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FLOUTING MAXIMS IN “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” MOVIE

Communication is one of important part in human life. This research related to the phenomenon of pragmatics. This research focused on analyzing the flouting of maxims in the Disney film entitled “Beauty and the Beast”. The purpose of this study is to determine the kinds of maxim flouting produced by the actor. For this research, the researchers used Grice's theory of flouting maxim. This research used descriptive qualitative as the research design which shapes how the report of the analysis would be descriptively. This research collected the data by applying observational and non-participatory technique by Sudaryanto (1993). As for analyzing data, the researchers used pragmatic identity method and pragmatic competence- in equalizing technique. From the analysis of the collected data, the researchers found that several conversations of the main characters in this film contained flouting of the maxims. Those were 4 data of maxim quantity, 4 data of maxim quality, 3 data of maxim of relevance, and 2 data of maxims manner.

Intensely Original

  The story of Beauty and her beast is truly a tale as old as time: a beautiful girl falls in love with a beast and her love transforms him into a prince. This project is framed by Joosen’s (2011) argument regarding fairy tale retellings disrupting Jauss and Benzinger’s (1970) claim that fairy tales and retellings align with the horizon of expectations. Using Kemmerer’s A Curse so Dark and Lonely (2019), a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling, this essay tests Joosen’s (2011) theory to determine if the retelling remains true to or diverges from the original parent material. 

The Roles of Attitude in The Storyline of Beauty and The Beast (2017) Movie (Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach)

<p>This research is about analyzing the attitude used by the script writer in Beauty and The Beast (2017) movie. It is aimed to find the roles of attitude in giving the characterizations in the movie and the roles of attitude in building the narrative text in the movie using systemic functional linguistics approach.</p><p>This research is a descriptive qualitative research, implementing descriptive comparative method with discourse analysis. The source of the data is the utterances from the characters. Primary data were also collected applied genre relation, characterization theory and systemic functional linguistics, especially appraisal theory. In analyzing the data applied Miles &amp; Hubberman’ s (1992) interactive model with Spradley’s (1980) ethnographic steps which include domain, taxonomy, componential, and cultural context analysis.</p><span>The results of this research show the findings: (1) attitude takes roles in giving direct and indirect characterizations in the form of physical description, action, emotional and physical reaction, thought, speech, (2) In building the narrative text, affect takes roles to express the characters’ emotional feeling, judgement is used to describe and evaluate the characters’ behavior, and appreciation is used to describe the character’s physical appearance, the setting of place of the story and to give an abstract valuation. </span>

Motywacja metamorfozy a potworność cielesna i duchowa w wybranych realizacjach wątku „Pięknej i Bestii”

The article discusses the motivations of the monstrous metamorphosis in some Beauty and the Beast retellings, chiefly those by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (1740), Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1756), Alex Flinn (2007), and Małgorzata Musierowicz (1996). Other versions are mentioned as a broader context. The aim of the article is to observe a correlation between transmotivation and a retelling’s structure and message. While folk versions usually omit the motivation altogether, literary and film retellings often provide in-depth explanations of the transformation. In the 18th-century fairy tales, the metamorphosis is a villainy inflicted on an innocent victim, and Beauty has to see through the monstrous appearance in order to realize the true, internal beauty of the Beast. Retellings from the 20th and 21st centuries, on the other hand, often present the metamorphosis as a comeuppance for some emotional and moral fault. Physical deformity reflects spiritual monstrosity, and the Beast’s struggle with the latter helps him become free of the former. As a consequence, transmotivation implies a shift in the narrative from Beauty’s experience to the Beast’s internal change. This may be due to the didactic tradition of the fairy tale for children, in which the hero is tested and disciplined, as well as the influence of the modern novel, focused on individual characters’ psychology

A Rhetoric of Classism and Reading Cultures in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Challenging hegemonic gender norms in emma donoghue’s “the tale of the rose” and disney’s beauty and the beast.

While heteronormativity remained at the core of the classic fairy tale, a queer subtext existed in the form of subtle symbolic codes. By reflecting the changing socio- cultural discourses about sexuality and gender in time, the representation of queer sexuality in fairy tales has also developed. This paper attempts a queer reading of the revisioning of Madame Beaumont’s “Beauty and the Beast” in Emma Donoghue’s “The Tale of the Rose” and the 2017 Disney version. This paper demonstrates how Emma Donoghue’s adaptation deconstructs the heteronormativity of Beaumont’s tale by dismantling the binaries of Beauty/Beast and man/woman and represents queer sexuality and desire through multi-layered language. This paper also examines how in the Disney version the story takes a new dimension in close proximity to twenty-first century media culture and lends itself to queer interpretation.

Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve: Beauty and the Beast; The Original Story, ed. Aurora Wolfgang

Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) messenger rna vaccination and myocarditis— beauty and the beast, the ‘troubled rebel girl’ and the ‘boy-next-door’: the apparent inversion of gender and love archetypes in 13 reasons why, élite and sex education.

Teen series play a central role in the socialization process of young people, since they offer portrayals and models that young people can relate to, identify with or modify and break. Previous studies have shown that teen series continue to perpetuate a stereotyped gender representation and usually reproduce a heteronormative relationship model based on the myth of romantic love following the storyline of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The present study consists of a close reading of three popular current Netflix teen series: 13 Reasons Why (2017–present), Élite (2018–present) and Sex Education (2019–present). The results show an inversion of the gender archetypes of Beauty and the Beast. The three female protagonists are ‘badasses with a good heart’, embodying the typical archetype of the ‘Beast’, while the three male protagonists are patient, caring, innocent and even virginal, embodying the archetype of the ‘Beauty’. However, unlike in the classic model, the boys fail in their attempts to save their beloved from themselves, and the girls end up suffering irreparable consequences. The tragic end of the female characters condemns them to the impossibility of a redemption that has traditionally been granted to males.

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Beauty and the Beast

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Do you think the revelations and backstory in Chapters 7 and 8 help the story? Why or why not? If you rewrote the novel, would you include all this information? If so, would you keep it at the end or incorporate it into the rest of the story? Why? If you eliminated any information, what would you eliminate and why?

