Donkey-skin by Charles Perrault
Donkey-Skin, by Charles Perrault: A king and queen have a beautiful daughter named Donkey-Skin. The king promises to give her hand in marriage to any man who can guess her name within a year's time. Many suitors try, but none succeed until a poor, simple man named Jack comes along and correctly identifies her as "Donkey-Skin." The king is angry at Jack for not following the traditional ways of guessing a woman's name, but Jack convinces him to keep his promise by revealing that he has fallen in love with Donkey-Skin. The couple marries and lives happily ever after.
By Charles Perrault · First published 1697 · Genre: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Children's literature · 6,620 words
First lines
Once upon a time there was a King, so great, so beloved by his people, and so respected by all his neighbours and allies that one might almost say he was the happiest monarch alive. His good fortune was made even greater by the choice he had made for wife of a Princess as beautiful as she was virtuous, with whom he lived in perfect happiness. Now, of this chaste marriage was born a daughter endowed with so many gifts that they had no regret because other children were not given to them.
What this Textopian page supports
Donkey-skin is listed on Textopian as a short story by Charles Perrault, dated 1697 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Charles Perrault
- Date: 1697 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Children's literature, French literature
- Length: 6,620 words
- Structure: 1 section, 52 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Donkey-skin by Charles Perrault
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Donkey-skin?
- How does this short story by Charles Perrault fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fairy Tales first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Fairy Tales — The story of 'Donkey-skin' is a classic fairy tale by Charles Perrault, with hallmark elements of the genre such as magical creatures and a moralistic theme.
- Fantasy — The story include an array of fantastical elements including a magical donkey and a fairy godmother, aligning it with the fantasy genre.
- Children's literature — 'Donkey-skin', like many of Perrault's stories, is typically targeted towards children, featuring a simple plot and moral teachings common in children's literature.
- French literature — Charles Perrault, being a French author, situates 'Donkey-skin' as an important work in the context of French literature.
Tags
fairy tale · folklore · magic · transformation · identity · family · abandonment · courage · perseverance · love · sacrifice · royalty