Once upon a time there lived a young princess with skin as white as snow, with hair as black as coal, with lips redder than blood. Most people think they know what happens to this young unfortunate girl. Most people are wrong.
"Snow, Glass, Apples", by Neil Gaiman, is a retelling of one of the most popular fairytales, Snow White. The story is written from the point of view of Snow White's "evil" stepmother the Queen.
The story includes themes of vampirism, pedophilia and necrophilia.
I like fairytale retellings because they show the other side of the story, not the happily-ever-after side.
This one is a good retelling. I first encountered the piece when a friend shared it to me in college. It was one of their required readings for Communication 1 (or was it 2) in U.P. From that day on, I never saw Snow White the same way again.
When I was doing my college thesis in my senior year about children's book, I made my research an excuse to read this story again though you really woudln't categorize it under children's reading because of it's dark nature.
The story "Snow, Glass, Apples" is included in Gaiman's collection Smoke and Mirrors. It's a great finale for a series of fascinating short stories.
Read "SNOW, GLASS, APPLES" here
Friday, June 5, 2009
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