《灰姑娘》這個你我均耳熟能詳的童話故事，隨著時代的進步及異性結構之變化從而已經發展出許多不同的故事情節。例如美國作家海迪克斯創作的《灰姑娘逃婚記》(Just Ella)、美國小說家格萊葛利．馬奎爾所著的《醜陋繼姐的告白》(Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister)、唐娜．喬．拿坡里創作的《驚世狂花》(Bound)以及加拿大作家丹妮爾．泰勒的小說《從此以後：灰姑娘繼母的秘史》(All the Ever Afters)等等，美少女“灰姑娘”已不再是早期中國的《葉限》、法國作家夏爾．佩羅的《灰姑娘》和德國格林兄弟《仙杜麗拉》筆下等待著和英俊王子過著幸福快樂日子的美麗公主，而是勇敢追求真愛及自己的人生目標，充滿自信、獨立自主的新女性。此外，早期《灰姑娘》故事的焦點均落在女主角灰姑娘身上。她麻雀變鳳凰的際遇，使讀者們莫不為其長期受到繼母及繼姊姊們痛苦虐待的種種而抱屈，也為她最後蛻變為美麗公主的際遇喝采。然而，現代版本的灰姑娘故事開始出現了其他女性角色的聲音。繼母不再是冷酷無情的後母，繼姊姊們也不再是醜陋善妒、恃寵而驕的壞姊妹。因此，本文除了比較早期父權制社會之下與近代女性角色演變之後《灰姑娘》故事之間的不同，也由不同的女性角色，例如繼母及繼姊的角度來探究灰姑娘故事中女性之間相處的變化及發展。 The earlier versions of the Cinderella fairy tale have been rewritten and retold through numerous modern narratives such as Just Ella (1999) by the American writer Margaret Peterson Haddix, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999) by the American novelist Gregory Maguire, Bound (2004) by the American writer and linguist Donna Jo Napoli, and All the Ever Afters (2018) by the Canadian writer Danielle Teller, among others. An adaptation of a fairy tale gives its earlier version a twist by making changes in the characters or by adding a current concept to make the story more appealing, relatable, or acceptable to modern readers.When comparing earlier and modern versions of the Cinderella fairy tale, what the reader could easily observe is that there are aspects of patriarchal ideology in the earlier versions and more women-centered narratives in the modern ones. Looking into the modern versions of Cinderella fairy tales, the main female character in these rewritten versions has gotten rid of her frail image and has been interpreted from different angles to be aligned with the modern concept of a woman who has the power to master her own life. Furthermore, the other female characters such as the stepmother and stepsisters also have their voices heard. Many women-centered perspectives are rather obvious in these rewritten stories and will be explored in this thesis. In addition, considering the intertwined and complex relationships among the female characters that shape different angles of the story, this thesis will also explore the roles of, and relationships among these female characters in earlier versions and compare and contrast them to the modern versions of “Cinderella.”
