Beauty and the Beast

"Beauty and the Beast" by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont is a classic fairy tale written in the 18th century. The story explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the idea that true beauty comes from within, rather than from physical appearance. Centered around the characters of Beauty, a kind and virtuous young woman, and the Beast, who is under a curse, this tale weaves a narrative about transformation and acceptance. The narrative begins with Beauty's family facing financial ruin, leading her to sacrifice herself to save her father from the Beast, who demands one of his daughters as penance for a stolen rose. As Beauty lives in the Beast’s palace, she discovers his inner goodness despite his terrifying exterior. Through her kindness and companionship, she slowly comes to love him. When she leaves to see her father, her absence nearly causes the Beast to die of grief. Ultimately, upon returning to the Beast and confessing her love, she breaks the curse that transformed him into a beast, revealing him as a handsome prince. The story concludes with Beauty and the prince marrying and living happily, while Beauty's envious sisters face their own punishment for their pride and malice. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont was a French novelist who wrote the best-known version of Beauty and the Beast, an abridged adaptation of the 1740 fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Born to a middle-class family, she was raised alongside her younger sister, Catherine Aimée. Both were provided education at a convent school and stayed on as teachers. Rather than remain and take her vow as a nun, she left for Metz, France, and became a governess for a prominent family in a court in Lunéville. As a long-time educator, she became well known for her written works on behavior and instructional teaching for young women. Her interest in the genre of education contributed to her inclusion of fairytales to teach moral behavior.