Below are (or will be in the future) several novels, movies, and short stories that I have read that are about "Beauty and the Beast" or its variants. This page is mostly to help me keep them all straight in my head. I sometimes read upwards of ten versions a week so it can get confusing. This page is mostly for my own benefit but if anyone else should happen upon this, there are spoilers. I have tried to keep them out of the synopsis section, however. I will give a brief synopsis and then describe the material based on the following categories:

Location: I just find it interesting to see where the story is set

"Magicalness": Was it magical or more realistic?

Romance: Was there any? If not, did it compensate in other areas?
Illustrations: If there were any, did I like them? If it was a film or TV show this becomes "Production Values."

Interesting changes: Anything that really makes this stand out from other versions. Like the Beast being female or truly evil.

Beast's appearance: I figure if nothing else triggers my memory, this will.

This template is not used in the Psychology section where an altered one is introduced.



Synopsis: A young ballerina named Robin has just been given the part of Beauty in her ballet school's latest production. She accidentally shatters the window of a local pet fish shop and must work there for three months to pay for it. She begins to see her boss, Mr. Tsau, as a real life Beast. He only reveals kindness when he tends his beloved angelfish. Through her Grandmother, Robin learns of Mr. Tsau's past and her own Chinese culture and history.

Location: The story is actually set in America (can't recall where exactly, New York maybe). However, China plays a central part in the story.

"Magicalness": This story could have really happened. I suppose you could say there is "everyday magic" in it.

Romance: Not in the traditional sense. The reader comes to find out that the Beauty to Mr. Tsau's Beast is actually Dance itself.

Illustrations: This is not illustrated given that it is a young adult novel and not necessary.

Interesting changes: Everything is symbolic. There's no magical spells, physical transformations, etc. The story is much more dependent on actual history than other versions.

Beast's appearance: Since this is symbolic he looks like a normal 60ish man from China.

Synopsis: Rosalind Hawkin's father dies and leaves her to deal with all of his debts. A mysterious man sends her professor a letter asking for a governess for his two children. Rosalind agrees to take the job only to find out that her employer, Jason, has no children but was left crippled and deformed by an accident. Instead of caring for children, every night she reads texts about magic to Jason through a speaking tube. Later she finds out that Jason's accident was far from typical and that his current state was the result of a failed magic spell.

Location: Rose lives in Chicago and then moves to San Francisco after Jason hires her.

"Magicalness": Jason is a magician so, yeah, plenty of *that*.

Romance: Yep, it becomes really evident about half way through the book. Given this is a 400+ page novel it deals with the repercussions more, too.

Illustrations: Not illustrated.

Interesting changes: It doesn't wait til the very end to establish that the characters are in love with each other.

Beast's appearance: Half man, half wolf.

Synopsis: Alix's family has been painting the family of Lee Crompton for generations. At last, her turn comes and Alix is surprised to find out that Lee suffers from acromegaly and lives as a recluse. Naturally, a friendship forms and through various trials such as her father's illness, Alix's tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend, and Lee's taciturn nature the two become closer. Alix is angered when she discovers no one will ever see her painting of Lee, including the subject himself. She stomps away with the painting. Will they be reunited? I said I'd try and avoid spoilers...

Location: New Hampshire, mostly

"Magicalness": I suppose this could happen. Nothing really magical. The ending is definitely grounded in realism.

Romance: Yep, a pretty complicated one but it's there. Its course is probly not to the liking of most people, though.

Illustrations: Nope.

Interesting changes: "Beauty"/Alix narrates the first part. "Beast"/Lee takes over towards the end. Giving the Beast an actual genetic condition seems new. And that was the biggest problem I had with this book. It doesn't seem right to even symbolically suggest that someone with a genetic abnormality is a "beast."

Beast's appearance: He has acromegaly.

Synopsis: This is the story told from the viewpoint of the Beast, formerly the son of the Shah of Persia. He lives a life of luxury but after disobeying a religious law, a fairy turns him into a lion. Unfortunately for the prince, his father has scheduled a lion hunt for the next morning so he must leave his native Persia and search for forgiveness.

Location: The story follows the prince from Persia to France.

"Magicalness": Yes, complete with a fairy and curses! It also has a lot of cultural and religious information regarding Islam which was interesting and different from most versions I've read.

Romance: Yes, eventually. Beauty doesn't show up til the fourth part of this four part book, though.

Illustrations: No, but it does have a map that's rather helpful. It's really a very pretty book.

Interesting changes: The importance of religion and the geographical movement of the Beast and the story. Also, this is the first version I've found told completely from the Beast's POV.

