A Better Cinderella for Children?

This was originally a response to some other's blog entry, but then I realized it was too long and important to be contained by a comment, so I have slightly altered it slightly to fit the proper format, and presented it below.

Most of the elements of literature are completely irrelevant to determining types of tales, because these are the very differences that folklorists seek to exploit in order to understand the mentalite of a culture group. Elements like tone, voice, and character motivations or dilemmas are entirely indicative of the individual culture from which the tale was attained and the specific storyteller from which it was recorded. In order to better illustrate this point, I have devised a "better" form for children of an old-time classic.

Onceuponatime there was a girl. The girl's mother never died and still adored her quite thoroughly and she had an elder sister who was also adored, but they were poor and thusly unable to support the extravagant lifestyle they were used to. Instead, the could only afford to dress one of the two daughters well and so on and naturally chose the elder daughter for her being of marrying age, since her marriage to a wealthy man could bring them great fortune as a family, making it necessary for them to present her in proper fashion. Here again, the girl has to do the cooking and the cleaning because her mother and sister must put on airs in order to appear the more wealthy and cannot, therefore, be seen to slave over chores. When the ball happens and the younger wishes to go, it is out of pity for her that the mother denies her and gives her an impossible task to complete--the removal of a bowl of lentils from the ashes in an excessively short period. Having completed this task and asking the mother again for permission to attend the ball, her heart is broken by the mother, whose heart equally breaking, must tell her child that she still cannot go to the ball even after having finished such a ridiculous task because the family could not afford to purchase her a dress worthy of the ball and their family would be shamed arriving with a daughter attired so meagerly. The mother leaves with her elder daughter to attend the ball as the girl cries at length until her fairy godmother arrives and provides her with a beautiful dress and shoes and carriage ride to the ball with the caveat that no one is to find out her identity lest the spell be broken. At the ball, she dances with the prince and they fall in love even though she is slightly younger than the age at which most girls get married, and then she has to leave without being able to so much as hint at who she is to her new love. As she makes her exit, she is accosted by a guard who is ordered by the king to find the identity of the maiden, and loses a shoe in the struggle. It is by this shoe that the prince is afforded the means by which to locate the beautiful maiden that he had fallen in love with, and he goes from estate to estate, trying it on all of the maidens in the land. When he arrives at the appropriate one, the mother, ashamed of how she has had to clothe and treat her younger daughter and spurred as well by the fact that she is not quite to marrying age, hides her in the pantry as the elder tries on the shoe but it does not fit. The girl makes her way out of the pantry and approaches the prince and he realizes it is her before even trying the shoe on, but he does so anyhow. Despite his confusion at her garb and appearance, he still loves her and decides to honor her and promise himself to her. Aware now, however, of her family's position he chooses to bestow them with the necessary wealth to restore their estate to its former glory, and likewise aware of his love's youth, elects to wait until she is of appropriate marrying age to wed the young girl but sooner arranges a propitious marriage for the elder sister...
Andtheylivedhappilyeveraftertheend.

Clearly, despite the gross alterations to tone, voice, and character motivations, this is a Cinderella fairy tale.

P.S. If you at all care about the father, you can imagine him either dead or away all the time on business as he struggles to support his family…