SNOW WHITE:
A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Are you
ready to hear the tale of Snow White in the truly sinister fashion that the Grimm
brothers intended? Then dive into Matt Phelan’s modern adaptation of this
classic fairytale.
Phelan of
course used the graphic novel structure for his adaptation with almost
exclusively black and white illustrations that provoke a dark and shadowy tone.
This modern version of Snow White is definitely
set in a proverbial dark and stormy time—The age of the Great Depression (late
1920’s-early 1930’s) This enhances the ominous mood and foreshadows the
sinister events that will take place. Snow, or Samantha White, is the only
daughter of a very rich man who works on Wallstreet. Snow’s father even
manages to keep his fortune during the stock market crash that preceded the depression. After her mother’s passing away, Snow’s
father remarries a very greedy and disturbing woman that becomes Snow’s
stepmother, the wicked queen character. When Snow’s father suddenly falls ill
and passes away, they find out that he left 75% of his estate is left to his
daughter. This causes Snow’s stepmother to become envious and put a “hit” out
for Snow. Phelan uses the original motif of an old woman offering Snow a
poisoned red apple, but is essentially saved by seven street kids who obviously
represent the classic dwarves. The prince charming character is represented by
a police investigator that uncovers the truth and ultimately saves Snow from
the “wicked queen” and they live happily-ever-after.
This is definitely a great read for young, reluctant
readers, about middle school age I would predict to be age range that would
find this novel most appealing. It doesn’t contain a lot of dialogue, or other
text for that matter. Most of the story and tone is portrayed through
illustrations which are very detailed and visually interesting. This makes for
a pretty quick read which is kind of creepy and fun to read.
Pros: a quick read, beautiful illustrations, demonstrates the
concept of adaptation, intriguing storyline.
Cons: As I stated before, I think this novel is most
appropriate for YA’s at the middle school age. I think this novel would only
present cons to older YA’s, high school students for example, might find this
novel to be boring due to the lack of dialogue/text.
To get a better understanding of Phelan’s inspiration behind
his adaptation, watch this interview with the author: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=phelan+snow+white&&view=detail&mid=A1B52B1432AD70C4C08CA1B52B1432AD70C4C08C&FORM=VRDGAR
If you would like to read the original tale written by the
Grimm brothers, go here:
Good post! I love to read modern adaptations of classic tales because it is fun to make the connections to the earlier versions. This book sounds like a great read and the contemporary setting is interesting. Prince Charming as an investigator is particularly interesting because it reminds me of Once Upon A Time, the TV show. I gather from your post that the setting of the story changes but the qualities of the characters are preserved. Cool!
ReplyDeleteI like your hook! its truly engaging and makes me want to read the book! This book seems like something fun to read over the summer. I think most young adult readers might enjoy a book but a not high schoolers like you said. Good job!
ReplyDeleteYou make the story sound very interesting! I think the 1930's - 1940's, post Great Depression era, as the story's setting is an interesting twist to the original story. I like the darker adaptations of the classic fairytales due to the original intent of the Grimm Brothers when the stories were first written. So, definitely something I would read!
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