Hi,
I would like to ask you for correction or any comments. I would be really grateful if you read this analysis which I called " Daughters as a range of goods."
Thank you in advance for your help
Petr
In this essay I will compare and contrast two stories – Angela Carter´s “The Tiger´s Bride“(The Bloody Chamber, 1979) and de Beaumont´s “Beauty and the Beast” (La Belle et la Bête, 1756). The main aim of this comparison will be focused on the shocking theme of both stories - trading with a daughter as a range of goods.
“The Tiger´s Bride” describes the life of a young girl whose father was a gambler. He lost her at cards and was forced to give her to the winner. The winner (called The Beast or Milord) wanted to see her naked. After she stripped off for him, The Beast gave all money and property (that was lost in the game) back to her farther and let her go. The father did not care for her - took all the money and abandoned her. Therefore she decided to stay with the Beast in his palace.
“Beauty and the Beast” tells a story about an old merchant who stole roses for his youngest daughter called Beauty. He was caught in the act by Beast who was the owner of the roses. Beast claimed compensation and demanded that merchant would send him one of his daughters. His strict command was: “one of them come willingly, and suffer for you“. There was an alternative performance in case of merchant´s failure to meet obligations - “if your daughter refuses to die in your stead, you will return within three months."
Father was forced to “promise, upon oath” he would perform the ungrateful task. After he came home and said what had happened, Beauty offered to sacrifice her life instead of her father´s. Though father and her three brothers disapprove her offer, she insisted on it. She argued that “you shall not go to the palace without me; you cannot hinder me from following you." So she went to the Beast´s palace.
Surprisingly, she wasn´t killed or injured by Beast. On the contrary, she had a wonderful time in his palace. After a few weeks she even grew fond of him. On the other hand, she missed her father a lot. So she begged Beast for her return to her father for a week. After she made a promise to come back again, he agreed.
When she was with her father, she missed Beast and noticed that she had fallen in love with Beast. Therefore she came back and her love changed Beast into a beautiful prince. It broke a terrible curse that made him ugly.
The main thesis of both stories is that everything can be bought; it is only a matter of price. It means that you can buy everything even a human being. During centuries described in both stories it was normal to trade with human being as a thing. Slave trade was not as scandalous as nowadays.
These stories presented an historical evolution of attitudes to the trade with human being during centuries. Each of them is situated in different epoch. “Beauty and the Beast” took place sometimes between the end of 17thcentury and the middle of 18th century in Europe.
I determined this period of time because of activities and objects mentioned in the text. In 18th century “balls, plays and concerts” started to be attended by middle-class society. Before these social events had only been for aristocracy. Author also noted that Beauty “would often look on her watch to see when it would be nine“ or „the clock struck nine“ which presented Pendulum clock, invented in the middle of 17thcentury. This story was first published in the middle of 18th century so author described society and equipment that he knew very well because he lived during those decades.
The Tiger´s Bride was situated during 19th century in Milan. Author described Milord with old-fashioned tailcoat which became increasingly popular at the end of 18th century and during 19th century. Objects such as “clockwork” , “Chinese pot” and “pile of banknotes” which are presented in the story, are also in common use in 19th century. The title milord was well-known as a word which continental Europeans (especially French) commonly used to address Englishmen or male English-speakers who seemed to be upper-class in 19th century. “The Czar´s menagerie at Petersburg” showed us that this story became before 1917 when the last tsar abdicated following the February Revolution.
In my essay, I would like to present economic and legal view of trading with daughters as a range of goods. Therefore I will compare and contrast roles of fathers and Beasts as parties of the contract. I will focus on their intentions and attitudes to the contract. Validity of these dealings will be analysed too. At the end, I will briefly explain how these daughters felt as a kind of merchandise.
Firstly, it is necessary to say that both dealings were immoral and illegal because these girls whose fathers sold them were freemen. In addition, these bilateral trades with daughters were contracted by fathers under duress and without free will. So they were invalid and unenforceable.
