‘Donkey‐Skin’ (‘Peau d'âne’, 1694)is a verse fairy tale, composed by Perrault when ‘Donkey‐Skin tales’ were already synonymous with ‘fairy tales’. Its rich oral heritage found literary versions in Straparola's ‘Doralice’ and Basile's ‘L'Orza’ (‘The Bear’). A defence of women written during the ‘Querelle des femmes’ (‘Debate about Women’), its virtuous heroine, depictions of fashion, and social commentary on hypocritical courtiers, impotent pedants, and parasitic curates appealed to the 17th‐century French salon public. Jacques Demy's 1971 film starring Catherine Deneuve has likewise enchanted 20th‐century audiences.
A dying queen makes her husband promise to remarry only someone as beautiful as she: he pursues their daughter. On her fairy godmother's advice, the daughter tries to repel his incestuous designs by demanding impossibly lavish gowns and the slaughter of his cherished, gold‐defecating donkey. Disguised by its pelt, she flees, works as a peasant, and is reviled for her uncivilized appearance. One day, a prince spies upon a lovely maiden trying on opulent garments. He becomes dangerously lovesick, and can be cured only by one of her cakes. Her tiny ring slips into the batter, he arranges a contest to locate the damsel whose finger it fits, and—like Cinderella—the filthy worker regains her royal status.
Bibliography
- Lewis, Philip, Seeing Through the Mother Goose Tales (1996).
- Morgan, Jeanne, Perrault's Morals for Moderns (1985).
- Soriano, Marc, Les Contes de Perrault (1968).
— Mary Louise Ennis
