Cinderella

2021/12/23

Akira Katayama

Chairman of JATEX GMBH, Chairman of Munich Mita-kai, 1965 Economics

Many Japanese tourists visiting Munich always visit Neuschwanstein Castle because it is geographically close. It is also known that Ludwig II, who was the owner of the castle from 1864, had a close relationship with the great composer Richard Wagner.

Neuschwanstein Castle is said to have been the model for Cinderella Castle, but "Neu" means "new" in German. It is a castle newly built as a model of a German medieval knight's castle by Ludwig II's father, Maximilian II, who built Hohenschwangau Castle.

Ludwig II superimposed the opera Lohengrin, composed by his admired Wagner, onto his own youth. "Schwan" means swan in German. It is also the waterfowl on the coat of arms of the Counts of Schwangau. In 1866, the Bavaria region formed an alliance with Austria and faced Prussia, which was attempting to gain hegemony, but was defeated. Thereafter, Ludwig II was no longer the sovereign of the Bavaria region and led an unhappy life.

Yukinobu Umenai

Professor Emeritus of Kagoshima University, 1980 PhD Letters

The fairy tale familiar as Cinderella in Japan was originally included in the French court poet Perrault's "Stories or Tales from Past Times with Morals," and became world-famous through Disney animation. However, the original source is "Aschenputtel" (Cinderella) collected in "Grimms' Fairy Tales." In this fairy tale, there is no pumpkin that turns into a golden carriage, no mice that turn into beautiful horses, and not even glass slippers. The protagonist, Aschenputtel, is only given a dress woven with gold and silver thread and slippers embroidered with silk and silver thread. Both protagonists are treated unkindly by their two stepsisters but endure it. After her trials, Cinderella shares her good fortune with her sisters after marrying the prince. On the other hand, the stepsisters who try to share in Aschenputtel's good fortune are pecked by pigeons, losing their right eyes when entering the church for the wedding and their left eyes when leaving, becoming blind. This may seem cruel at first glance, but considering that it is pigeons inflicting the punishment, it is interpreted as divine punishment or providence.

Akira Baba

Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Japan Women's University, 2000 Letters

In the late 19th century, New York was buzzing with Cinderella. Various publishers, large and small, intermittently published over 200 versions of Cinderella picture books over half a century. Even the extraordinary showman P.T. Barnum staged a Cinderella play in 1850, which was reportedly well-received. The story of an unfortunate girl climbing the class ladder seems to have resonated very well with the discourse of the American Dream.

When it comes to geniuses who rewrite European folklore for their own purposes, there is no one like Walt Disney. During his apprenticeship, Walt produced a short animated film "Cinderella" in 1922. Interestingly, in this work, the setting is replaced with a modern residential area, and instead of a pumpkin carriage, a Model T Ford invites Cinderella to the ball. Later, the automaker Chevrolet produced an animated promotional film "A Coach for Cinderella" (1936), which attracted much attention. A Cinderella driving down the highway is very American indeed.

Sachiko Mori

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

"'Surely things will change soon.' So saying, Cinderella swept the ashes from the fireplace day after day." Finding characteristics of a dependent personality in this enduring Cinderella, Colette Dowling named the internal conflict of women the "Cinderella Complex" in 1981, forty years ago. Drawing on her own experience of remarriage and her experience with psychoanalysis, she provided insight into the hidden psychology of women living in the United States at that time. After the feminist movement for liberation reached its peak, what lay in the depths of women's minds at the time was a desire for something to change their lives, a desire for someone to depend on. Even if they are active on the surface, they potentially harbor dependency and an unconscious anxiety or fear of independence. As a result, a conflict arises where they cannot fully exercise their abilities, especially their creativity.

She, having been liberated from that complex, concludes that the way out is not to wait for something to happen, but to become a subject who promotes one's own change and growth—to become one's own Prince Charming.