Fathers could not choose if they enter into agreement. A merchant in “Beauty and the Beast,” had not a choice because Beast told him when he stole a rose: “you shall die for it; I give you but a quarter of an hour to prepare yourself, and say your prayers.”
A father in “The Tiger´s Bride” was in similar situation because he was overruled by his passion. This notorious gambler suffered from a mental disorder according to his daughter as she said “gambling is a sickness” and “my father's soul that was in peril.” This gambler was insane and that is why he was legally irresponsible for his action.
Although fathers were threatened, these circumstances do not purge them. They were not forced to perform an illegal and condemnable act twice. The merchant in “Beauty and the Beast” had probably enough money to buy roses in the town and did not have to commit theft. Gambler did not have to risk everything and to satisfy his passion.
Moreover, to hind these crimes they submitted to the request of the Beasts and sold their daughters. These trades with the girls were even worse than previous crimes because they knew what could happen to their daughters. They sacrificed their daughters to save themselves.
What surprised me was that fathers did not think about or even try to flee with daughters to another country or city. The reason why they stay, is that they can´t run off because of their honour and lack of money. “All at once the merchant lost his whole fortune“ so merchant he did not have any money and did not gain any in his business journey because he was not successful: “he came back as poor as before”. Gambler had lost all of his in cards.
In addition, all their lives merchant and gambler were used to fulfilling all their engagements. If they escaped, they would not be able to do business or gamble again in the future.
If we would like to apologize and rationalize their behaviour, we could say that they committed these crimes with good intention. One of them tried to please his daughter with wonderful roses and didn´t want to cause any harm or damage to owner of these flowers.
When he was forced to conclude an arrangement by Beast, he did not intend to lose his youngest daughter: “The merchant had no mind to sacrifice his daughters to the ugly monster, but he thought, in obtaining this respite, he should have the satisfaction of seeing them once more“ But he wanted to see his children for the last time and then he would realize an alternative performance – to “return within three months.”
(It continues below)
I would like to ask you for correction or any comments. I would be really grateful if you read this analysis which I called " Daughters as a range of goods."
Thank you in advance for your help
Petr
In this essay I will compare and contrast two stories – Angela Carter´s “The Tiger´s Bride“(The Bloody Chamber, 1979) and de Beaumont´s “Beauty and the Beast” (La Belle et la Bête, 1756). The main aim of this comparison will be focused on the shocking theme of both stories - trading with a daughter as a range of goods.
“The Tiger´s Bride” describes the life of a young girl whose father was a gambler. He lost her at cards and was forced to give her to the winner. The winner (called The Beast or Milord) wanted to see her naked. After she stripped off for him, The Beast gave all money and property (that was lost in the game) back to her farther and let her go. The father did not care for her - took all the money and abandoned her. Therefore she decided to stay with the Beast in his palace.
“Beauty and the Beast” tells a story about an old merchant who stole roses for his youngest daughter called Beauty. He was caught in the act by Beast who was the owner of the roses. Beast claimed compensation and demanded that merchant would send him one of his daughters. His strict command was: “one of them come willingly, and suffer for you“. There was an alternative performance in case of merchant´s failure to meet obligations - “if your daughter refuses to die in your stead, you will return within three months."
Father was forced to “promise, upon oath” he would perform the ungrateful task. After he came home and said what had happened, Beauty offered to sacrifice her life instead of her father´s. Though father and her three brothers disapprove her offer, she insisted on it. She argued that “you shall not go to the palace without me; you cannot hinder me from following you." So she went to the Beast´s palace.
Surprisingly, she wasn´t killed or injured by Beast. On the contrary, she had a wonderful time in his palace. After a few weeks she even grew fond of him. On the other hand, she missed her father a lot. So she begged Beast for her return to her father for a week. After she made a promise to come back again, he agreed.
When she was with her father, she missed Beast and noticed that she had fallen in love with Beast. Therefore she came back and her love changed Beast into a beautiful prince. It broke a terrible curse that made him ugly.
