The Main Character is the Villain?

[ElliotWyndwryght]

I didn't see the part in the OP where Cinderella was just acting like a general slut. In the description, she uses her sexuality to move upward in society by seducing one guy and flirting/befriending others. I think it's a great issue to explore because people have done and still use their attractiveness to get ahead. Also, in the original Cinderella, the prince "fell in love" with her because she was beautiful and well-dressed. That's absolutely crappy! This Cinderella's decisions are cunning, and they could very well get her the prize if Griffin's version of prince follows the fairy tale. I like exploring the negative implications in fairy tale scenarios, so I'd read this story.

Um, using sexuality to move upward in society by seducing people and flirting with the intention of manipulating someone is slutty behavior. Yeah people use this to get ahead but with great cost to the people they walk over.

Falling in love with someone who's 'beautiful and well-dressed' isn't 'crappy'! You are first attracted to someone because you see something beautiful or attractive in them, and being well-dressed is just taking good care of yourself. Unless the person is dressed intentionally to be sexually alluring in which case you'd be right.

I enjoy fairy tales where the story is retold with the heroes as villains or visa versa, but if a story is just about some jerk trampling people to get what they want... why would you write or read that? I'm not trying to pick a fight, just sayin'...

 

[Ghost]

I didn't like how easily the word "slut" was thrown out there because she slept with one person and flirted with others. She's manipulative, but I wouldn't use insults about sexual promiscuity without reading the story.

Being attracted to someone's looks and style is fine, but falling in "love" with that person and wanting to marry them? It would be a different story, literally, if the prince wanted to get to know Cinderella. I think in the movie The Glass Slipper, he liked her before her transformation, but that's not a common approach.

Fairy tales boil everything down to their simplest components, and I think it's fun for a story to tackle those unrealistic qualities.

why would you write or read that? I'm not trying to pick a fight, just sayin'...

I'm not sure if this is a genuine question, but I'll answer. I'd write or read a story like this because I'm drawn to darker stories. Edgar Allan Poe, George RR Martin and Angela Carter are some of authors I like, and they all have a few characters who aren't admirable.

Regarding fairy tales, it's not unusual for a woman's worth to be tied exclusively to her attractiveness. There are fairy tales with intelligent or lucky females, but more frequently the woman should simply look pretty and be the prize. If she's pretty, she's also a good person. The most virtuous woman in a fairy tale is frequently the most attractive.

I don't see anything wrong with showing the ugly side of fairy tales, where there's more to a woman than a pretty face.

I'm not sure what Griffin's goals are, but I'm curious about both stories.

 

[The Dark One]

I guess another corollary of my above post is one of the features (IMHO) of bad literature. As I suggested, in good literature nothing happens by accident. But it does in bad literature. I cannot bear stories where the author and editor (if there is one) are so lazy they leave half written threads unresolved. It drives me mad when (so called) writers leave noise in the narrative.

 

[ElliotWyndwryght]

I didn't like how easily the word "slut" was thrown out there because she slept with one person and flirted with others. She's manipulative, but I wouldn't use insults about sexual promiscuity without reading the story.

Wouldn't seducing someone to get them to give you something be considered prostitution? Really I thought that was the whole definition, selling your body for material gain and all. So doesn't doing that qualify her as a slut?

I was genuinely asking earlier I've never enjoyed reading books where you don't respect or admire the MC or anyone else in the book. But I guess it's just a difference of preference. Thanks for answering.

If she's pretty, she's also a good person. The most virtuous woman in a fairy tale is frequently the most attractive.

Unless you're the evil queen in Snow White. I really like the book "Despereaux" where one of the MCs is a lumpy and half-deaf serving maid who was named after her father's prize sow. But anyway, off topic...

 

[Griffin]

First off, I would like to thank everyone for their posts. They were all really helpful and insightful.

Secondly, why the hate on my Cinderella? :tongue: To be fair, I gave a simple overview of her character. There is more complexity than "a slut getting her way." Using her looks and sexual appeal to obtain something is nothing new. For thousands of years, women were based solely on their looks in many cultures. My Cinderella is very intelligent and fairly educated, but who cares? She's pretty. It is a sad way of looking at things, but that kind of prejudice existed long ago and still has existence today. I can still hear some mothers today telling their daughters not to read books because men feel threatened by smart women. Though it doesn't happen often, it is still sad to hear that kind of thing.

In addition, I said that Cinderella got to the prince. I did not say she married him. Despite what she may think, she is still human. She does, in fact, have soft spots for certain characters. One being the younger stepsister. Another being a guard who likes Cinderella for who she is. Even the baddest of villains still have soft spots: just look at Darth Vader.

To be honest, I would not classify her as slut. But I do not feel offended if she is called that. It is just a matter of opinion and I can respect that.