Cinderella’s Body. A Quantitative Approach to Gender, Embodiment, and Folktale Plots

Jeana Jorgensen

doi:10.1515/fabula-2023-0003

Article

Cinderella’s Body. A Quantitative Approach to Gender, Embodiment, and Folktale Plots

Jeana Jorgensen
Jeana Jorgensen earned her PhD in Folklore from Indiana University and is currently Lecturer in the Department of History, Anthropology, and Classics at Butler University.

Published/Copyright: July 18, 2023

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From the journal Fabula Volume 64 Issue 1-2

Abstract

This study utilizes quantitative methods to investigate feminist claims about beauty in a series of ATU 510A Cinderella texts. Youth and beauty are found to be linked, and structurally, the protagonist’s encounter with the donor figure does not further beautify her but rather gives her the tools for social advancement. Articulating links between gender, beauty, and success matters in both tale worlds and the real world given not only the pressure of social norms but also the continued issue of gender-based violence due to masculine entitlement to beautiful women’s bodies.

About the author

Jeana Jorgensen Ph.D.

Jeana Jorgensen earned her PhD in Folklore from Indiana University and is currently Lecturer in the Department of History, Anthropology, and Classics at Butler University.

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Published Online: 2023-07-18

Published in Print: 2023-07-12

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https://doi.org/10.1515/fabula-2023-0003