Compare the commentary Barbot De Villeneuve makes on 1740s society to societal norms today. Do you think society has achieved the ideals she promoted in Beauty and the Beast ? Why or why not? If not, what changes remain incomplete, and how might society achieve them? If society has reached Barbot De Villeneuve’s ideal, what might be the next challenge for society to tackle, and could lessons from Beauty and the Beast help with this challenge? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

Given that the story is a tale of ideals for women, what did you expect from Beauty’s character, and was she what you expected? Why or why not? If so, what parts of her personality made her true to your expectations, and why those parts? If not, what did you expect from her, and how might her character have differed to more accurately reflect who you expected her to be?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — Beauty and The Beast

Essays on Beauty and The Beast

The tale of Beauty and the Beast has been a popular subject for essays and analysis for centuries. From its origins in folklore to its modern interpretations in literature, film, and theater, the story has captivated audiences with its themes of love, acceptance, and inner beauty.

Writing an essay on Beauty and the Beast allows for a deep exploration of these themes and their relevance in today's society. The story's portrayal of true love transcending physical appearances can prompt discussions on societal beauty standards, self-worth, and the importance of looking beyond outward appearances.

When writing an essay on Beauty and the Beast, it is important to consider the various interpretations and adaptations of the story. From the original French fairy tale to Disney's animated and live-action films, each version offers unique perspectives on the characters and their motivations. Analyzing these differences can provide valuable insights into the story's enduring appeal.

Additionally, it is crucial to examine the historical and cultural context in which Beauty and the Beast was created. Understanding the societal norms and values of the time can shed light on the story's underlying messages and moral lessons. This historical perspective can add depth and complexity to the essay's analysis.

In crafting an essay on Beauty and the Beast, it is essential to support arguments with evidence from the source material. Whether it's quoting passages from the original tale or analyzing specific scenes from a film adaptation, using textual evidence strengthens the essay's arguments and demonstrates a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Furthermore, incorporating outside research and scholarly sources can provide additional context and support for the essay's analysis. Drawing on literary criticism, cultural studies, and psychological theories can enrich the discussion and offer new perspectives on the story's themes and characters.

In conclusion, writing an essay on Beauty and the Beast offers a unique opportunity to explore timeless themes and engage in meaningful discussions about love, beauty, and acceptance. By considering different interpretations, historical context, and supporting arguments with evidence, an essay on Beauty and the Beast can provide valuable insights into the human condition and the enduring power of storytelling.

What Makes a Good Beauty and The Beast Essay Topics

When it comes to writing an essay on Beauty and The Beast, choosing the right topic is key. A good essay topic should be thought-provoking, engaging, and relevant to the themes and characters in the story. To brainstorm and choose the perfect essay topic, consider the different aspects of the tale such as love, sacrifice, inner beauty, and societal expectations. Think about how these themes relate to modern society and how they can be analyzed in a new and interesting way. A good essay topic should also be specific, allowing for in-depth analysis and interpretation.

Best Beauty and The Beast Essay Topics

• The portrayal of gender roles in Beauty and The Beast
• The symbolism of the enchanted rose in the story
• The theme of inner beauty versus outer beauty
• The evolution of the Beast's character throughout the tale
• The role of forgiveness and redemption in the story
• The impact of societal expectations on the characters
• The representation of love and sacrifice in Beauty and The Beast
• The portrayal of Belle as a feminist character
• The significance of the enchanted objects in the Beast's castle
• The use of magic and fantasy in the story
• The cultural significance of Beauty and The Beast
• The exploration of personal growth and transformation in the tale
• The impact of the Beast's curse on his character development
• The role of music and sound in the storytelling
• The comparison of different adaptations of Beauty and The Beast
• The relevance of the story's themes to modern society
• The role of the villain in Beauty and The Beast
• The importance of family and community in the tale
• The representation of self-acceptance and self-worth in the characters
• The impact of Beauty and The Beast on popular culture

Beauty and The Beast Essay Topics Prompts

• Imagine you are Belle and write a diary entry describing your feelings towards the Beast.
• Write a modern retelling of Beauty and The Beast set in a different time period or location.
• Create a character analysis of one of the enchanted objects in the Beast's castle.
• Write a persuasive essay arguing whether the Beast is a hero or a villain in the story.
• Imagine you are a reporter interviewing the characters from Beauty and The Beast and write a feature article based on their responses.

The Multifaceted Beauty of Sarah: a Descriptive Essay

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Beauty and The Beast': Issues of Personal Development

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Gender Roles in The Movies Beauty and The Beast, Mr Mom and The Little Mermaid, and Mulan

Comparison of beauty and the beast and eveline in terms of predominant images, analyzing "beauty and the beast": the feminist lens.

Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve

Fairy Tale, Fiction

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The Effect of Beauty and the Beast

This paper discusses the impact of movie's subliminal messages on adolescent minds while analyzing the children's film, Beauty and the Beast. The paper is focused on criticizing the underlying sexist notions in Beauty and the Beast by outlining ways in which the film perpetuates gender stereotypes. Research on the psychological impact of gender stereotypes on adults is supported for the readers to understand the lasting impact in which gender stereotypes can make on children. Characters in the film that follow the gender stereotypes are examined: the Bimbettes, the Beast, Gaston, and Belle. The paper studies the roles in which these characters take part, and their exaggerated physical appearances that communicate sexist ideas towards the audience. The colors that these characters' are associated with are outlined, as the colors are arguably based on their gender. Furthermore, the harmful actions of the male protagonist, the Beast, towards the female protagonist, Belle, are thoroughly analyzed: the Beast's actions demonstrate emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, and emotional labor. Discussion of the apparent portrayal of Stockholm syndrome in the film is stated, which is emphasized to be harmful to children, especially girls. The paper criticizes Disney for romanticizing such abusive behaviors that may leave a lasting impact on children's minds.

