The first "Sleeping Beauty" in the ballet world: Mytholiterary origins and narrative transformations

The article discusses the transformations of the folktale and literary plot of "Sleeping Beauty" in the libretto of the French ballet of the 1829, titled La Belle au Bois Dormant by J.-P. Aumer, L.-J.-F. Herold and Au.Eu. Scribe. The following sources were used in addition to the libretto text: the French folktale "Sleeping Beauty" (Fr. La Belle endormie), early literary versions of the story from the 14th century, such as the French chivalric medieval novel Perceforest and the Occitan novel Brother Joy and Sister Fun (Fr. Frere-de-joie et Saur-de-plaisir), the Italian fairy tale "Sun, Moon and Talia" (It. Sole, Luna e Talia) written by G. Basile (1634-36), Ch. Perrault's famous fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" (1697), and the libretto for the opera of the same title by M.E. Carafa di Colobrano (1825). During the research, the methods of functional and comparative analysis were used to reveal the connections between the ballet narrative and the previous folkloric, literary, and scenic traditions of fairy tale storytelling. The functions that were transferred from previous texts to the libretto were analysed, and ways to actualize these functions within the artistic system of the new work were explored. The new version of the well-known plot is superimposed on the ideas already existing and is based on a certain semantic shift, the emergence of new meanings in the game of the old and the new. The classic plot of "Sleeping Beauty" in ballet becomes a kind of a "constructor" that brings together functional, semantic, and stylistic models from different paradigms. Key plot-defining motifs and functions are transferred from precedent texts to the libretto, while traditional motivations often fade into the background and are reinterpreted through the expansion of the plot. The reasons for the shift in plot patterns are largely due to the influence of Romanticism, a major artistic trend of the time that experienced a state of crisis in the 1830s, as it reassessed its own philosophical foundations. In addition, a number of plot transformations can be attributed to factors associated with the adaptation of the verbal narrative to the language of ballet. This is especially evident in the use of concepts such as mixing and layering, which create a sense of contrast between the fantastic and the real, as well as the interweaving of dramatic and comedic elements. It is difficult to determine which level of interpretation is ultimately decisive. Different perspectives are constantly interwoven and superimposed, reflecting the ballet creators' desire to explore the complexities of human existence and the instability of the world through the juxtaposition of archaic and modern, fantastic and everyday, dramatic and comic elements. The resolution to these dualities lies in the final act of the ballet, which appeals to the timeless ideals of love and good through the use of fairy tales as a source of inspiration. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

Keywords

Authors

References