In the nineteenth and twentieth chapters of Ella Enchanted, SOMEHOW, THIS ALL GOT WORSE. IT GOT SO MUCH WORSE. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Ella Enchanted.
Chapter Nineteen / Chapter Twenty
- I didn’t expect any of this.
- I did not expect to feel so completely unnerved by this (necessary) rumination on the tropes and archetypes that appear in fairy tales. More so than the chapters before, this portion of Ella Enchanted addresses the idea of true love, of consent, of age differences in romance, and of the need for choice to be a huge part of how people come to be happy.
- We open with the dinner between Ella, Peter, and Edmund, Earl of Wolleck, the potential suitor that Peter found for Ella. HE IS OLDER THAN PETER AND ELLA IS FIFTEEN AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS THE MOST WRONG THING THAT EVER WRONGED.
- (The whole thief/con argument is also super weird. Both sides are totally wrong!)
- I JUST… ELLA’S FATHER DRUGS HER. HE DRUGS HER BY FEEDING HER THE TORLIN KERRU MUSHROOMS SO THAT SHE’LL FALL FOR EDMUND THROUGH NO CHOICE OF HER OWN. IT’S CREEPY. IT HURTS. AND WHEN PETER STRUGGLED NOT TO LAUGH AT ELLA FOR ACTING SO KIND, I JUST WANTED TO PUNCH HIM INTO ANOTHER UNIVERSE, PREFERABLY A UNIVERSE WHERE THE WAS NOTHING ELSE IN IT AND WE WOULD NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN FOREVER.
- “I’ve never seen Ella so solicitous,” Father said, adding a log to the fire.
- WELL I HOPE YOU NEVER SEE HER AGAIN BECAUSE YOU DON’T DESERVE A WONDERFUL DAUGHTER LIKE ELLA
- I THINK THAT PETER HAS QUICKLY BECOME MY MOST DESPISED CHARACTER IN ALL OF FICTION FOREVER.
- “The earl leaned toward me again. ‘You have a loving heart. I see that. More woman than child.’ ” YOU ARE SERIOUSLY DISGUSTING, OH MY GOD.
- Mandy, bless her heart. BLESS IT. She calls it like it is: Father poisoned Ella. And really, I think it’s so fantastic that Levine has a character here who is able to provide criticism of Peter’s actions within the text. There’s no doubt here that we’re supposed to find Peter’s behavior deplorable. Of course, Ella herself expresses as much not long after this. BECAUSE MANDY REALIZES THAT LUCINDA JUST GAVE A COMMAND. SHE DID NOT CHANGE ELLA’S CURSE. And that means Mandy could command Ella to not feel joy when she obeyed someone. OH MY GOD, I AM SO HAPPY THAT THIS DIDN’T LAST. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE OF IT I COULD HAVE TOLERATED.
- Ella was incredibly smart to not read her Father’s letter about Edmund so that she could ignore a command he might have inadvertently included, and I was relieved when we discovered that Edmund was TOO POOR FOR PETER. (Wow, what a terrible, terrible father. I can’t get over this.)
- But no, I can’t have hope. THAT’S NOT ALLOWED. Because then Peter says he is getting married to stave off the inevitable
- AND IT’S TO DAME OLGA
- THE CINDERELLA MYTH HAS NEVER BEEN MORE APPARENT
- HELP ME THIS IS SO HORRIBLE.
- It’s just… no. I can’t. I can’t stand these people and their toxic behavior, and I don’t see a single way out of this at all. How can Ella ever get her curse lifted? Lucinda is too stubborn to ever admit that what she did was wrong!
- WOW, APPLE IS ONE OF TWO OF ELLA’S BEST FRIENDS. WHY IS THIS SO SAD? THIS BOOK HURT WAY MORE THAN I EVER WANTED IT TO.
- I nearly threw an impromptu party when Hattie and Ella were unfortunately reunited because of Ella’s brilliant refusal to be a part of Hattie’s abuse. YOU ARE MY FAVORITE, ELLA.
- Oh gods, Olive. She clearly wants to be friends with Ella, and I’m actually surprised she didn’t order her in this case. It’s a complicated situation because I got the sense that Olive found Ella to be a compelling person and not in the same way Hattie did. There’s not quite the same meanness in her, either.
- HOLY GOD, LUCINDA IS AT THE WEDDING.
- SOUND THE ALARM, THIS BOOK IS MESSING ME UP. THIS ISN’T GOOD! WHAT IF LUCINDA SPOTS ELLA???
- “It’s the loveliest gift. No one can say this one is harmful or foolish.” She shook her head defiantly. “It’s eternal love. As long as you live, you shall love each other.”
- OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO AWFUL, YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING ABOUT HOW THE WORLD WORKS, AND I’M CONVINCED YOU’RE ACTUALLY A HORROR MOVIE CHARACTER IN DISGUISE
- HOW IS THIS BOOK REAL?????
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Mark Links Stuff
– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.
– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting numerous events throughout the US, Canada, and Europe in 2014. Please check my Tour Dates/Appearances page often to see if I’m coming to your city!
