Ella En-control

I've been thinking a lot this week about a character's control of their surroundings and the things that happen to them in the novel Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. What are characters in control of in a text, and why? The main character, Ella, starts her journey with very little control over her decisions. She is bound to the desires of those around her. Yet she drives and controls the flow of the novel. Her happy ending is achieved when she regains control over her own decision-making. My question then is what does this mean in connection with the men in Ella's life? The two men I am most interested in writing about are Ella's father, Sir Peter, and of course, Prince Char? What do they do to support or conflict with the feminist themes in the novel?

I am going to circulate my new ideas on Goodreads and a Facebook group I am still a part of from a class last semester. Feel free to comment!

Cinderella, you have some explaining to do.

My first encounter with Gail Carson Levine was in Elementary School when I stumbled upon her collection of fairy tales retold entitled The Princess Tales.

I was immediately drawn to Levine’s writing style and skill with fairy tale adaptation.

I yearned for more.

A few years later I picked up this Newbury Honor book: Ella Enchanted.

I’m surprised I didn't find Ella sooner.