Related Papers

University of York

Lucy Finnighan

Maria Tatar states that the fairy-tale Beauty and the Beast depicts, “The transformative power of empathy, that encodes messages about […] romance, marriage, and ‘The Other’” (9). Because of these coded messages, the story and its many retellings have provided fertile ground for discussions on empathy and gender. The tale, from its very inception, has managed to resonate with how different eras view empathy and its interactions with gender relations, which can be seen through the multiple adaptations and variations of the tale. Through four chapters, my dissertation explores four iterations of Beauty and the Beast, along with other culturally mainstream “beastly” media, through the lens of gender and empathy. The first chapter explores Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s 1756 fairy-tale, and how it reflects conflicting ideas of sympathy and arranged marriage. The second chapter discusses how Jean Cocteau’s 1946 avant-garde film subverts the 1940s culture of gender conformism along with its forcing of female domesticity, and does so by reflecting Simone de Beauvoir’s ideas of gendered reciprocity. The third chapter considers the manifestation of the New Sincerity in Disney’s 1991 animated film, and how it prioritises male transformation over female self-definition. The fourth chapter, which covers the Disney 2017 remake, looks at how feminist critique targets the fairy-tale, and how it is counteracted by the trend of nostalgia within media. I conclude that the multiple iterations of Beauty and the Beast show that despite being a “Tale as old as time,” the story is still being told in accordance with western society’s view of gender relations and empathy, and it is very likely that the tale will continue to be told.

Kaelyn Flowerday

This paper examines and compares two American animated productions—Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Adventure Time (2010-present)—targeting children, and in doing so aims to elucidate the handling of gender in similar television programs and feature films of the past three decades. These animated works are treated as a Foucauldian apparatus, one predicated on the force of systematically structured observation, which enacts power relations in the favor of hetero- and cis-male order.

Trends in Langauges and Literature, Ile Ife OAU Press

Charles Ogazie

Film or cinematography, has become a viable visual medium which appeals to its audience in a multifaceted manner. This admirable role is necessitated by the fact that the thoughtful use of the expressive aspects of film generally enables the film maker to articulate subtleties of human experience and work against stereotypes. In spite of the above mentioned relevance of cinematography, animated feature film or cartoon as it is fondly referred to, has since been seen as a mere ‘child’s play’ which has no serious utilitarian value except to occupy children in their leisure periods. This paper however bares the fact that animated film or cartoon is not just a mere cinematographic innovation which entertains and communicates meanings to its audience, particularly the “immature minds”. Instead, it should be seen as a powerful visual literature which is greatly endowed with the ability to inform, persuade, teach morals, and eventually lead its audience towards positive insurrection and multifaceted change in society through its themes.

Media Studies in Nigeria: Genesis and Detour

No doubt, film has emerged a veritable medium of transmitting vital developmental lessons across to its numerous audiences through its rare filmic language and properties. In recent times, messages conveyed through animation, a film technique have arguably been lightly treated and abased by some critics. Its form and content also has since ceased to be reckoned with as literature of change due to many misconstrued assumptions factored after demography and coupled with the presumption that the film genre characters which are non-humans only appeal to young minds. This paper, using the tenets of media content analysis of selected animated feature films, argues that this presumably neglected film technique (animation) is an effective and viable visual literature through which multifaceted message(s) can be channeled to all categories of audiences while being entertained at the same time by its " unusual " but metaphoric characters.

The Disney Middle Ages: A Fairy-Tale and Fantasy Past, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp.171-188

Clare Bradford

Rim Letaief

From the days of its inception by Walt Disney, the Disney Company has been known for its classical films. Classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Mulan, Pocahontas and others, despite being inspired from universal fairy tales and folk tales, have been molded by the Disney Corporation in order to fit into the American culture. Such fact accounts for the success of Disney’s classics which have become box-office hits, garnering millions of dollars for their production company and serving as a source of inspiration for Americans. Viewers of Disney’s classics, which are chiefly children, are deeply affected by the gender and ethnic stereotypes encompassed in the classics. As a result, these classics turn out to be a teaching tool for children and a major means of shaping child culture, and consequently American culture. This study examines how the gender and ethnic stereotypes embedded in Disney’s classics serve as symbols of their times and stand witness to cultural trends like consumerism, patriarchy, the Sexual Revolution, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the melting pot ideology and multiculturalism. The current research also seeks to prove that the stereotypes permeating Disney’s classics seem to market and promote ideals like cultural imperialism and white privileging, thus victimizing minority groups due to the various ethnic stereotypes they include. An additional objective of the present study is to shed light on the gender stereotypes omnipresent in Disney’s classics as well as on their negative impact on women and on the paramount role these stereotypes play in shaping American culture. Through heavily relying on primary and secondary sources dealing with the classics of Disney, the current research endeavors to offer a qualitative analysis of the stereotypes filling Disney’s classics and to establish a link between the latter classics and American culture as well as the widespread media forms in the US.

Sarah-Marleen Dannenberg

Nehal A. Patel

Dr Eve Benhamou , Steven F Roberts , Miguel Gaggiotti , Dominic Lash

Beauty and the Beast seems to possess a perennial fascination, having persisted in various forms for somewhere between 2500 and 6000 years (da Silva and Tehrani 2016) even before Gabrielle de Villeneuve published her famous version in 1740. It has held a particular attraction for makers of cinema and television: more than fifteen audio-visual adaptations have been produced since Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film. 2016 seems an appropriate time in which to reflect on the tale’s continuing resonance, given that this year is both the 70th anniversary of Cocteau’s version and the 25th anniversary of Disney’s much-loved take on the story; a new (live-action) Beauty and the Beast is scheduled for release by Disney in 2017. One of the virtues of myth is its inexhaustible applicability. This one-day interdisciplinary conference brings together papers on a great variety of version(s) and rendering(s) of the tale – whether in cinema, theatre, literature or other media – and also on the pairing of “beauty” with “beast” in the widest possible sense; rediscovering the tale in unexpected places.

Zsófia Anna Tóth

“Disney’s Violent Women, In Quest of a ‘Fully Real’ Violent Woman in American Cinema” in Chovanec, Jan (ed). Brno Studies in English Volume 43 No 1 (2017), Brno: Masarykova Univerzita V Brnĕ, 185-212. (ISSN 0524-6881, DOI: 10.5817/BSE2017-1-11), available: https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/137093/1_BrnoStudiesEnglish_43-2017-1_13.pdf?sequence=1

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A Summary and Analysis of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Fairy Tale

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Perhaps such an august fairy tale of such fine vintage deserves closer analysis, since it’s clearly spoken to many cultures across a vast time span. What makes ‘Beauty and the Beast’ so intellectually satisfying (to borrow the Opies’ phrase), and why has it endured?

Plot summary

Well, first, here’s a quick reminder or summary of the plot of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. A wealthy merchant has three daughters, the youngest of which is admired widely for her beauty, and comes to be known simply as ‘Beauty’.

