Grimm and Bear it.
Much has been written about
The Face in the Frost, with some referring it to fairy tale-inspired fantasy. I found a list we compiled years ago of some of the fairy tale devices
Bellairs borrowed for the book. How many more can you think of?
- Prospero's magic mirror is a more talkative version of the one owned by Snow White’s evil stepmother.
- Prospero casually mentions a talking fish at the start of chapter two; "The Fisherman and His Wife" comes to mind.
- Roger Bacon uses a common squash as a means for transportation, a la "Cinderella".
- An impenetrable tower with no apparent entrance, built against a cliff face and which Prospero and Roger Bacon must scale to continue their quest is similar to where Rapunzel is sequestered.
- Prospero and Roger Bacon get help from a monkish horticulturalist who lives in a tower whose vines are used as transportation; this seems similar to "Jack and the Beanstalk".
- The "haunted forest" motif used when Prospero tries to find the grave of Melichus. Would this be the same forest seen in Jonathan Barnavelt's stained glass window?
Strangely enough, I don't see where
Bellairs included many (or any) fairy tale allusions in
The Dolphin Cross, the short, unfinished sequel of
Face.
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