Rumpelstiltskin by
Paul Zelinsky
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin.New York
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Paul O. Zelinksy’s version of Rumpelstiltskin follows the well-known storyline of the traditional Grimm Brother’s fairytale. A miller, wanting to impress a greedy king, tells him that his beautiful daughter can turn straw into gold. Under threat of death, the girl is brought into a room full of straw and told to spin it into gold by morning. Her crying draws Rumpelstilskin to her, and he spins the straw into gold in exchange for the girl’s necklace. The second night he spins a bigger pile of straw into gold in exchange for her ring. The king demands the miller’s daughter must spin the largest pile of straw into gold for a third night and if she succeeds he will marry her. The third night, at Rumpelstiltskin’s request, she promises her first child to him if he helps her and she is able to marry the king. Of course, the miller’s daughter marries the king and in time has a child. Rumpelstilskin comes to claim the child, but agrees the queen may keep her baby if she can guess his name. He gives the queen three days, and eventually she sends a servant to follow Rumpelstiltskin and find out his name. When he comes to claim the baby, the queen tells him his name, and he flies out of the window in anger.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The miller’s daughter and the king are both left nameless, and the main character in this fairytale is obviously Rumpelstiltskin himself. By keeping the miller, the king, and the miller’s daughter nameless, you can’t help but think Zelinsky is making his readers feel sympathetic towards Rumpelstilskin. The main characters and plot should be familiar to anyone who has ever heard a Rumpelstiltskin story, and it is unfortunate the characters remain flat through the fairytale and show little growth. They are generally just the usual stereotypes that appear in many fairytales when the theme is good vs. evil. The miller’s daughter remains beautiful and becomes a bit devious when she is faced with having to give up her baby. The greedy king never changes, and his part of the story is done after marrying the miller’s daughter. The story refrains from the most violent part of the tradition Grimm Brothers version, and Zelinsky has Rumpelstiltskin fly out of the window rather than tear himself in two as he does in the Grimm version.
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Paul O. Zelinksy’s version of Rumpelstiltskin follows the well-known storyline of the traditional Grimm Brother’s fairytale. A miller, wanting to impress a greedy king, tells him that his beautiful daughter can turn straw into gold. Under threat of death, the girl is brought into a room full of straw and told to spin it into gold by morning. Her crying draws Rumpelstilskin to her, and he spins the straw into gold in exchange for the girl’s necklace. The second night he spins a bigger pile of straw into gold in exchange for her ring. The king demands the miller’s daughter must spin the largest pile of straw into gold for a third night and if she succeeds he will marry her. The third night, at Rumpelstiltskin’s request, she promises her first child to him if he helps her and she is able to marry the king. Of course, the miller’s daughter marries the king and in time has a child. Rumpelstilskin comes to claim the child, but agrees the queen may keep her baby if she can guess his name. He gives the queen three days, and eventually she sends a servant to follow Rumpelstiltskin and find out his name. When he comes to claim the baby, the queen tells him his name, and he flies out of the window in anger.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The miller’s daughter and the king are both left nameless, and the main character in this fairytale is obviously Rumpelstiltskin himself. By keeping the miller, the king, and the miller’s daughter nameless, you can’t help but think Zelinsky is making his readers feel sympathetic towards Rumpelstilskin. The main characters and plot should be familiar to anyone who has ever heard a Rumpelstiltskin story, and it is unfortunate the characters remain flat through the fairytale and show little growth. They are generally just the usual stereotypes that appear in many fairytales when the theme is good vs. evil. The miller’s daughter remains beautiful and becomes a bit devious when she is faced with having to give up her baby. The greedy king never changes, and his part of the story is done after marrying the miller’s daughter. The story refrains from the most violent part of the tradition Grimm Brothers version, and Zelinsky has Rumpelstiltskin fly out of the window rather than tear himself in two as he does in the Grimm version.
The illustrations, also by Zelinsky, are done in Renaissance
style with oil over watercolor paint. The colors used are rich and warm and
appear as though they could be original paintings from the Renaissance period. Rumpelstilskin
is not portrayed as hideous or scary, but he has a mischievous look to him. The
backgrounds of the various scenes are the most impressive, as Zelinsky pays
extreme detail to every element. One of the most interesting things he does is
to create a cross section of the castle, so the reader can see action on the
inside as well as the landscape surrounding the castle. Zelinsky is obviously a
master artist and his illustrations in Rumpelstiltskin
are magical.
Even if you are not fond of the story of Rumpelstilskin,
this version is worth reading for the artistry present in the illustrations.
4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
1987 Caldecott Honor Book
Positive review in Publisher’s
Weekly: “He has captured the magic and
frightening wonder of the tale while incorporating elements from a number of
19th century Grimm versions.”
Positive review in School Library Journal: “Zelinsky's smooth
retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Deborah Hallen, the wife of Paul Zelinksy, has prepared lesson plans for use with Rumpelstiltskin. They are available from the following website: http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html
5. CONNECTIONS
*Deborah Hallen, the wife of Paul Zelinksy, has prepared lesson plans for use with Rumpelstiltskin. They are available from the following website: http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html
*Other versions/variants of Rumpelstilskin:
Grimm, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. Rumpelstiltskin. ISBN 9780893751180
Stanley, Diane. Rumpelstiltskin’s
Daughter. ISBN 9780064410953
Tarcov, Edith. Rumpelstiltskin: A Tale Told Long Ago by the Brothers Grimm. ISBN 9780590073936
Tarcov, Edith. Rumpelstiltskin: A Tale Told Long Ago by the Brothers Grimm. ISBN 9780590073936
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