text that is more about the undercurrents between characters than crime and punishment…Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command.”  (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 1997)

 

“The rich oil paintings evoke the portraits, sculpture, architecture, and light-filled landscapes of Renaissance art. The costumes are lavish, the interiors intricate. Rapunzel is both gorgeous and maidenly. The sorceress is terrifying: the pictures also reveal her motherliness and her vulnerability, especially in the two double-page narrative paintings that frame the drama. One shows the sorceress taking the baby--and we see how she lovingly cradles it in her arms; in the climactic painting, when Rapunzel, the prince, and their children find each other, the whole natural world of rock and sky and tree seem to close around them in a loving embrace. Children--and adults--will pore over the intricate detail and glowing colors; they will also be moved by the mysterious tale of nurture and passion and terror.”  (Reviewed November 15, 1997) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews.

 

“It takes a scholar's mind and an artist's insight to endow the familiar with unexpected nuances--which Zelinsky does with passion and dazzling technique. His choice of a Renaissance setting is inspired, allowing for many artistic and architectural allusions. The book demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision. Extensive notes are appended.” Copyright 1998 Horn Book Guide Reviews

 

 

Awards:

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, 1998.

 

 

Connections/Further Activities:

Bring some of the actual herb, rapunzel, in for children to see, touch and taste.  It's also known as "rampion:"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_rapunculus
 

Do a craft project by using cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls to form a tall tower that children can make a window in and decorate.  This could be done as one huge one they all work on together or each could do an individual one of less height.

 

 

Title read-a-likes:

The love for three oranges - by Sergei Prokofiev; illustrated by Elzbieta Gaudasinska.

 

Hansel and Gretel – retold by Rika Lesser; illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.

 

Rumpelstiltskin – retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.