Friday is for Fairytales (5)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.

MY POST IS ABOUT: Aladdin translated by Antoine Galland from One Thousand and One Nights

Aladdin has always been one of my favorite fairytales. It definitely does not fit the description of a classic "fairy tale"... more like a legend than anything else. Even though this tale isn't a classic fairytale, none of the magic is lost. The traditional battle between good and evil still exists, with an interesting twist.

I always admired the strong character of Aladdin. He is an impoverished, although very smart and cunning youth who won't take no for an answer. And all his hard work pays off in the end... through the help of a powerful genie, Aladdin find the woman of his dreams and makes a new destiny for himself.

I think Disney did a great adaptation of this tale. Both Aladdin and Princess Jasmine are really dynamic, strong characters. They both will not accept the constricting world that they live in, and seek to better it, no matter what the cost. I always loved the sense of freedom they create for themselves, and think that Disney captured this beautifully.

This is a great, out of the ordinary fairytale. It transcends the boundaries of tradition, while still keeping the powerful essences of freedom and destiny... that is, having the priceless power of creating your own destiny.