RUMPELSTILTSKIN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zelinsky, Paul O. RUMPELSTILTSKIN . New York, Dutton Children’s Books, 1986. ISBN 9780525442653
PLOT SUMMARY
A poor miller had a beautiful daughter, and one day he encountered the king, and wanting to impress him, so he told the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king, who was very greedy and not satisfied with his current riches, ordered the miller’s daughter to be sent to the castle immediately. When the miller’s daughter arrived, the king led her to a room that was filled with straw, and ordered on pain of death she was to spin all the straw into gold thread before the next morning. The girl began to weep, not knowing how it could be done. Suddenly, a tiny man appeared and offered to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange for her necklace. When the exchange was given, the little man spun all the straw into gold.
The next morning the King, filled with more greed at the sight of the gold, led the girl into a second and larger room, instructing the girl to spin all of the straw into gold, if she wanted to live. After he left, the girl felt hopeless, and began to weep, fearing for her life. The tiny man appeared for the second time, offering to spin the straw into gold, this time in exchange for the girl’s ring. Again, the exchange was given, and the little man spun the straw into gold. At sunrise, the king returned and found room filled with more gold than the first.
Still not satisfied with all of his gold, the king led the girl into a third and bigger room than the last two, piled high with straw, and told the girl if she could spin all the straw into gold, he would marry her. After the king left, when the little man appeared for the third time, the girl had nothing else to give for him to spin the straw into gold. The little man made her promise him that when she became queen, he could have her firstborn child. The girl agreed, thinking that would never happen, and for the third time the little man spun the straw into gold. The king came in the next morning, saw that she did what he commanded of her, and the king married the girl and made her his queen.
A year later, the queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and soon after the little man appeared demanding for her to give her baby to him. She pleaded with him- promising to give him anything else he could ask for. She weeped sorrowfully, fearing the loss of her child and the little man took pity on her. He gave her three days to know his name, and if she guessed right she could keep her baby. The first and second days she tried reciting every name she knew, but still got the names wrong. On the night before the third and final day, she sent her servant to look for the little man, and near the top of a hill in deep in the forest, she found him, crowing joyfully that he’d get the baby, because “… for no one knows that Rumpelstiltskin is my name!” The servant hurried back to the castle, and told the queen what she had discovered. The evening of the third night the little man arrived, ready to take the baby. The queen, knowing his true name, gave two guesses of names before “guessing” guessing correctly that his name was Rumpelstiltskin. Flying into a fit of rage, the little man stomped around and then flew out the window, never to be heard from again.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There are many retellings of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, and while each of them ends a different way concerning the fate of Rumpelstiltskin, all variations use motifs of the number three. To be more specific, some examples of the motifs used were the three times Rumpelstiltskin arrived through magic, three sunrises and evenings, three rooms of straw that were to be turned into gold in three days, and three days for the girl/ queen to guess the little man’s name correctly.
In the end where there is a note about the text, the reteller and illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky explains the history of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, and tells the reader about the various editions that came out after the Brothers Grimm sent in their first manuscript in 1810. With each variation of the three that were published between 1812 and 1857, the fate of Rumpelstiltskin at the end are slightly different from the others. Zelinsky chose for the ending of his book to mix elements from each of the three editions, telling the reader:
“This present text is based principally on the 1819 “Rumplestiltskin.” Some of the dialogue is from later editions, and I have added a few lines where it seemed necessary. I have also diverged in several places to include elements from the earlier versions, hoping to create a text best suited for a picture book.”
The illustrations themselves are intricately detailed, the scenes created by oil paint. In the settings depicted, and even the intricate details given to each of the costumes worn by minor and major characters alike, all lead the reader to an introduction of what a medieval land would have looked like.
The illustrations are extremely realistic, and while they do not seem to fit the type of illustrations normally created for children’s books, reader’s young and old have been spellbound by this treasure of a book, and it is no wonder that it was given the esteemed privilege as the winner of the Caldecott Honor title in 1997.