Her older sisters are far prouder than she is, and let it be known that they will only marry an earl or duke. When their father loses his fortune, the two older sisters find it difficult to adjust to a life of penury, but the loyal and modest Beauty sets about finding ways to help out her father around the house.

After a year of this, their merchant-father receives a letter telling him that a ship containing some of his property has arrived in port, so he sets off to meet it.

He asks his daughters what gifts they would like him to bring back for them: the two eldest daughters ask for expensive gowns and jewels, but Beauty requests a simple rose. Their father sets off, but after the legal hearing concerning the ship’s property, he leaves with nothing, and begins the despondent journey home.

On his way, he gets lost in the woods, and comes upon a house where he takes refuge. This great house appears to be empty, and the merchant falls asleep in it, and wakes to find that breakfast has been prepared for him. Going out into the garden, he remembers his promise to Beauty, and so plucks a single rose from the bush – at which point, a fearsome Beast appears, declaring that he is the owner of the house and that the merchant has insulted his hospitality by stealing a rose like this.

The Beast says he will kill the merchant, but the merchant begs for his life, and the Beast says he will allow the merchant to live, as long as he returns home and brings back one of his daughters to be killed in his stead. Failing that, in three months’ time the merchant must return and face his fate.

The merchant, seizing the opportunity to see his daughters again, agrees, and the Beast gives him a bag full of coins to be on his way home. When he arrives home, the merchant keeps the money a secret, but tells his children about his promise to the Beast.

When Beauty hears about it, she says she will follow her father back to the Beast’s palace, since she won’t allow him to be killed for her (it was because he plucked a rose for Beauty that the Beast sentenced him to death).

At the palace, the Beast sees that both Beauty and her father have arrived, and so he dismisses the father, who reluctantly and despondently returns home, convinced that the Beast will eat up his daughter at the palace.

But the Beast treats Beauty well, who in turn is kind to the Beast: she admits that she finds him physically ugly, but she sees that he has a good heart underneath. He asks her to marry him, and she says no. Not content with this, the Beast continues to ask Beauty every night if she will marry him, but each night she says no.

Beauty, learning that her older sisters have married and her father is all alone at home, asks the Beast if she might go and visit him. The Beast agrees, since he cannot bear to see Beauty unhappy, but as long as she agrees to return after a week.

Beauty agrees to this, but when she is at home with her father, her sisters – jealous of their sister, who has been given the finest clothes by the Beast, while they have married horrible husbands – return home and conspire to use emotional blackmail to make Beauty stay away from the Beast for longer than a week. They hope that by doing so, the Beast will be enraged and will come and devour Beauty!

But after she has been at home for ten nights, Beauty grows ill at ease. Why did she refuse to marry Beast, just because he is ugly? He is kind and caring and worships her, and wants to make her happy. She would be happier with him than her sisters are with their selfish and cruel husbands. So she resolves to return to the palace.

But when she gets there, she finds the Beast on the floor, unconscious; bringing him round, he reveals that when she didn’t return as promised, he resolved to starve himself. Now she has returned, he can die happy. But Beauty says she will marry him, and longs for him to live.

No sooner has Beauty said this than the Beast disappears, and is replaced by a handsome young prince, who tells her that an evil fairy cast a spell over him, transforming him into a hideous creature; he would only be freed from the spell when a young woman agreed to marry him. Beauty has freed him from the wicked spell.

A beautiful fairy appears, and uses magic to transport Beauty’s father and her sisters to the palace. The fairy turns Beauty’s two older sisters into statues, so that they must forever look on their younger sister’s happiness: this is the punishment for their malice. Beauty and the Prince Formerly Known as Beast get married and live happily ever after.

Stockholm Syndrome: this has made the tale of Beauty and the Beast unpalatable in some circles. Beauty only comes to love the Beast because she is placed under house arrest at his home; she initially doesn’t want to be there.

And the moral of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ seems to be all over the place. Beauty’s reward for prizing virtue above physical good looks is … an attractive husband. It’s not that there’s no way of interpreting or analysing this so that it makes sense, just that the story’s moral is not as straightforward as it is in some other fairy tales.

Why did ‘Beauty and the Beast’ become popular when it did? This is difficult to pinpoint for sure, and any analysis of the fairy tale’s popularity must be based partly on conjecture, but it’s possible to see it as a tale promoting the idea of marriage to someone you might not necessarily find attractive: it is significant that Beauty’s father is a merchant, and his daughters either want to marry wealthy and aristocratic men or else it is expected that they will.

Arranged marriages were common in France at the time: was ‘Beauty and the Beast’, in the last analysis, a sort of ‘handbook’ for young brides entering into marriages with hideous older men, all hair and bad breath but with a good kind heart underneath (if they were lucky)?

Different versions

‘Beauty and the Beast’ appeared in Madame Leprince de Beaumont’s Magasin des enfans, ou dialogues entre une sage Gouvernante et plusieurs de ses Élèves in 1756. But in fact, as already noted, the basic plot of the story dates back far earlier. There was a 1740 version (much longer) also published in French, by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and this is the first version of the tale of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as we now know it.

Before that, Madame d’Aulnoy, French queen of the fairy tale (and originator of the term), had written ‘Mouton’, or ‘The Royal Ram’, which appeared in an English translation in 1721, and shares some similarities with ‘Beauty and the Beast’. But there is also a similar tale in the Pentamerone from the 1630s, involving a monster marrying a beautiful princess.

The Opies mention a popular non-western version in which ‘a crocodile changes into a fine man when his bride consents to lick his face.’ Even The Golden Ass , from the 2 nd century AD, we get a version of the story involving Cupid and Psyche. In short, we’ve been fascinated by this idea of hideous beasts marrying beautiful women for a long while. Perhaps what that tells us about marriage and the sexes is best left unexplored.

Continue to explore the world of fairy tales with these classic Victorian fairy stories , our discussion of the Bluebeard myth , and our analysis of the ‘Hansel and Gretel’ fairy tale .

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4 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Fairy Tale”

Could it be men see themselves as beasts wanting to desecrate beauty of women?

