I only found the Villeneuve version linked above when researching for this post; this seems to be the only place on the net that it exists! Be warned: it is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY long. There's a pile of guff about Beauty's dad's time with the Beast, the different rooms and entertainments, all the dreams she has of the prince, and a huge argument at the end where the queen doesn't want Beauty to marry her son because she's just a commoner and the fairy has to reveal that no, actually she's a princess in disguise. Beaumont did the tale a favour in my opinion by removing all of that.
The Villeneuve version was written for an adult audience so the risque elements could be got away with. The academics all seem to think that it's about women learning to embrace sex and sexual desires along with the more chaste romantic ideals, usually within the context of arranged (if not outright forced) marriages. Beast is decidedly polite in actually bothering to ask if she wants to sleep with him - and then to listen and accept it when she says no would have been gobsmacking!
The Villeneuve version was written for an adult audience so the risque elements could be got away with. The academics all seem to think that it's about women learning to embrace sex and sexual desires along with the more chaste romantic ideals, usually within the context of arranged (if not outright forced) marriages. Beast is decidedly polite in actually bothering to ask if she wants to sleep with him - and then to listen and accept it when she says no would have been gobsmacking!
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