Abstract
Rose Terry Cooke’s fantastical short story “Maya, the Princess” (1858), I argue, allegorizes the nineteenth-century courtship while critiquing the popular fairy-tale form. Maya’s quest for domestic stability functions as a correction of Basile’s and the Grimms’ masculine presentations of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Instead of passively awaiting a lustful prince, Cooke’s princess must find a domestic home that will negate the curse of her sensually charged magical “Spark.” This ideological reversal showcases Cooke’s investment in the Victorian angel in the house while also providing a warning about the many pitfalls prospective brides faced on the antebellum marriage market.
Recommended Citation
Foley, Vera R.. "A Curse on Sleeping Beauty: Rose Terry Cooke’s Antebellum Fairy Tale." Marvels & Tales 39.2 (2025). Web. <https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/marvels/vol39/iss2/6>.
