Background[]
Rosemary is the fairytale character also known as one of two "ugly stepsisters" in the fairy tale Cinderella (from Charles Perrault[1] / The Brothers Grimm). Depending on the version of the story, she and her sister are meanspirited and jealous, or simply spoiled by their mother, and are described to be less pretty than Cinderella. When the prince goes looking for the girl who lost her glass slipper, they try to fit into the shoe at all costs to marry him.[1]
The Land of Stories series takes place after Cinderella marries the prince and becomes Queen, and in The Enchantress Returns, Rosemary lives in a secluded mansion in the Charming Kingdom with her mother, Lady Iris, and her sister Petunia. When talking to the twins, their mother denies the rumor that her daughters cut off parts of their feet to try and fit into the glass slipper. [2]
Appearance and Personality[]
"They were both very plain and plump (though one was shorter and heavier than the other). Each had curly brown hair and thin lips. They were the kind of women who had the potential to be pretty but had let themselves go over the years."[3]
Rosemary shorter than her sister Petunia. She likes to bake, though her baking skills are questionable; she offers the twins a batch of mushroom biscuits but warn them that they spoil after an hour.[4] She has curly brown hair and thin lips like her sister. She would have been pretty but she had 'let herself go' over the years.
When Conner offers her mother the chance to leave the Land of Stories to make a fresh start in the Otherworld, she accepts and takes her daughters with her.[5] In A Grimm Warning, Conner tells Cinderella that Rosemary, Petunia, and Lady Iris are very happy in the Otherworld. Lady Iris and Rosemary have opened a diner there called the Storybook Grill which is more successful than Rosemary's cooking at home.[6]
In Beyond the Kingdoms, Rosemary, Petunia, and Lady Iris all work in the Storybook Grill. Rosemary is actively helping customers as a waitress, while Petunia is studying for her zoology exam. Rosemary is annoyed with her and tries to get Petunia to help her, which leads to them constantly arguing.[7]
References[]
- ↑ The extremities of their desperation depend on the version of the fairytale- in some versions, they cut off their toes / heels to be able to fit into the slipper.
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 18, p. 324
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 18, p. 318
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 18, p. 326
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 30, p. 511
- ↑ A Grimm Warning, ch 18, p. 310
- ↑ Beyond the Kingdoms, ch 20, p 266