How Does Kissing The Witch Portray Power And Desire In Its Retellings?

Explored the queer subtext in these fairy tale revisions, but I'm still thinking about their feminist angle on magic, control, and sexuality. Thoughts?
2026-07-26 13:28:22
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4 Answers

TaraHicks
TaraHicks
Active Reader Photographer
The most striking thing is how desire is often linked to escape. Not escape to a prince, but escape from the entire script. In 'The Tale of the Cottage,' Gretel’s desire isn’t for riches or safety; it’s for the witch’s life of solitary independence, which she sees as power. The witch’s desire, conversely, might be for companionship, but on her own terms. The power negotiation is so delicate. It’s about reading the unspoken contract between them. The happy ending is redefined as finding the arrangement that suits your true self, however unconventional.
2026-07-27 00:18:37
6
BrynWade
BrynWade
Sharp Observer Doctor
I saw it as a series of lessons. Each protagonist is, in a way, a student. The witch (or witch-figure) is the teacher. The power dynamic is pedagogical. The teacher holds knowledge (power), and the student desires it. But it’s not a simple transfer. The student must be ready, must ask the right questions, must sometimes challenge the teacher. The ‘happy ending’ is graduation—moving into a state of self-possessed knowledge where you no longer need the teacher in the same way.
2026-07-28 11:44:47
2
CatoDunn
CatoDunn
Bibliophile Nurse
It's a masterclass in subtext. Power and desire aren't always loud declarations. In 'The Tale of the Rose,' Beauty’s power lies in her perception and her choice to stay. Her desire isn't for a handsome prince but for the authentic, ugly-beautiful reality of the Beast. She holds power because she sees him truly and stays by choice, not because of a broken spell. Donoghue strips away the magical transformation to ask: what if the power was in loving the beast as a beast? That’s a radical desire.
2026-07-29 06:06:54
6
DaxVibe
DaxVibe
Responder Student
It’s a peaceful book. Despite dealing with heavy themes, it doesn’t feel angry or violent. The power transfer is through conversation, understanding, and choice. The revolution is quiet. The desire is for a peaceful, self-determined life, not for dominance. In a world saturated with violent rebellions in fantasy, this was a serene and powerful alternative. Sometimes the strongest power is the power to walk away and tend your own garden.
2026-07-31 14:01:55
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Related Questions

How does Kissing the Witch reinterpret classic fairy tale heroines?

5 Answers2026-07-26 11:45:19
The narrative structure itself is a reinterpretation. The frame story of the witch and the maiden sets up a dialogue that challenges the very nature of storytelling. Who gets to tell the story? Who gets to define the happy ending? By weaving the tales together, Donoghue suggests a sisterhood of experience that transcends individual plots. It's a masterclass in how form can reinforce theme. You can't just read one story in isolation; the power is in the cumulative effect.

In Kissing the Witch, how are old tales reshaped into new skins?

2 Answers2026-07-26 19:54:00
I think people sometimes miss the metafictional layer. The book is about the act of storytelling as transformation. Each character literally passes the narrative to the next, shedding their old story like a skin and stepping into a new one. The 'new skins' are the tales themselves, constantly being retold and reinterpreted. The kiss is the moment of connection between teller and listener, author and reader, that allows that transformation to happen. It argues that no story is ever finished or fixed; its meaning changes with every telling. So the old tale of 'Cinderella' is reshaped simply by being told from a new angle within this specific chain. The book’s structure is its most brilliant argument—the form itself demonstrates the continuous reshaping of narrative.

Why does Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins rewrite fairy tales?

4 Answers2026-03-27 08:49:45
Emma Donoghue's 'Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins' is such a fascinating reimagining of classic fairy tales because it twists them into something deeply personal and subversive. The book doesn’t just retell stories—it peels back the layers of familiar narratives to reveal hidden desires, queer perspectives, and feminist critiques. Take Cinderella, for example. Instead of a passive girl waiting for a prince, she’s given agency, questioning the very structure of her 'happily ever after.' What I love is how Donoghue weaves these tales together, creating a tapestry where one story bleeds into the next. It feels like a conversation between characters across time, challenging the idea that these myths are fixed or one-dimensional. The title itself, 'Kissing the Witch,' hints at reclaiming the monstrous, the taboo—the women traditionally vilified in folklore. It’s not just revision for the sake of novelty; it’s about asking, 'Whose voices were erased?' and 'What happens if we center them instead?' The result is a collection that’s lush, provocative, and deeply satisfying for anyone tired of the same old tropes.

What queer themes run through Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins?

6 Answers2026-07-26 19:44:30
The prince is a recurring joke, and that’s thematic. He’s often hapless, shallow, or just a symbol of a boring destiny. The queer energy is in the collective eye-roll the characters (and the reader) share about him. Rejecting him isn’t just about choosing a woman; it’s about rejecting an entire system of value—looks, status, empty charm—in favor of something substantive, even if it’s mysterious and feared.

How does Kissing the Witch connect each fairy tale through its endings?

4 Answers2026-07-26 06:37:14
It creates a fascinating dissonance. You know the original tales, so you have an expectation of how they should end. Donoghue's ending disrupts that, leaving you in a state of creative unease. That unease is precisely the energy that propels you into the next story, which promises another disruption. The connection is the shared rhythm of disruption. Once you get into that rhythm, you start reading the endings not for closure, but for the next delicious, subversive jolt.
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