Puss in Boots

Charles Perrault, 1697

Father dies and leaves behind a mill, donkey, and cat for his three sons. The
youngest son receives the cat, which he finds to be useless.

Primogeniture - first born; when the owner of the property passes away, his older son would have it
all, more than his younger siblings (obvious choice)

The cat says to the boy, Do not be so concerned, my good master. If you will but
give me a bag, and have a pair of boots made for me then you shall see that you
are not so poorly off with me as you imagine.
0:00-0:14

French aristocrats were not

taken seriously unless they were
decked in the latest fashion.
Some noblemen sold real estate
properties so they could use the
money to buy nice clothes.
French civil war: kings and
noblemen were on the search
for power and influence (early
1650 when King Louis XIV was
around)
the king turned to fashion to
keep his power stable

King Louis XIV with his

fashion

fashion under the reign of

King Louis XIV

Dressed in his boots, the cat goes on a mission to make his master wealthy. First, he kills a rabbit which
he then presents to the king. He claims it is from his noble lord, the Master of Carabas. He continues this
deed for 3 months to win the kings admiration.
0:21-0:48

With these boots, the cat can

be acknowledged by the king
- Showcases Perraults
humor moral:
appearance is the key
to success

Next, the cat orders his master to bathe in the river. He hides his masters clothes
and as the kings coach approaches, he claims that his masters clothes have been
stolen. The king is eager to give his master new clothes. Upon seeing the man
dressed so nicely, the kings daughter falls in love with him.

Appearance matters!

The cat threatens the countrymen and forces them to tell the king that their
property belongs to his noble lord once the coach comes by. The king is very
impressed.

The cat eventually reaches an ogres castle. The ogre transforms into a lion to
demonstrate his shapeshifting abilities. Scared, the cat leaps onto the roof, where
he struggles to move because of his boots.

Perrault mentioned in this part that the cat could not move with boots; it represents that a true noble
does not need to work at all rather than look presentable like a display for the king
boots were not designed for hard work that are often done by peasants/common folk

The cat comes back down and tells the ogre that he doesnt believe the ogre can
turn into a mouse. The ogre accepts the challenge and the cat eats him.
1:00 - 1:07

The king is impressed at the fact (or lie) that the Master of Carabas owns the
castle. He offers the man his daughters hand in marriage. The cat also becomes a
great lord.

rags-to-riches, animal
helper, wit

Moral: There is great

advantage in receiving a
large inheritance, but
diligence and ingenuity
are worth more than
wealth acquired from
others.
Another moral: If a miller's
son can win the heart of a
princess in so short a
time... it must be due to his
clothes, his appearance,
and his youth.

negative reaction from parents today (emphasis on lying and

appearance)

references
http://hubpages.com/business/puss_in_boots
http://www.indiana.edu/~psource/PDF/Archive%20Articles/Spring2014/2014%20%20Spring%20-%204%20-%20Barringer%20Sarah.pdf
http://www.its-behind-you.com/storypussinboots.html
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1297851080?pq-origsite=gscholar
http://search.proquest.
com/docview/1303922694/fulltextPDF/281F6BC9B6C1431EPQ/1?
accountid=14509

references
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1297851080?pq-origsite=gscholar
http://search.proquest.
com/docview/1303922694/fulltextPDF/281F6BC9B6C1431EPQ/1?
accountid=14509 pg. 9
Puss in boots car[ries] the classic oedipal message of puberty; the father; the ogre, must be slain by the
adolescent who then possesses his inheritance, the ogres castle, the princess. The father is never killed
by name in fairy tales, but his threatening, confining, destructiveness is emphasized. -2 srce. (convention
of character? how to relate hmm)
His parole of speech has the power of changing representations -1st srce. magic of language (use
trickery convention for this)

Music?