Shows that a father is wiling to sacrifice his child to save his own life. Men, including the christian god do things like that all the time. Children are goods to be given away or traded for something. It again shows how evil sisters, step or otherwise, are to each other. Bitter competition or jealousy over men who can care for them, since women are never allowed to take care of themselves and are always forced into dependency. Shows how beauty, in women is not appreciated by other women but seen as something to hate and envy, so no sisterhood there either. Women turning on women, hating, ganging up on the pretty one, Cinderella, etc., always women hating. Women sent to die. Boys/princes are never motherless, jus the girls/princesses. Dead women are the best women in a lot of fairy tales and the dead ones are usually the nice mothers. So this is just one more tale about horrible fathers who care more about themselves then they do their daughters. Men getting what they want and females hating each other. Sigh. Blah.

Hmm, I just reviewed this very story when Theatre By The Lake produced it over the Christmas period. As usual, I researched it before writing my review and I have to say I was left disquieted. I was taken aback by the final ‘message’ of the play that ‘a beautiful innocent can marry a monster and change him into a prince’.

Given the history of the publication(s) – namely to prepare well-to-do French girls for arranged marriages – the implications are clear. It is selling a myth that if you are pious and virtuous, well-behaved and do all that is expected of you, you can turn your monster of a husband into something decent. By implication then, if your husband remains a monster, you must be getting it wrong and need to work harder.

For me, I find this somewhat unpalatable and feel Beauty and the Beast needs to be consigned to the realm of ‘stories we don’t like to talk about any more’. Especially noting the continued popularity of both film versions. Young girls are still getting the message in a rather covert but definite way. My own experience is that my own daughter remains a fan even in adult life now and she’s far from alone in the area where we live. We storytellers have to careful with the messages we bring….

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Beauty and the Beast

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Beauty and the Beast Essay

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Beauty and the Beast ( La Belle et la Bête in French) written by Madame Leprince Beaumont in 1776, is renowned for its reformist and moralistic character, especially for discoursing feminine ideals. The story was written with the aim of educating young ladies of the virtues of femininity (Zipes 31).

Beaumont wrote the tale in her magazine as an educational and moralistic story for she strongly believed in reforming the women readers. She wrote her stories in order to reform women within the Christian domain (Walker 61). The discourse of a good woman in her stories was apparent, and the one under study is no exception.

However, these feminine qualities portrayed by Beaumont surpassed the traditional constructs of feminine virtues. The feminine characters that Beaumont stressed on were far greater than just being a kind and self-sacrificing woman. This forward-looking feminine view is apparent in her story Beauty and the Beast . Though she retained many of the traditional feminine virtues of the eighteenth century, she challenged many others that subjugated women.

It has been stated that Beaumont supported female education, and stressed women’s superiority over men (Walker 61). Her stories opine her views on femininity and female superiority. The idealistic world of female superiority painted by Beaumont in her stories was mostly domestic and had a deep sense of religiosity in it. She herself stated that she used her novels as a device to “instill virtue” among “young readers” (Walker 61).

In Beauty and the Beast Beaumont portrays the female with feminine virtue becomes the real hero and saves a man doomed for his ignorant arrogance and feeling of superiority. This essay analyses the portrayal of feminine ideals in the story Beauty and the Beast . This paper argues that de Beaumont’s version of Beauty and the Beast transcended from the traditional feminine ideals, to present women as strong and willful rather than submissive and docile, even when they retained their virtue of kindness and generosity.

The setting of Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast is the world of merchants and nobility (Beaumont 1). The story depicts a class struggle of the merchants and the nobles, where the merchant’s daughters dream of upward mobility. However, the struggle is dealt with only briefly and the story moved on to the good-natured “Little Beauty” in contrast to her arrogant and airy sisters. The story narrates the feminine virtues that all women must embrace through prosperity and poverty.

The story presents a prosperous family in the beginning and shows the selfless, humble, and genteel behavior of Beauty. Beaumont’s Beauty becomes the ideal for feminine virtues. The story clearly demonstrates the feminine virtues that Beaumont wanted to preach among young women – goodness, education, tolerance, and humility. She spins the tale of an ill-fated merchant and his family of six children – three daughters and three sons.

Beaumont emphasizes that all the children of the merchant were educated by stating, “… he spared no cost for their education” (1). The heroine of the story, Beauty, the youngest of the six children, and the most “handsome” of the three sisters wan the one with sweet temperament. Beauty was not just a woman of kindness and of feminine virtues, but also courageous and hard working. The virtues of Beauty were demonstrated through her selfless conduct.

First, when her father was rich, she did not lose her head in arrogance like her elder sisters and treated all with courtesy. Then when their fortunes fell, Beauty remained composed and helped her father and brothers in hard time through her help to do the household chores. Then in the end to prevent, her father going into the clutches of the Beast with whom she falls in love and then marries. Her virtues are hailed and rewarded when the Beast turns out to be a prince under a fairy’s curse and becomes the Queen.

Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast is actually the story of Beauty. Beaumont actually adapted the story of Beauty and the Beast as a moralistic story for the education of young women. The true virtuosity of Beauty is revealed when she learns to keep a household and do the household chores even though she was not accustomed to work like a servant. Beaumont wants to reveal that hard work is another ideal for women, and they should take pride in doing household chores rather than be lazy.

When her father learns of the safe journey of his lost ship, he asks his children what they want from the city. While Beauty’s sisters ask for dresses and jewels, Beauty in her modesty asks for a rose that Beaumont explain, “Not that Beauty cared for a rose, but she asked for something, lest she should seem by her example to condemn her sisters’ conduct, who would have said she did it only to look particular.” (Beaumont 3)

Through this, Beaumont emphasizes that women of ideals would know the financial situation as well as the men and would take care not to squander hard-earned money. Beauty’s virtues are further demonstrated when she decides that it would be she who goes to live with the Beast in order to save her father’s life.

Though Beauty remains visibly scared of the Beast initially, she learns to like the heart within the scary facade, and a friendship between the two evolves. This demonstrates that Beauty had successfully transcended from her fears and prejudice against those who looked ugly even though she truthfully acknowledges it. Here Beaumont imbibes another ideal for women – always speak the truth. An ideal woman is one who speaks the truth, even if it is not endearing to the other’s ears.

Beauty has an unending sense of duty. Beaumont adorns her heroine with a sense of duty that is shown in all course of the story. She worked for the household as she feels it to be her duty to take care of the house – “Beauty rose at four in the morning, and made haste to have the house clean, and dinner ready for the family.” (Beaumont 2) However, it must be noted that Beaumont emphasizes that the female must work within the household, and that is her rightful duty.

