The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898). Part B
I initially chose to read this story because I assumed it would provide me with an alternative perspective on the Disney story I grew up knowing and loving, and I was not disappointed! Because I went into this reading with the Disney movie and its characters/plot in my head, most of my notes were writing about how Arabian Nights compared to Aladdin.
The story begins by giving a little bit of a back story to Aladdin and his family, a detail that the movie did not include. I found this to be an essential part of the story because it really develops Aladdin as a character and gives the reader insight on why Aladdin behaves the way he does. According to the reading, Aladdin grew up in a family that did not have many possessions, which makes it logical that he would jump at the chance to gain riches when the magician approaches him. The provision of the back story, not only on Aladdin and his family, but also the magician and his motives are what contribute to the detailed character development in this story. I also noticed that there are a lot of similarities between Jafaar and the African magician in this story, which I enjoyed. Some differences include that in Arabian Nights, there are two genies instead of one and there does not seem to be a limit on the wishes Aladdin can make. The time table of the stories are also very different, which can be seen in Arabian Nights when Aladdin has to wait many months in order to marry Jasmine, after he steals her from the prince she was supposed to marry. To me, the best elements of this story are the intricate details, captivating plot, and detailed character development, all of which make the story far more elaborate than the movie was.
If I were to rewrite this story, I think I would like to tell the story from the perspective of either of the genies. There are only a few moments in which the genies speak their minds in these stories, one of which occurs after Aladdin is prompted to ask for something that offends the genie greatly. Getting the genie's perspective is something that I have thought about since I first saw the movie as a child, so I think it would prove to be a pretty interesting story!
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