Finette Cendron

Title: Finette Cendron

Sources:
D'Aulnoy, Marie Catherine Baronne. The Fairy Tales of Madame D'Aulnoy. Miss Annie Macdonell and Miss Lee, translators. Cllinton Peters, illustrator. London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1892.

Summary: There once was a king and queen who were so bad at managing their affairs that they were chased out of their kingdom and had to sell all of their possessions. When at last they ran out of money, the queen suggested that she could make nets that the king could use to catch birds and fish. As for their three daughters, they had no use and would need to be abandoned somewhere far away according to the queen. Finette, the youngest daughter, heard her mother's plan and set out to her fairy godmother for help. When she was too tired to go on, a small horse brought her to her godmother who gave her a ball of thread to lead her back to her door and a bag with gold and silver dresses. 
The next day, the queen woke up and told her daughters that she saw in a dream that they should go to her sister's house where they could enjoy some food and entertainment. Finette, knowing what her mother was up to, agreed. When they walked so far that Finette wasn't sure her thread would stretch any further, her mother told the girls to lie down for a nap while she kept watch. It was in this moment that she made her escape. Even though her sisters were often mean to her, Finette woke them up and led them back home. Her sisters didn't give her any of the rewards they promised her and they beat her. 
Knowing her mother would try again, Finette visited her godmother again. This time she told her to use ashes to make footprints. She cautioned her to leave her sisters behind because they are wicked. If she showed them how to get home, she would never see her godmother again. Their mother did lead them away again and left them. Finette couldn't bring herself to leave her sisters and she shows them how to get home. When her mother hatches a third plan to bring them to the woods and leave them, Finette cannot ask her godmother for advice. One of the sisters suggests that this time they take peas and leave them as a trail, but Finette took jewels and clothing instead. When the queen leaves them this time, their trail has been eaten by birds. 
The sisters found an acorn, but Finette convinced them to plant it instead of eating it. The tree began to grow. The sisters stole Finette's jewels and clothes and when she could finally see a house in the distance from the top of the tree, they dressed in her clothes leaving her in rags and threatening to kill her if she complained. 
When they arrived at the house, they discovered it was an ogre's castle. Finette managed to trick the ogres and killed them both. The sisters stole clothing and jewels from the castle and left Finette there to clean it. They threatened her if she did not keep it well. Her sisters go to a marvelous ball and tell her about it. She feels sorry for disobeying her godmother and for killing the ogres. While cleaning one day she finds a golden key and after searching discovers that it opens a box filled with dresses and jewels. When her sisters left, she dressed and went to the party. She did this for many days because the chest was magical and always had new outfits for her. But one day, in a hurry, Finette left behind a ruby slipper. Love sick, the prince needed to find the one who fit the slipper so he could marry her. He calls all the women to try on the shoe, but Finette doesn't know how to get there. Her godmother sends the small horse to take her and the slipper fits. They will be married, but always selfless Finette tells the king to restore her parents before she will agree. 

Cultural Origins: Finette Cendron means Clever Cinders. France, 1892. 

Audience: Since this is a version of Cinderella, I don't think you're limited on your audience. It's very different from the classic telling, like Disney, but it would be a good comparison story for people studying the story. Since Cinderella is such a classic story, I think you could compare them at any level in a school. 

Adaptation Ideas: Finette as a murderer might be hard for some listeners to process. She's supposed to be a kind, innocent kind of person and that seems incongruous with her character, even if she's fighting for her life. I also wish she wasn't so quick to forgive her family. Even though it shows strength of character, I want my Finette to be more bitter about her parents trying to abandon her multiple times.