Heroism and Homoeroticism in Madame d’Aulnoy’s Belle Tales

Abstract

Madame d’Aulnoy’s two fairy tales featuring central characters named Belle, La Belle aux cheveux d’or (1697) and Belle-Belle ou le chevalier Fortuné (1698) share similar themes and share many parallels and convergences in addition to sources in common. However, an overlooked and significant element in both stories is the depiction of same-sex desire on the part of central male characters. Ultimately, these characters conform to the heteronormative conventional ending of the majority of early modern fairy tales, but not before a process of detachment from their homoerotic desires and homosocial world. This process involves their intellectual and physical intimacy with women with whom they ‘become men’ in the sense of healthy and happy individuals. The tales therefore present a flouting of patriarchal imperatives both through their depiction of feminine parity, and indeed, superiority and in their strident critique of male society that excludes women, be it homosocial or homosexual in nature.