Beauty again becomes the ideal female, unlike her sisters who were lazy. However, it must be noted that the sphere of women’s work, as demarcated by Beaumont is the household. Beauty’s sense of duty is expressed further when she decides to go and live with the Beast in place of her father demonstrating that a daughter must be ready to sacrifice herself for the safety of her family (expressed as her father in the story).

However, it must be noted that Beaumont in her version of the story leaves it as a choice for Beauty to decide for herself if she wanted to do the sacrifice for her father and she viewed it as her duty rather than sacrifice as has been expressed in earlier version of the story by Madame de Villeneuve’s story (153-229). Therefore, Beaumont stresses the feeling of duty towards her parents should be an innate quality of women and should not be confused as a sacrifice.

Beaumont stressed the need to avoid vices in women through the discourse of the evil and conniving elder sisters of Beauty. Through the character of the sisters, Beaumont created an “other” for the genteel Beauty in order to demonstrate the vices that should be present in female character.

Beaumont in the very beginning of the story sates that Beauty was the youngest of the sisters but she was admired the most: “… but everyone admired the youngest one in particular…. [and] called her simply ‘Little Beauty’…. as a result it led to a great deal of envy on the part of her sisters” (Beaumont 1). Beauty relation with her sisters creates her character as a humble female.

Beauty stats that in order to hide her sister’s follies she asks for a rose from her father: “Not that Beauty cared for a rose, but she asked for something, lest she should seem by her example to condemn her sisters’ conduct, who would have said she did it only to look particular.” (Beaumont 3) In another instance, when Beauty returns to visit her family for a week, the evil sisters were unhappy to see Beauty so happy and adorned in riches. This leads them to plot against her:

Beauty’s sisters sickened with envy, when they saw her dressed like a princess, and more beautiful than ever, nor could all her obliging affectionate behavior stifle their jealousy, which was ready to burst when she told them how happy she was.

They went down into the garden to vent it in tears; and said one to the other, in what way is this little creature better than us, that she should be so much happier? “Sister,” said the oldest, “a thought just strikes my mind; let us endeavor to detain her above a week, and perhaps the silly monster will be so enraged at her for breaking her word, that he will devour her.” (Beaumont 12)

They were envious of their little sister’s good fortune and lamented over their misfortunes. They chose their husband unwisely as the elder fell for the love of good looks and the second daughter fell for wit. Bet both their husbands mistreated and neglected them. The otherness Beaumont created through the elder sisters showed the vices that women should not have.

Beauty’s sisters through their envious nature, constant harmful actions against their younger sister, and Beauty’s constant forgiveness outshine her and bring forth her positive qualities. Therefore, beauty’s good qualities set at the backdrop of the conniving evil elder sisters bring forth the former’s good nature. Beauty realised her true self through the unkindness and egocentricity that she did not want her husband to be neither handsome nor witty like her sisters.

On the contrary, she wanted a husband who was caring and warm hearted like the Beast. This self-realization of beauty to ultimately marry the beast was brought forth through the wickedness of her sisters. Thus, beauty’s unwavering kindness was received with wealth and happiness, while the wicked sisters were punished for their treachery and are turned into statues that would constantly witness their sister’s kindness and learn from her warm nature.

Beaumont undoubtedly wanted Beauty to become the ideal feminine role model with all the traditional values of kindness, generosity, humbleness, self-sacrificing, and trustworthy. However, her Beauty digresses from her predecessor’s Beauty in her essence of self-identity. Beauty is the individual in Beaumont’s novel. She is a girl with all the virtues of a true feminine irrespective of her class. Villeneuve recounts that her Beauty was of noble birth, and therefore, her good nature was innate to royalty (220).

However, Beauty of Beaumont was good-natured naturally irrespective of the class she belonged to. Further, in Beaumont’s story beauty assumed the central and maximum attention. In contrast to Villeneuve version of the story, Beaumont clearly omits a few lengthy areas of her predecessor’s novel – the episode of the beast’s early life. The Beast in Beaumont’s story is a character that supports in demonstrating beauty’s graciousness.

Beaumont creates allegorical beauty who loves books and she derives some of her good nature from her love of good books. Therefore, she stresses that beauty was a reading woman to emphasize the importance of education in young women. Therefore, many believe Beaumont’s Beauty was created in the middle class background, and not in the noble class, with the specific desire to create a new kind of heroine “specifically to reinforce the goals of the meritocracy for the young women who were the intended audience” (Cummins 23-5).

Beaumont’s Beauty is scholarly and has an intellectual element in her stature. Beauty amused herself with reading even when she did all the household chores. When at the Beast’s palace, Beauty explored the house, discovered “Beauty’s Apartment”, and found there a large library:

She opened it hastily, and was quite dazzled with the magnificence that reigned throughout; but what chiefly took up her attention, was a large library, a harpsichord, and several music books. (Beaumont 8)

Beaumont stressed that even when beauty was alone and afraid she found courage in her books, again stressing on the importance of education for women. Therefore, need for education for reformation of women formed an important discourse in Beaumont’s story.

So, was Beaumont creating a heroine who was educated and well read, full of virtue, but was docile, submissive like the traditional women, and feminine? Was Beaumont trying to show that the true mark of a woman was in her obedience, humility, and patience? On reading the story from the point of view of a modern feminist, Beaumont’s Beauty emerges as a submissive character that shows women to be self-sacrificing at the cost of drowning their won desires, and subjugating to the marriages that are arranged by their family in depicting beauty’s situation at the Beast’s castle is concerned.

Further, the aristocratic girl in Beaumont’s story is shown that one should be wise enough to marry a man who may appear as a beast at first appearance, but a true woman can transform even a beast to a beautiful prince (Griswold 63). Nevertheless, one must acknowledge that it was written in the eighteenth century and from the point of view of the then prevalent social orders, Beaumont appears to be a radical feminist.

One of the most radical views presented in the book was equal education for both boys and girls, when the then prevalent social norm was to school only boys. Beaumont’s Beauty is not always submissive as her beauty may recoil with horror at the first sight of the Beast but that does not prevent her from speaking her mind. This shows the willpower in the heroine. Then her decision to save her father was taken as she felt that she had equal responsibility to save her father like her brothers, and not as an act of sacrifice.