Beast's appearance: A lion, walking on all fours and everything.

Synopsis: Misfortune hits Beauty and her close knit family when her Father's ships are lost. They are forced to move into the country. The story pretty much follows the traditional order of the story but with emphasis placed on Beauty's family as well as the local people. Beauty must learn to love not only the Beast, but also herself.

Location: Not entirely sure which country but Beauty and her family come to reside in a little town called Blue Hill.

"Magicalness": Yes, the traditional sort. Also, dreams are really important. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to read this but I remember being especially pleased with this element.

Romance: Yes, and it seemed more natural. Not rushed or anything. This was the couple I was most impressed with of all the versions I read.

Illustrations: No, but the descriptions are quite vivid.

Interesting changes: Beyond the central characters of Beauty and the Beast, this story is also very interested in Beauty's family. They are all very lovely characters, with each of her sisters having an intriguing love story of their own. The story is all told from Beauty's perspective.

Beast's appearance: Doesn't seem to favor a particular animal (at least that I recall at this time), but walks and dresses like a man.
Synopsis: After Isabel's father takes a rose from a florist shop for her, the deformed owner demands his child come work for him as payment.  Isabel is at first wary of her employer, Leo, but then is drawn into his company when she finds in him a well-traveled and intelligent conversationalist.  However, her family and boyfriend become increasingly disturbed by the amount of time she spends with Leo.

Location: Winter Hill (Connecticut, I think) circa 1980s

"Magicalness": At one point the author seemed to be going for a sorta psychic connection but not much here.

Romance: Yes but not as much between "Beauty" and the "Beast" as "Beauty" and another guy.

Illustrations: No

Interesting changes: There's a lot of teenage, high school friends and family angst.  Plus the modern setting with Star Wars and Dunkin Donuts references.  A wider cast of characters than with most BatB tales.  Kinda found myself thinking of it as "Beauty and the Beast" as done by Sweet Valley Twins.

Beast's appearance: Leo survived a horrific car crash leaving him heavily scarred and with hands like claws.  Honestly, I found the character pretty creepy.  Way more into a teenager than a thirtysomething ought to be methinks.



Synopsis: This is a Greco-Roman legend. This particular version is a picture book and some aspects of the original legend have been altered, presumably to make the story more kid-friendly. The main details are the same: The mortal Psyche is beautiful, Venus gets jealous, and Venus asks her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a horrible creature. Cupid is struck by Psyche's beauty and accidentally nicks himself with his own arrow and falls in love. So they have this hidden romance, the only condition is Psyche can never see her husband. Naturally curiosity (and her sisters) get the better of her and she peeks. Cupid flies away and Psyche spends the rest of the story fulfilling difficult tasks, seeking reunion.

Location: Delphi, Hades, Olympus, and the like.

"Magicalness": More mythology than magic. Gods and goddesses abound.

Romance: Yep, and some regard this couple as the forerunners of every Beauty and Beast after them.

Illustrations: Gorgeous. Lots of pretty, flowery scenery and beautiful costumes.

Interesting changes: Other versions of this story have Psyche getting pregnant before she actually sees Cupid. This doesn't happen in this version.

Beast's appearance: A winged guy with really blond, really curly hair.

Synopsis: Seven is the youngest daughter of a poor farmer. She saves a snake from being killed by her cruel older sister. Later, that snake returns in the form of a dragon and demands that Seven's father give him one of his daughter's for a wife or die. All refuse, until finally the question is put to Seven who agrees to marry the dragon. Life is not so bad as she might have feared, until one of her sisters interferes and Seven is separated from her Prince.

Location: China.

"Magicalness": Naturally, the Beast takes on three different shapes and Seven is magically transported from her home to the Beast's and vice versa.

Romance: Yes, definitely. The passages which deal with the separation of Seven and the Prince are very moving.

Illustrations: Amazing. Very bright colors and some of the pictures look almost real enough to be photos.

Interesting changes: The Beast chooses to transform himself into a dragon to look for a wife. There is no unfortunate enchantment. Also, Seven sees the Prince's true form almost immediately after entering his home.

Beast's appearance: He changes from a little snake, a great, brilliantly colored dragon, and a man.

Synopsis: This is basically a retelling of the most common form of the story, but fleshed out a bit for added length. Many versions remove the scenes concerning Beauty seeing the Beast's true form. This version leaves those scenes intact.

Location: Unknown, typical fairy tale landscape.

"Magicalness": For certain. Beauty's dreams are made much of. There's a mysterious old woman. The characters in the stories the Beast tells come to life and appear.

