"Cinderella": Translation for a Children’s Readership

Abstract

The Brother’s Grimm first published their collection of fairy tales in German in 1812. Their version of Cinderella, or as it’s known in it’s German title, Aschenputtel, has been deemed as inappropriate for a young audience due to it’s gruesome scenes and violence. There is the common misconception that fairy tales were written for the intended audience of children, as the classic fairy tale Cinderella is often classified. The Grimm’s Cinderella has been translated multiple times into English over the years by different translators, all creating unique versions of the original fairy tale. Some versions stay true to the grim interpretation of the original, while others create a more modern adaptation. The three translations examined in this paper show different variations that were adapted by the translator; an adult, some for a more modern intended audience of children. This paper examines that it is not the readership of children that defines what is classified as children’s literature. Through the comparison of the three Cinderella translations, it becomes apparent that it is the adults, the writers, the translators, that construct the vision of what they define as acceptable as children’s literature.