One of the most powerful scenes illustrated in Zelinsky’s story is the climatic scene where Rumpelstiltskin arrives to claim the debt the queen owed to him for him helping her keep her life by spinning all the straw into gold for hold. With the illustration covering two pages, and the text only three paragraphs long, the intricate details given to the queen’s intense emotions, which seem to display fear and urgency, in both the emotions on her face and the urgency of her movements in clutching her child to her chest, are clearly evident to the reader as the queen realizes Rumpelstiltskin was very intent to taking her child away from her, whether or not having read the text for information to how the scene is played out. The characters dramatic emotions and unique personalities seem to leap from the page through the realistic paintings created by Zelinsky, and makes this story of the tale memorable and unique for readers, and stands out in comparisons to other illustrated versions of the Rumpelstiltskin tale.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal:
“K-Gr 4 Zelinsky's painterly style and rich colors provide an evocative backdrop to this story. The medieval setting and costumes and the spools of gold thread which shine on the page like real gold are suggestive of an illuminated manuscript. Without overpowering the text, the illustrations give depth and background, providing exquisite texture and detail: the castle interior; subtle facial expressions; the forboding landscape when Rumplestiltskin is overheard to reveal his name…This retelling is based on the 1819 Grimm version. Zelinsky's ending, in which Rumplestiltskin flies away on his wooden spoon, is a departure from the source, wherein he stomps one foot deep in the ground, grabbing the other foot and tearing himself in half.”
Publisher’s Weekly
“…Here Zelinsky has retold the narrative himself; he has captured the magic and frightening wonder of the tale while incorporating elements from a number of 19th century Grimm versions. The spare story flows beautifully, and the illustrations are extraordinary. Incredibly detailed full-color paintings show the influence of careful study of styles and techniques of European portrait and landscape painters…The little man Rumplestiltskin is by turns mysterious, comforting, devious, furious and pathetic. And Zelinsky shows dramatically the love that the miller's daughter has for her child, and the terror she feels when she realizes she may have to give him up. Rumplestiltskin is a tour de force by an immensely talented artist. Zelinsky is that rare practitioner who can create sophisticated work that adults will marvel at, and that children will joyfully embrace.”
CONNECTIONS
Activities:
Younger Children
Read the three different variations of Grimm’s three different editions of the story “Rumpelstiltskin”, and compare and contrast the differences they can find in the ending of the story
Discuss with the children that many times in Fairy tales, the story has repeated elements that are repeated throughout the story, such as in this one the number three, and discuss how that helps carry on the story.
Older Children/ Young adults
Book talk the Middle Grade and Young Adult books that are retellings of the story. Choose different quotes and descriptions of the character Rumpelstiltskin, and briefly look through how the plot differs from the original tale.
Books:
Other retellings of Rumpelstiltskin:
Picture Books:
Gunderson, Jessica. Frankly I’d Rather Spin Myself a New Name: the story of Rumpelstiltskin as told by Rumpelstiltskin. ISBN 9781479586240
Hamilton, Virginia. The Girl Who Spun Gold. ISBN 9780590473781
Middle Grade and YA:
Bruce, Elizabeth. A Curse dark as gold. ISBN 9780439895767 ( YA)
Gidwitz , Adam. A Tale Dark and Grimm . ISBN 9780525423348 ( MG and YA)
Novik, Naomi. Spinning Silver. ISBN 9780399180989 (YA)
Shurtliff, Liesl. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. ISBN 9780307977939 (YA)
Anthologies:
The Random House Book of Fairy Tales. ISBN 9780394856933
Fractured Fairy Tales for further reading for older children:
Middle Grade and YA
The Fairy Tale Detectives series, by Michael Buckley (MG)
The Land of Stories series, by Chris Colfer (MG)
League of Princes series, by Christopher Healey (MG)
Martin, Emily. Snow and Rose. ISBN 9780553538182 (MG)
The Lunar Chronicles series, by Marissa Meyer ( YA)
Owen, Margaret. Little Thieves. ISBN 9781250191908 ( YA)
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