Una Cenicienta…para todos

No siempre nos gustan las versiones revisadas de los cuentos de hadas, pues muchas son forzadas para acomodar a las necesidades del mercadeo editorial… Los cuentos de hadas son producto de un tiempo histórico y por ello no siempre terminan resultando globales o vigentes en contextos cambiantes. Pero lo cierto es que las revisiones terminan siento pastiches o versiones blandas y aburridas, forzadas, de una historia que otrora conservaba su encanto como lo que era: una fábula de su tiempo.

Sin embargo Rebecaa Solnit, reconocida activista y feminista, ha repensado la historia de Cenicienta desde un lenguaje y una mirada más serena. Sin el malestar recalcitrante de las reediciones feministas hacia los hombres, o hacia las riquezas, o hacia todo lo canónico. En ella nos invita de manera reposada pero crítica, a revisar las banderas que hemos izado en nombre de la liberación. ¿Cenicienta debe ser una guerrera? ¿Debe guardar recorres y resentimientos? ¿Debe casarse con el príncipe? ¿Debe escarparse a un mundo lejano? No, Cenicienta debe escuchar su corazón y entender que los demás también tienen sus luchas. Interesante imagen de Solnit para la madrastra: su destino último es ser un viento que ruge enfurecido queriendo engullirlo todo para si…Un rugir que representa nuestras propias carencias y egoísmos.

Las ilustraciones de Arthur Rackman, rescatadas en forma silueteada de una versión de 1919, le agregan ese carácter atemporal, clásico, a la obra.

Les dejamos aquí la reseña que una de nuestras lectoras nos ha compartido:

By the name of this story, you can probably tell that this won’t be the classic, or let’s say original, version of the book. It’s totally different from the one we have heard for years. I love all Disney and Princesses stories and how they are told but something that I have noticed is that most of them are related to a strong man saving them. All these stories diminish women and show that they cannot protect themselves and need somebody else to become…

“Cinderella Liberator” is the opposite of the classic version. There are minor things, for example, the names of the characters and the way that they are described but the biggest one is that Cinderella and the Prince don’t end up together. They just are friends and she gets to set up her own bakery and he becomes a farmer. The main idea of the story is that everyone has their own dreams and they don’t need depend on someone else to be happy or to accomplish them.

In my point of view, this book is all about female empowerment. In the original story, the coachmen and the helpers are men and in this version, they are all women. Also, the stepsisters apologize and accept their mistakes and eventually become friends with Cinderella. The stepsisters also accomplish their dreams and have jobs that fulfill their happiness. Maybe, this shows us that we can all apologize and can, even from being a bad person before, later become a good one.

I recommend this book because it could show a different way of looking at this fairytale and getting a very important lesson from it too. While reading the book you may be disappointed with the events but then you can appreciate that those events are the ones that make this story how it is. Just remember, anyone can be their best and who they dream just by being kind, like Cinderella.