Further, when Beauty returns to meet her father, she indulges in her own wishes and does not submit to the Beast’s orders. Therefore, from the context of eighteenth century, the book upholds female independence and education that may seem trivial from today’s context but then, assumed great importance. Thus, Beaumont’s Beauty emerges not as a heroine but as a female hero in her Beauty and the Beast .

Works Cited

Beaumont, Jeanne Marie Le Prince de. Beauty and the Beast. NA: Forgotten Books. , 1756. Print.

Cummins, June. “Romancing the Plot: The Real Beast of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast .” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 20(1) (1995): 22–8. Print.

Griswold, Jerome. The meanings of “Beauty and the Beast”: a handbook. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2004. Print.

Villeneuve, Gabrielle Suzanne de. “The Story of Beauty and the Beast.”.” Zipes., Jack. Beauties, Beasts, and Enchantment: Classic French Fairy Tales. New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1989. 153–229. Print.

Walker, Lesley H. A mother’s love: crafting feminine virtue in Enlightenment France. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presse, 2008. Print.

Zipes, Jack David. Fairy tale as myth/myth as fairy tale . Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 1994. Print.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, the beauty and the beast of consumption: a review of the consequences of consumption.

Journal of Consumer Marketing

ISSN : 0736-3761

Article publication date: 16 August 2019

Issue publication date: 18 October 2019

The purpose of this paper is to answer the following question: What can researchers learn from consumer research that can inform them about the consequences of consumption?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows guidelines for a summarization conceptual model. First, the paper offers a review of consumption theories and research studies on a variety of consumption-related constructs. Then, a bird’s-eye view is taken to critically synthesize the findings.

The consequences of consumption can be summarized along a framework reflecting the positive and negative effects of consumption on oneself, one’s relationships, one’s society and the Earth. Knowledge gaps in previous research are identified, and a set of propositions is provided to enrich the understanding of the consequences of consumption.

Research limitations/implications

The bird’s-eye view of the studies addressing the impacts of consumption identified gaps of knowledge in this area; these gaps constitute valuable topics for future researchers to study. The findings of the paper stress the need for studying the boundaries of different consumption effects. The review emphasizes the complex intermingling between consumer motives (antecedents) to behave in certain ways and the impacts (consequences) of such behaviors. The major limitation to this research stems from the immensity of the task involved.

Practical implications

This paper informs public policymakers on how to create realistic regulations that take into consideration the complexity of consumption. It calls on governments to provide an infrastructure that facilitates experiential consumption and to educate consumers, through the media and the public schools, to consume responsibly.

Originality/value

Whereas previous researchers have focused on a particular consumption practice while studying the consequences of consumption, this paper provides a comprehensive review that includes an array of practices. This paper synthesizes previous research findings through presenting a framework delineating the effects of consumption and identifying knowledge gaps in this research domain. The paper also provides a set of propositions that can guide future research on the topic.

• Environment
• Sustainable marketing
• Alternative consumption
• Impact of consumption
• Review of consumption

Nasr, N. (2019), "The beauty and the beast of consumption: a review of the consequences of consumption", Journal of Consumer Marketing , Vol. 36 No. 7, pp. 911-925. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2017-2163

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• Breaking Baz: ‘Sherwood’s’ James Graham Hits West End With Alan Bleasdale’s ‘Boys From The Blackstuff’, Talks Europe-Set TV Thriller & Updates On Soccer Drama ‘Dear England’

By Baz Bamigboye

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The 45-minute time-frame is kinda apt because each half of a soccer game is three-quarters of an hour.

So let’s kick off with the football, and I’ll fill you in on  Boys from the Blackstuff  farther down the column.

The playwright’s  Dear England  is ostensively about the beautiful game and England men’s football team manager Gareth Southgate’s attempts to transform the squad’s physical and mental acuity, but it’s underpinned by its spotlight on the country’s national identity and its ability to accept losing before they can win games again.

Joseph Fiennes, who portrayed Southgate on stage at the National and a transfer to the Prince Edward Theatre, will repeat the role in the TV production that will go before cameras later in the year.

Graham and the play’s director Rupert Goold, artistic chief of north London’s Almeida Theatre, travel to Germany “to hang out with some people at the [Football Association] who’ve been very generous with access to games and people.”

And because it’s a show for the BBC, Graham’s hoping “to be with some of the BBC Studios guys like Gary Lineker and just see how that process works. I think the media and the press will be a more present character in the TV drama.”

The story will still be framed around Southgate, but an ending is up for grabs.

In the stage play [SPOILER ALERT], as Graham has it at the moment, Southgate and England skipper Harry Kane hug after Kane’s missed penalty.

Should England prevail at the Euros and actually, like, win the thing, “I will totally accept that,” he says.

“This sounds like such a treacherous thing to say as an England fan, as a playwright it’s a better story at the moment [where we lose],” Graham says. “But it’s a story about how to learn to lose, how we have to accept that we are going to lose quite often and regularly as a country and how we find strength in that, lessons from that. But I’ll accept it if we win,” he says, smiling as he pops a French fry into his mouth as we chat in the Union Club in Soho.

When I press him on why we don’t enjoy winning, he says simply, ”I think we can’t win until we are better losers.”

We’re a strange country, I remark.

“We’re a mad country,” he responds. “Because we’re so old. That’s why we’re mad,” he suggests.

He cites that when the German team lost to England heavily in the early 2000s, it was such a trauma that the Germans went away and spent a decade rebooting. “The Das Reboot,” he jokes.

“Quietly, calmly, scientifically, they said, ’OK, so how do we regenerate and rebuild and reboot and let go of the past?’ Then they come back 10 years later and they win the World Cup again. We just can’t do that,” Graham argues.

“We can’t, like, regenerate. And that’s what Southgate’s trying to do,” he adds. “To celebrate the past, don’t burn it down but be released from it to write a new story. And that’s why we’re doing better than we’ve ever done before, because we have to learn to deal with our past. And deal with the fact that we’re going to lose and we’re not always going to be amazing.”

Graham accepts that it’s galling that the England national team isn’t always exceptional at a game it invented. “And that’s OK .Just because we invented it — what a lovely gift to invent something, give it to the world and then they beat us at it. That should be a great thing,” he reasons.

Fiennes, so good in the stage version, is the only actor cast so far for the  Dear England  drama series.

He’s up for “a couple of cameos from legacy players” like goalkeeper David Seaman.

