Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

Bibliography

Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1997.

ISBN 0525456074

Plot Summary

          A classic tale of love and loss, “Rapunzel” is retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. The story involves the circumstances produced when a father is caught by the sorceress stealing rapunzel from her garden.  He tells the sorceress that this wife will die if she does not have this herb.  The sorceress agrees to allow him to leave with the rapunzel if he, in turn, agrees to give her their child.  The husband agrees, and on the day the child is born, the sorceress claims her.  The child, named Rapunzel after the forbidden food, is kept a prisoner in a tower until one day love finds her.  The prince figures out a way to reach his true love when he sees the method of climbing the tower the sorceress uses.  Once he can reach Rapunzel, will they live happily ever after, or will the sorceress doom their love?

Critical Analysis

          Paul O. Zelinsky, retells and illustrates the traditional fairy tale, “Rapunzel” by retaining its familiar plot and theme but in a meaningful way.  His variant enchants children and intrigues the older reader.

          Zelinsky stays close to the original tale in his retold plot by having Rapunzel taken by a sorceress as payment for her father’s theft.  Rapunzel is kept at the mercy of that sorceress until she outwits her and is punished.  The resolution of the plot involves Rapunzel’s true love unrealistically surviving a fall and wandering as a blind man into Rapunzel’s exact location in a “wild country,” a happy ending that fairy tales characteristically possess.

          The theme of “Rapunzel” is traditional: good triumphing over evil.  The sorceress denies Rapunzel a normal life and fate provides one.  What was meant for retribution ends in reunion.

          It is Zelinsky’s descriptive powers and his illustrations which enrich the tale and deserve recognition.  Such passages as “The herb looked so luxuriant, so green and thick and fresh” play into his use of Italian Renaissance illustrations.  The rich colors and historically accurate details of the characters’ clothing and hair, the furniture and architecture, and the landscapes engage and educate the reader.  Both the language and the pictures provide a sense of humanity for the reader.  For example, there is a large illustration of the sorceress who “rose up before him” as the husband is on his knees reaching to steal the herb.  This picture’s use of facial expression and of swirling aqua color on a black cape makes emotion visible.  The portrait of the royal family on the last page is in a familiar Renaissance arrangement, one that blends story and art into a satisfying new variant of an old tale.      

          In a note to the reader about the literary tradition from which “Rapunzel” arose, Zelinsky speaks about his efforts in saying, “It would please me if my pictures served in some measure to spur an interest in the magnificent art from which I have drawn.  My great hope, of course, is that this book may give pleasure to readers in and of itself.”

Review Excerpt(s)

Winner of the 1998 Caldecott Medal

"Suffused with golden light, Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with  superb technical and emotional command." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision." – HORN BOOK

“breathtaking interpretation of a favorite fairy tale” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“uses dramatic images to express powerful emotions and depicts one specific era in rich detail” –SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Connections

·        Exposure to Italian Renaissance art.  Use several paintings of portraits and landscapes from Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, etc.  Note characteristics.  Hold up other paintings – ask if each is Italian Renaissance or not and why.

See: http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com

·        Build towers of different kinds (or just make a drawing) (Legos, tinker toys, blocks, cardboard, etc.)  Have students create two characters, human, animal, or natural forces, which they describe on separate 3x5 cards.  All cards are put in a box.  Each student draws two cards and writes a story which fits one of the kinds of towers and his characters.

·        Geography/History

Famous towers – Which? Where? When? Its history?

(ex: Twin Towers, Pisa, Babel, Eiffel, and Big Ben)

·        Compare/contrast skills:

Disney’s “Tangled”

Another culture’s variant (or two)

·        Writing – Whatever happened to the Sorceress?