“Beauty and the
Beast” (1991) is a beloved classic Disney fairy tale enjoyed by both the
children and the adults through generations. It is a romance between a
beautiful young woman and a beast-like creature who used to be a prince but
cursed by a sorceress. In this research, this treasured piece of literary text
will be analyzed from the perspectives of two literary theories: Liberal
Humanism and Deconstruction (Post-Structuralism).
Even though the
expression “Deconstruction” does not have a proper definition, in fact, quite
difficult to define, roughly it can be said that it is the re-imagination of a
literary text from an alternate point of view which the author or the creator
might not have initially expected to do. It is one the central factors of
Post-Structuralism. For example, while decoding Beauty and the Beast from a
liberal humanist approach, it is already established that Belle, who is the
“beauty” of the story is the supposed casualty of the Beast’s actions. But the
deconstructive approach questions that notion. Even if on the surface, Belle is
portrayed as the victim, is there genuine evidences for her to be the real
victim? As a matter of fact is the Beast an oppressor or the back story of the
Beast substantially more vile than really depicted? To be fair, the whole film
is a concoction of unaddressed mental disorders and unusual preferences of a
mate.
