The Many Versions of Cinderella

            
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             Over time, fairy tales evolve, taking with them a part of their storyteller or author. In Anne Sexton's " Cinderella," for example, a classic fairytale is told with a cynical twist. Fantasy is included in almost all fairy tales, for fantasy is "the fiction of the hearts desire" (Pringle 8). Fairy tales also reveal "the yearning of the human heart for a kinder world, a better self, a whole experience, a sense of truly belonging" (Pringle 8). With fantasy everything is possible. With fantasy, "Every girl is a potential princess and every ending a happily ever after" (Pringle 8). However, as fairytales change, some of their basic elements stay the same. There are small differences between the different versions told, but that is because of the times changing and their different cultures evolving. Although fairy tales may change over time and across cultures, they keep their basic principles intact. .
             A good example of a fairy tale that has evolved over time is Cinderella. Cinderella is possibly the "best known heroine in the whole of fairy tale fantasy, a literary character who is almost universally recognized"(Pringle 185). Her name was originally ""Cendrillion,"" but it was translated as Cinderella in the 18th century when she becomes the heroine of the English language (Pringle 185). This story is millennia old, " a genuine folk tale which has come down to generations by word of mouth" (Pringle 185).
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             Sexton's "Cinderella," Judy Sierra's " Cinderella or the little glass slipper" and the "Orphan Girl" by Buchi Offodile are all examples of different versions of Cinderella. Sexton's "Cinderella" has a modern day, cynical twist, Sierra's "Cinderella or the little Glass slipper" is written by a French author and is inspired by the Disney Version, and Offodile's "The Orphan Girl" comes from a Nigerian fairy tale.