Romance: This is really very interesting. It's a sort of faux love triangle with the Beast and the Prince both in love with Beauty but Beauty only loving the Prince. Of course, she eventually learns they are one and the same.

Illustrations: Fantastic paintings by Mercer Mayer. I loved his books as a kid and looking at this I know why. They are so intricate and colorful! The writing is great but even if it weren't the illustrations alone would be enough.

Interesting changes: Pretty much the general story. I do think the dream sequences are treated with bit more depth than others, though that could just be my perception.

Beast's appearance: Not as easily categorized as in some versions. Catlike I think.

Synopsis: This is a pretty basic retelling of the most popular version of the story. Beauty's family must move to the country, Beauty's father meets Beast, Beauty goes to the Beast, Beauty returns home for visit, evil sisters interfere and keep Beauty from returning to Beast, etc.

Location: Not sure, doesn't say.

"Magicalness": There's a flying horse, a magic ring, a wicked witch, and a magic mirror.

Romance: As with many versions, Beauty's love for the Beast surfaces as he lays dying.

Illustrations: Really pretty unique. I especially liked the clothing depicted. Very colorful. The people have a very ethereal look to them. The author also illustrates her book.

Interesting changes: Not much really. I do think some of the magic elements may be different.

Beast's appearance: A cross between a lion and a tiger. Post-transformation he looks like Legolas' prettier twin. :-)

Synopsis: Mufaro has two daughters, Manyara who is cruel and Nyasha who is kind. Nyasha is dutiful and tend to her chores, especially the garden where she befriends a small snake. The Great King announces plans to marry and desires to meet the eligible daughters of his kingdom. Desiring to be queen, Manyara sneaks away and hastens to the King, being cruel to those who stand in her way. Nyasha then follows but, unlike her sister, is kind to those who she runs into. When the two sisters finally meet with the King they are both in for surprises.

Location: Africa.

"Magicalness": The Great King can shapeshift at will.

Romance: Yes, a rather intelligent brand at that. The King gives much thought to choosing a wife and Nyasha does not just fall into his path by coincidence as with the more typical BatB stories.

Illustrations: Very beautiful, the reason my friends and I loved this story as children. The illustrations of the characters are very good but the landscape is most impressive.

Interesting changes: A lot of people probably would not even consider this a BatB story, but I see definite parallels so I listed it here. The King is not enchanted and Nyasha is not forced to stay with him. There is great importance placed on good works.

Beast's appearance: He changes from snake to little boy to old woman to handsome King, as he likes!



Synopsis: This is a collection of 20+ variations form the tale from all different areas of the world and cultures.  Since it's so jam-packed, I gave this book it's own page.  You can visit it here:


Synopsis: Beauty's father sets out to restore his fortune but his car dies in the middle of a storm. He seeks help in a nearby house where he finds a white rose he hopes to bring back to Beauty. Naturally, this angers the Beast who, upon seeing Beauty's photograph, releases the man after demanding Beauty be brought to have dinner with him. The two return where the Beast makes an announcement, he will help her father regain his fortune and... perhaps it would be best if Beauty remained with him for the time being.

Location: The Beast seems to be somewhere in or around England, Beauty and her Father live in London. It is also sometime in the modern era due to the presence of telephones and cars.

"Magicalness": Invisible servants and a dog that seems too human though, I suppose even nonmagical dogs can be like that. I have one. :-)

Romance: Yes. The Beast's devotion becomes clear quite soon. Beauty's own feeling are dealt with a bit later, after she leaves the Beast's home.

Illustrations: No.

Interesting changes: Special attention is given to the period after which Beauty leaves the Beast but before she returns to find him dying. This was especially interesting and shows how Beauty is not so beautiful and good without the Beast.

Beast's appearance: A lion with human attributes.

Synopsis: The first line is "My father lost me to The Beast at cards." That pretty much sets the stage for this very strange version. Beauty is then taken away from her father and brought to the Beast's palazzo where he makes a most bizarre request of her.

Location: Italy, it seems.

"Magicalness": Something's definitely going on. Also, there's a robot who tends to Beauty, though I suppose that's more technology than magic.

Romance: Ummm... sure. Perhaps just not my version of it.

Illustrations: No.

Interesting changes: I felt totally outside my element reading this so I could just be confused here, but I think Beauty turned into a beast at the end. Her father being not-nice also seems new. I'm glad I didn't find this version until I was 20, I really wouldn't have understood much of anything before that.

Beast's appearance: A tiger, but he wears a wig and mask in public to appear human.

