Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale in which an ugly beast must earn the true love of a beautiful girl to free him from the spell of an evil fairy. The first published version was written by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in the middle 18th century. It was a novel-length story intended for adult readers and addressing the issues of the marriage system of the day in which women had no right to choose their husband or to refuse to marry. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont simplified and shortened Villeneuve's work and published it in a magazine for young ladies. The abridged version became more successful, and Madame de Beaumont is regarded now as the author of the classic story.
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Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1711–1780) was the author of Beauty and the Beast and Other Classic French Fairy Tales. In 1746 she left France for London, where she had a successful publishing career. Her version of “Beauty and the Beast” has been retold countless times, both in film and on stage.
Gordon Griffin is one of the most prolific and sought-after voice artists in the UK. As well as narrating over 250 audiobooks and earning four AudioFile Earphones Awards, he can be heard on countless television and radio advertisements, corporate videos, training films, and documentaries. In addition to his voice work, he is also a respected dialogue coach and has worked on television productions as diverse as Byker Grove and Kavanagh QC. He is also casting director with the English Theatre of Hamburg.