About the book ella enchanted by gail carson levine. The plot, the characters, even the tone are very different, but the book s theme and lessons are all there, and in its own way, the film is endearing, enduring, and lots of fun. In 2006, levine went on to write fairest, a retelling of the story of snow white, set in the same world as ella enchanted. Comparing cinderella stories ella enchanted book units.
As she grows up this gift quickly becomes turns out to be a curse. Theme is different from category categorically ella enchanted is a fantasy novel but fantasy is not the underlying theme. Ella enchanted does a great job of managing this, save for the end which felt exactly the same as the original tale. Ellas and chars letters reveal confident and clever people behind the pens, while the glimpses we get of hatties and olives letters thanks to ellas magical book reveal them to be dull and greedy. Now whenever anyone gives ella an order, she must follow it. Apr 09, 2004 adapted from author gail carson levines awardwinning childrens book of the same name, the miramaxfinanced modern fantasy ella enchanted is directed by tommy ohaver and stars the princess diaries alumna anne hathaway. Tangled up in ella enchanteds hot mess of wealth and power and social class is a major emphasis on rules and order. The question and answer section for ella enchanted is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. So levine created the obedience gift, which forces ella to be good. Ella also has a magical fairy book which tells her the private thoughts. Ella enchanted study guide contains a biography of gail carson levine, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
If you are interested in more books like ella enchanted, here is a book you may like. Ella enchanted, by gail levine, tells the story of an ordinary girl struggling under the weight of an extraordinary curse. Along the way, the novel addresses important stuff like free will, friendship, and love. Ella enchanted the musical south carolina childrens theatre. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Written by tdsdg khcb and other people who wish to remain anonymous during her birth, ella of frell, is gifted by lucinda the fairy, with the gift of obedience. A creative remake of the popular fairy tale cinderella, ella enchanted presents themes and characterizations deeper and broader than what initially are projected in the original fairy tale. Ella is a girl with a very unusual gift, the gift of obedience, given to her by the fairy lucinda at her birth. Ella enchanted trophy newbery kindle edition by levine. This study guide consists of approximately 33 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and. This is a critical analysis of counter gender stereotyping in the book ella enchanted, by gail carson levine. At first, ellas mother and their cook protect ella.
Gail carson levines book was awarded the newbery honor in 1998 after its 1997 publication. Ellas stepmother and step sisters tease, bully and mistreat her, making her do things she doesnt want to do. The plot, the characters, even the tone are very different, but the books theme and lessons are all there, and in its own way, the film is endearing, enduring, and lots of fun. Ella enchanted ella enchanted trophy newbery scholastic bookfiles. I was the cause of his joy and would be the cause of his destruction. Nov 28, 2016 ella enchanted is a cinderella story with a twist. As a result, she is forced to oblige to the whims and desires of everyone who wishes her to do something. Ella enchanted won a bunch of awards when it was published in 1997, including being named as newbery honor book. Her first novel, ella enchanted, was a newbery honor book. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order. Levines novel was designed for children and young adults, and it is a newbery honor book.
Ella enchanteds themes focus on the importance of agency and selflessness in the world. Ella enchanted by gail carson levine overdrive rakuten. Whether the story is confronting these stereotypes, or conforming. In ella enchanted, levine populates a fantasyland kyrria with magical characters and a fleshedout version of the cinderella fairy tale in which ella obeys her wicked stepmother because she literally cant say no. Fairest, a best book of the year for publishers weekly and school library journal, and a new york times bestseller. Free will is an important theme of ella enchanted, as for much of the story, ella does not have free will. Levines other books include fairest, a new york times bestseller, publishers weekly best book, and school lib. Ella enchanted is a rich and imaginative retelling of the cinderella story as a young adult novel.
What a fun, imaginative twist on the cinderella story. Fairest also by gail carson levinebased of the snow white original323 pages p. But after i lay my eyes on the fascinating story, it became my all time favorite of adventure, comedy, and love. When ella is born, a fairy named lucinda gives her the gift of obedience. Ella loves her parents very much, but this love is not eternal. If you want to experience the real pleasures of ella enchanted, do not expect a faithful recreation of gail carson levines book.
In this novel based on the story of cinderella, ella struggles against the. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether its hopping on one foot for a day or chopping off. Her mother knew about the spell and did not use it to hurt ella. Try living as if you were cursed like ella for one hour, obeying every command you are given, without telling anyone about. Ella s father tries to set up a marriage for her with a man who is much older. Determined to gain control of her life and decisions, ella sets off on a journey she hopes will end with the lifting of the curse in question.
The story is a retelling of cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. Dave at night, an ala notable book and best book for. Gail carson levine grew up in new york city and began writing seriously in 1987. Char was looking at me with such gladness, and i loved him so. When ella is born, a fairy gives her the gift of obedience. Ella enchanted book report essaysella enchanted is a fiction newberry honor book written by gail carson levine. Ella is given the gift of obedience by her fairy godmother vivica a. Ella enchanted is a 1997 adaptation of the cinderella fairy tale by gail carson levine.
