SOURCE: “Of Cats and Men: Framing the Civilizing Discourse of the Fairy Tale,” in The Origins of the Literary Fairy Tale in Italy and France, edited by Nancy L. Canepa, Wayne State University Press, 1997, pp. 176-93.

In the following excerpt, Zipes analyzes Perrault's “Puss in Boots” and explains how Perrault's account has become the canonical version of the tale.

[Giambattista Basile's “Puss in Boots”], though humorous, contains a devastating critique of the feudal system of that time and represents a moral code that was not yet fully instituted within the civilizing process in Europe. Throughout the tale, the cat is completely loyal to her master, works hard, and demonstrates that wits are more important than fortune. Indeed, the cat saves her own life and sees through the facade of the servant-master relationship because she is smart and knows how to use the feudal system to her advantage. The...