The main thesis of both stories is that everything can be bought; it is only a matter of price. It means that you can buy everything even a human being. During centuries described in both stories it was normal to trade with human being as a thing. Slave trade was not as scandalous as nowadays.
These stories presented an historical evolution of attitudes to the trade with human being during centuries. Each of them is situated in different epoch. “Beauty and the Beast” took place sometimes between the end of 17thcentury and the middle of 18th century in Europe.
I determined this period of time because of activities and objects mentioned in the text. In 18th century “balls, plays and concerts” started to be attended by middle-class society. Before these social events had only been for aristocracy. Author also noted that Beauty “would often look on her watch to see when it would be nine“ or „the clock struck nine“ which presented Pendulum clock, invented in the middle of 17thcentury. This story was first published in the middle of 18th century so author described society and equipment that he knew very well because he lived during those decades.
The Tiger´s Bride was situated during 19th century in Milan. Author described Milord with old-fashioned tailcoat which became increasingly popular at the end of 18th century and during 19th century. Objects such as “clockwork” , “Chinese pot” and “pile of banknotes” which are presented in the story, are also in common use in 19th century. The title milord was well-known as a word which continental Europeans (especially French) commonly used to address Englishmen or male English-speakers who seemed to be upper-class in 19th century. “The Czar´s menagerie at Petersburg” showed us that this story became before 1917 when the last tsar abdicated following the February Revolution.
In my essay, I would like to present economic and legal view of trading with daughters as a range of goods. Therefore I will compare and contrast roles of fathers and Beasts as parties of the contract. I will focus on their intentions and attitudes to the contract. Validity of these dealings will be analysed too. At the end, I will briefly explain how these daughters felt as a kind of merchandise.
Firstly, it is necessary to say that both dealings were immoral and illegal because these girls whose fathers sold them were freemen. In addition, these bilateral trades with daughters were contracted by fathers under duress and without free will. So they were invalid and unenforceable.
Fathers could not choose if they enter into agreement. A merchant in “Beauty and the Beast,” had not a choice because Beast told him when he stole a rose: “you shall die for it; I give you but a quarter of an hour to prepare yourself, and say your prayers.”
A father in “The Tiger´s Bride” was in similar situation because he was overruled by his passion. This notorious gambler suffered from a mental disorder according to his daughter as she said “gambling is a sickness” and “my father's soul that was in peril.” This gambler was insane and that is why he was legally irresponsible for his action.
Although fathers were threatened, these circumstances do not purge them. They were not forced to perform an illegal and condemnable act twice. The merchant in “Beauty and the Beast” had probably enough money to buy roses in the town and did not have to commit theft. Gambler did not have to risk everything and to satisfy his passion.
Moreover, to hind these crimes they submitted to the request of the Beasts and sold their daughters. These trades with the girls were even worse than previous crimes because they knew what could happen to their daughters. They sacrificed their daughters to save themselves.
What surprised me was that fathers did not think about or even try to flee with daughters to another country or city. The reason why they stay, is that they can´t run off because of their honour and lack of money. “All at once the merchant lost his whole fortune“ so merchant he did not have any money and did not gain any in his business journey because he was not successful: “he came back as poor as before”. Gambler had lost all of his in cards.
In addition, all their lives merchant and gambler were used to fulfilling all their engagements. If they escaped, they would not be able to do business or gamble again in the future.
If we would like to apologize and rationalize their behaviour, we could say that they committed these crimes with good intention. One of them tried to please his daughter with wonderful roses and didn´t want to cause any harm or damage to owner of these flowers.
When he was forced to conclude an arrangement by Beast, he did not intend to lose his youngest daughter: “The merchant had no mind to sacrifice his daughters to the ugly monster, but he thought, in obtaining this respite, he should have the satisfaction of seeing them once more“ But he wanted to see his children for the last time and then he would realize an alternative performance – to “return within three months.”
(It continues below)
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