Here is a list of characters of ella enchanted, along with a description and analysis of each. Adapted from author gail carson levines awardwinning childrens book of the same name, the miramaxfinanced modern fantasy ella enchanted is directed by tommy ohaver and stars the princess diaries alumna anne hathaway. Ella must obey any orders that are given to her by anyone. Read free book excerpt from ella enchanted by gail carson levine, page 1 of 3. The characters are welldrawn, the dialogue convincing and often hilarious. Lady eleanor wore a beautiful necklace in her wedding, which belonged to her mother before her. Identify additional differences and similarities between ella enchanted and the classic fairy tale cinderella.
Ellas father tries to set up a marriage for her with a man who is much older. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on ella enchanted by gail carson levine. Ella enchanted book gail carson levine wiki fandom. At last readers get a reasonable explanation for cinderellas meek behavior. Gail carson levines first book for children, ella enchanted, was a newbery honor book. She exhibits another themedeterminationto recover her lost free will, which grants her agency and independence. Ella navigates challenges from finishing school to an ogreinfested forest, but until she can be free of the obedience curse, her life, and the lives of those she loves, will never be safe. Ella enchanted gail carson levine, author, gail carson. At birth, ella of frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Her first book for children, ella enchanted, was a 1998 newbery honor book. Ogres approach ella in the woods, sing a song about eating her and other humans. I refused to become a princess but adopted the titles of court linguist and cook. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom and shell have to obey.
Ella lives in a magical world in which each child, at the moment of their birth, is given a virtuous gift from a fairy godmother. Spunky ella does not tamely accept her fate and embarks on a quest to break this curse once and for all. Although mandy wont use what she calls big magic, she does give ella a magical book that, through glimpses of other peoples. In 2006, levine went on to write fairest, a retelling of the story of snow. What is the theme of the book ella enchanted answers. Ella enchanted projects page 1 ella enchanted blog projects page 2. If the soundtrack to ella enchanted is anything to go by, then anne hathaway is one of the luckiest girls in the world. Dave at night, an ala notable book and best book for young adults. Indeed, ella is a compassionate, friendly teen, filled with a lust for life and a passion for worthysocialcauses. Ella enchanted original soundtrack original soundtrack. She must obey every order whether it is hopping on one foot for one day or killing herself. In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of ella of frell, who at. In this novel based on the story of cinderella, ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Sep 20, 2008 categorically ella enchanted is a fantasy novel. Ella enchanted trophy newbery kindle edition by levine, gail carson. This lesson will focus on the characters and summary of ella enchanted. Ellas inability to refuse commands parallels the experiences. In fact, aside from the last few chapters, there were times i forgot this was a. Gail carsn levine grew up in new york city and has been writing all her life. Levines other books include ever, a new york times bestseller. The storys narrator tells us early on that ellas curse made her obedient, but her heart made her kind. Ellas mother becomes sick and passes away peacefully early in the show. Critical analysis of ella enchanted research project. Deviantart is the worlds largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art. Power, family, language, wealth, society and class, rules and order, choices.
One of the elements of a story that impacts a plots wholeness and meaning is how the characters are crafted by the author. Ella enchanted, the two princesses of bamarre, fairest levine, gail carson on. Chen, lover of ella enchanted ella enchanted should be made into a movie, i would enjoy it ever so much more. As with any text, there are innumerable themes that can be considered, but i guess some themes are. That one knock aside, the author adds so many newer elements that one misstep isnt that big a deal. Identify additional differences and similarities between ella enchanted and the. Gail carson levines book was awarded the newbery honor in. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her. Regretting to the introduction from my friend to this book.
Ella enchanted is a newbery honor book written by gail carson levine and published in 1997. Apr 25, 1997 gail carson levine grew up in new york city and began writing seriously in 1987. I really want to read it because ella enchanted is one of my most favorite books. Reading guide for ella enchanted by gail carson levine. The role of traditional gender stereotyping is a main element that is present in all fairytales in one way or another.
Ella s and chars letters reveal confident and clever people behind the pens, while the glimpses we get of hatties and olives letters thanks to ella s magical book reveal them to be dull and greedy. The movie centers on ella who is under a spell to be constantly obedient. But since ella enchanted is novellength instead of fairytalelength, theres a ton more room for ruminating on what precisely is the value of social class. Three learning activities to complement the book by gail carson levine. Pick a famous fairy tale and write your own new version of it. Ella 1932 swimming 200 m breaststroke title characters.
Try living as if you were cursed like ella for one. Author bio gail carson levines first book for children, ella enchanted, was a newbery honor book. Ella enchanted is a modernday cinderella fairy tale staring anne hathaway. Willpower is perhaps a trait of character, which not everyone has. The main idea of the book ella enchanted is that ella is cursed with the gift of obedience. This study guide consists of approximately 33 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of ella enchanted. Original soundtrack ella enchanted original soundtrack. It is about a girl that has been given the gift of obedience at her birth.
My idea of what ellas second ballgown would look like, from the book ella enchanted. When she started writing this novel, gail carson levine wanted to base her story on cinderella but didnt want ella to be a goody twoshoes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ella enchanted trophy newbery. Ella enchanted tells the story of ella who at birth is given the. Ella enchanted, the two princesses of bamarre, fairest.
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