Cendrillon
Charles Perrault · 1697 · Short Story
It established a foundational narrative where a protagonist's inherent goodness and purity, despite adversity, leads to a dramatically elevated social status and happiness, often through marriage.
What it is
A kind and virtuous young woman, mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, is magically aided to attend a ball where she captures the attention of a prince, eventually marrying him and escaping her cruel life.
↑Inherited from(3)
This ancient Egyptian tale, recorded by Greek historians, is widely recognized as a precursor to the Cinderella story, demonstrating the enduring theme of a humble, virtuous woman being elevated to a high social status through fate and royal recognition.
The narrative of Psyche's journey, filled with impossible tasks and divine persecution, yet culminating in her reward of immortality and marriage to a god due to her unwavering spirit, is a clear mythological precursor to the 'virtue rewarded' trope.
This Chinese folktale, recorded centuries before Perrault's version, contains almost all the key elements of the Cinderella story, including the wicked stepfamily, magical helper, lost slipper, and marriage to a ruler, proving the narrative's ancient roots.
↓Passed on to(3)
Published in the same collection as Cendrillon, this tale directly applies the 'virtue rewarded' concept to a princess who, despite a curse, is destined for a happy, elevated outcome due to her royal birth and inherent purity, awaiting a virtuous rescuer.
Perrault's "Cendrillon" clearly depicts a virtuous, chaste female protagonist who, through her moral purity and suffering, is ultimately rewarded with a royal marriage, directly prefiguring the core mechanism of "Pamela."
This classic fairy tale directly builds upon the 'virtue rewarded' trope by having Belle's unwavering goodness and moral purity not only save her but also redeem the Beast, culminating in her marriage to a prince and a life of happiness.