Remix: Cinder"Ella Enchanted"

-What is Remix?

            According to Edwards, remix happens when one “explicitly builds upon or repurposes already existing material” (xxx). This means that remix occurs when a new author uses something that was already in existence but in a new way. The purpose of this remix could be to make it more enticing to the newer generation, to update the values that it teaches to represent what is being taught to current generations or to give the original new life. An example of this could be a new author taking an original piece of work and using it to create a new piece of literature.

-Cinderella and Ella Enchanted

            The stories of “Cinderella” by the Grimm Brothers and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine represent an example of remix because Carson takes the original story of “Cinderella” and updates it while keeping the heart of what makes “Cinderella” “Cinderella” intact. She keeps the death of a mother, the introduction of cruel/evil stepmoms and stepsisters, and the prince as a bachelor, but incorporates it in a new way that speaks with the times. She updates the story to have the Cinderella of her tale be a true heroine who causes the events in the story that lead to her salvation whereas the original Cinderella was only saved due to the actions of others (ie. A magical tree, and birds). This would have helped others to read the story and see it in a positive light, rather than if they had just read the original for what it was. Carson’s adaptation helps to bring the “Cinderella” into the modern age by showing that a girl, even one who has been cursed, can saw herself. Whereas the moral of the original is that kindness is rewarded.

-Why Remix is Important?

            Looking at the two stories one can see why a remix for “Cinderella” would have been necessary. Times are changing, and society no longer wants to read about a girl being saved from her problems by a man she barely knows. Society wants to see a girl saving herself and maybe finding love along the way. This is one of the many reasons remixing is necessary. It helps to ensure that originals/classics are read by younger generations. It helps to update the information to show what society wants represented. It also helps to prevent classics from being forgotten. While many may have read “Cinderella”, there are other originals/classics that haven’t been looked at because they are old and unappealing to younger audiences. Remixing these materials means that younger generations may become curious as to what lead to the beauty that they are reading, listening to, etc, and will invite them to pick up the original. This helps to keep it alive for more years. So remixing is needed in society to help keep culture and older content alive. 

Sources: 

Edwards, Dustin. "Framing Remix Rhetorically: Toward a Typology of Transformative Work." Remix, edited by Department of English, University of North Florida, 2017, xviii-xiv.

Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm. "Cinderella." The Original Folk and Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm, edited by Jack Zipes, Princeton University Press, 2014, 69-77.

Levine, Gail, Carson. Ella Enchanted. Harper Collins Publishers, 1997.