Graham says he’s still working out what to do about the Gary Lineker character in the play.

“It’s quite fun to have the real Gary, or would that take away from investing in the fiction [of the play]? I don’t know.”

The soccer legend caught the play at the National and was “very generous and lovely” and impressed that the actor portraying him “really got his accent.”

Graham was nervous, though, “because it’s only my interpretation of their story, and he sort of confirmed ’that feels like you’re telling the right story of what Gareth has done in terms of this transformation, and how we did it.’ And that was a relief.”

But he and Goold are still doing “loads and loads” of research, hence the forthcoming trip to watch the Euros, like meeting with players and striking coaches “and things like that, just to give it authenticity.”

Neither Southgate nor Harry Kane and the England players saw  Dear England .

However, Southgate deputized family and friends to check it out.

Graham tells me that there are developments “at an early stage” to bring Dear England back into a London stage and then to tour soccer cities such as Manchester and Sheffield. 

If we’re not  always exceptional at the national game, Graham agrees that “we’re exceptional in theatre.We’re exceptional at drama but we don’t have to win all the time.”

Boys from the Blackstuff  is a winner, though.

Set in the early 1980s, the show’s about a Merseyside gang of workers who lay tarmac — the  black stuff — but they’ve run out of road as jobs become scarce and they risk breaking the law when they take on odd jobs while also receiving government benefits. 

These working men of the north — whether they be road workers, ship builders, miners or whatever — are the backbone of our country. Rather, they were. Successive Labour and Conservative governments shut down traditional industries, leaving whole swathes of the country north of Watford scratching for jobs that weren’t coming back.

More than that, the play’s about men — and women — demanding to be seen. Demanding to have a job. Demanding to raise their families out of poverty.

Watching the production, directed with passion and wit by Kate Wasserberg, which began at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre, it’s not hard to see how Graham’s version of Bleasdale’s seminal work echoes the hardships many are enduring now.

Boys from the Blackstuff  started out as a single play, where the men do have jobs, though it all goes wrong for them. And then Bleasedale came up with the series starring Bernard Hill and Michael Angelis.

There’s a line in that first drama where in-your-face Yosser makes this incredible speech: ”I’m a man. I want to be seen. Look at me!”

Graham found that as heartbreaking as I do, and he begged Bleasdale if he could structure a story that would include it. “I feel it’s like a story about masculinity in the modern world. And these men are just screaming, ‘Look at me!’”

It started with Kate Wasserberg, who’s just taken over as artistic director of Theatr Clwyd in Wales and who, incidentally, directed several of Graham’s earlier works at the off West End Finborough Theatre in west London. 

Graham heard that she wanted to offer him a job.

It was the last thing he wanted. 

At the time, he was writing  Sherwood  — Season 2 is on BBC TV in the fall and a third season is awaiting the green light — the bound-for-Broadway-in October  musical  Tammy Faye  with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and directed by Goold; the  Dear England  play; another called  Punch , which had a short run at his hometown Nottingham Playhouse and is toying with West End transfer proposals; and a musical based on George Orwell’s  Animal Farm  that he’s collaborating on with Beauty and the Beast  composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater ( Sister Act, School of Rock-The Musical ), to name but a few of Graham’s projects.

“I was so busy. I was like, ‘No matter what she offers me, I’m going to say no.’ And then on the phone she said the words  Boys from the Blackstuff , and I was like, ’You f*cker. How can I say no to that?”

He admits that was “completely misplaced prejudice” because when he went back to the original TV single play and the five-part series, he found that they still resonated. “Just those timeless human stories of despair and loss and identity,” Graham said.

He’s believes that though the story’s from a past era, the new adaptation, as noted earlier, resonates. “A different situation, but the despair is the same and the anger is the same,” he says.

The work places Bleasdale, Graham believes, as “the British Arthur Miller.”

What both he and Graham bring across is a powerful sense of “the north’s resilience, and it’s the north’s sense of humour despite the bad hand they’ve been dealt“ but done with humour, grit and poetry. These men really express themselves through Bleasdale and Graham.

The two artists did a workshop at the National Theatre. It was before lockdown, and they worked with a group of actors; some were members of the original TV cast including Michael Angelis “before he died, bless him. It was a lovely full circle for him.”

Graham wrote a draft and sent it to Bleasdale. Then he’d jump on a train and go visit him in Liverpool. “We’d go to a Chinese restaurant on the docks, and we’d just go through it, and he would give notes.”

The notes would be written in black using a big felt pen on A4 paper “one note per A4 page, and you just get this pack to take home. It’s brilliant. It’s very analog but beautifully so.”

The famous “Gizza job!” and “I can do that!” lines from the TV drama remain popular sayings in many parts of the UK, because there are many who seek regular, properly compensated employment. But the difference now, says Graham, is that there isn’t the camaraderie of the kind Yosser and his mates had back in the ’80s.

“You’re a cog in a corporate machine, whether it’s an Amazon warehouse or a call center. You don’t have that sense of community around your work,“ he says before noting that he doesn’t imagine people “getting the same sense of self worth from having to work three different jobs.”

Boys from the Blackstuf f runs in the National’s Olivier Theatre until June 8. Bill Kenwright Productions will transfer it into the Garrick Theatre from June 13 through August 3.

The cast includes George Caple ( Doctor Who ) Dominic Carter ( Coronation Street , Game of Thrones ), Helen Carter ( The Flint Street Nativity  at Liverpool Everyman), Aron Julius ( Death on the Nile ,  Death in Paradise ), Nathan McMullen ( Doctor Who Christmas Special ), Lauren O’Neil (plays  Witness for the Prosecution ,  This House) , Jamie Peacock ( Masquerad ), Barry Sloane ( The Bay ,  Litvinenko) as Yosser, Liam Tobin   ( Then and Now ) and Mark Womack ( The Responder , Murphy’s Law). Boys from the Blackstuff  marks Graham’s third play at the National Theatre after  Dear England  and  This House .

On top of everything else on his slate, Graham’s exploring the idea of a thriller, as yet untitled, with House Productions, the producers of  Sherwood . It’s very early days, but he wants to look at “the mood sweeping across Europe at the moment. I think it would be set in multiple different countries and capture the feeling of, not revolution, but unease about the old order.

It’s another compelling topic for the playwright of Nottingham to explore.

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