Synopsis: The Beast is cursed with immortality and after hundreds of years finds his woodland sanctuary destroyed forcing him to move into the suburbs.  His only love in the city is his magnificent rose garden.  When a teenage girl enters his yard and plucks one of his prize roses, their lives change forever.

Location: A big bad city.  :-)  If it was ever specifically stated, I don't recall.

"Magicalness": Yep.  This story assumed the reality of things like immortals and witches' curses.

Romance: No but a very different type of love.

Illustrations: No.

Interesting changes: Okay, gotta say when I was reading this and first figured out that Cassie, child prostitute, was our Beauty I thought "Oh my God... this is going to be a sick and twisted 'Pretty Woman' isn't it?"  Not at all.  Turns out Cassie entered the Beast's garden to get a rose from her dying only friend, Trina.  Something in Cassie's story makes the Beast want to meet this Trina.  The rest of the story revolves around them tending to Trina and "Beauty" and the Beast coming to love each other.  Not as lovers but father and daughter.  I thought it was a really beautiful story about forgiveness, grief, and family.  I thought it was an interesting twist to have not romantic love humanize the Beast but instead fatherly love.

Beast's appearance: The author tells that over the course of his very long life, The Beast changes from someone of beastly appearance to that of a normal enough, if bulky, man.  More emphasis is placed on his personality transition.  He's utterly detestable at the start but by the last page he's a very different man.



Synopsis: Starring Susan Sarandon and Klaus Kinski.  1984.  A merchant with three daughters, one nice and  the others bratty, steals a rose from the garden of a Beast.  The Beast orders his death or that one of his daughters come to him.  Beauty runs off in spite of her father's protests.  Drama and romance ensues.  Really I hope you know the story by now.  :-)

Location: Take your pick I suppose.

"Magicalness": Yep.  The magic ring makes an appearance in this one as well as the well-known mirror.  Also, plenty of disembodied arms bearing light fixtures.  Also the Beast's explanation for his beastliness at the very end speaks to the importance of fantasy in this version and the entire series.

Romance: Yes.  The Beast repeatedly asks for Beauty's hand and she declines.  Then she finds him dying and discovers she does love him.  Upon her declaration he turns into a prince (natch) but this leaves Beauty, understandably I think, feeling nostalgic.

Production values: It feels like you're watching a play which I love.  Cool costumes.  But the DVD has no added features.

Interesting changes: The Beast's smoking hands taken from Cocteau's 1946 version.  Also this one makes a lot more of the selfish sisters than other versions I recall.

Beast's appearance: Wolfish with a mane, blonde, sparkly clothes and a German accent.



Synopsis: Wow...  I gotta give credit to anyone that can write a book that spans thousands of years of history and sociology.  This book first traces the person of the storyteller from the ancient Sibyl to the women from whom the Grimm brothers collected their tales.  In between we meet the Queen of Sheba, a variety of saints, and the beleaguered ladies of royal courts.  The second part of the book deals with specific tales with two chapters devoted to "Beauty and the Beast."

Location of focus:  I think with any psychological or sociological work it's important to know where the author is coming from.  Warner lives in London and is contemporary.  Her work in this book spans several parts of the globe and shows how familiar stories pop up all over.  But it does seem like the majority of it revolved around Europe.   I remember Germany and France seeming to be particularly well represented.  But the first part of the book deals largely with Rome and the biblical world also.

Illustrations: There are a myriad of black and white illustrations through out the chapters as well as two sections of colored plates, about 40 some in total.  They really added a lot and made the ideas the author brings up more understandable.

What the author has to say about "Beauty and the Beast":  As with most, she traced BatB from it's ancestor "Cupid and Psyche."  She hypothesizes that the attraction to this story comes from a period when women's romantic fates were decided by family, particularly the father.  Obviously, this can lead to several women unhappily wed to men they may even regard as beasts.  So the story offers a hopeful message that these unwanted mates can transform and become something wonderful and ideal.  The author supports this by looking at the lives of some BatB tellers and their own troubled marriages.  One even tried to have her husband killed!  It was all wildly interesting and made me really grateful to live now.  However, it didn't do much to enlighten why I love the story so much.  Certainly I'm not likely to end up forced into an arranged marriage.  So I found myself more interested in the second BatB chapter entitled "Go! Be a Beast".  This chapter talks more about our modern day romanticization of nature and the wild and embracing it in our own natures.   This appealed to me more.  The idea of balancing different natures: civilized and natural, male and female, etc.  I read this entire 400+ page book and it really held my attention.  There were a couple spans when I sat and read it for hours on end.  The only draw back is the author alludes to so many books and story variants and films and plays that you wish you had time and access to them all!

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