The Little Glass Slipper

With dramatic irony, the reader knows something that a character or characters do not. Dramatic irony adds depth and suspense to the narrative, particularly during Cinderilla's attendance at the ball. As Cinderilla prepares, her transformation is made possible by her Fairy Godmother, and the readers are let in on this secret. Their knowledge of Cinderilla's magical makeover sets the stage for the dramatic irony that ensues. While they are aware of her true identity and transformation, her stepmother and stepsisters remain oblivious. At the ball the stepsisters are tested when Cinderilla “[shews] them a thousand civilities…which very much surprised them, for they did not know her” (Paragraph 33).

Cinderilla attends the ball for two nights, pulling off the ploy with no one the wiser. This intensifies anticipation; readers eagerly await the moment when Cinderilla's true self will be revealed and justice will prevail. Through this narrative technique, Perrault engages the readers emotionally, allowing them to root for Cinderilla and experience her success.

Perrault employs imagery to enhance the reader's experience and create mental pictures, allowing readers to visualize scenes and characters. For example, he describes Cinderilla's transformative experience, such as her pumpkin carriage turning into a “fine coach, gilded all over with gold” (Paragraph 17); the six lizards turning to footmen “with their liveries all bedaubed with gold and silver” (Paragraph 24); and her elegant ball gown “of gold and silver, all beset with jewels” (Paragraph 26). This imagery, contrasts with her ragged appearance “among cinders and ashes” and “poison nasty rags” (Paragraphs 3 and 26).

These images aim to evoke a sense of wonder and enchantment. Perrault uses more elaborate adjectives to describe Cinderilla’s transformed state, emphasizing the shift.