Transformations Summary

Transformations, dedicated to Sexton's daughter Linda, is a book of classic Grimm's fairy tales that have been adapted into poems. The book's first entry, "The Gold Key", is a poem that acts as an introduction and an explanation for what the reader is about to encounter. It tells the story of a boy who finds a gold key which opens and transforms the book of Brothers Grimm tales. Sexton begins each verse story with a short poetic preface, usually to hint at the thematic elements she will be drawing upon, or in many cases, subverting. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is the first of the true adaptations. She also approaches the story with a feminist bent, drawing out the themes of female beauty and objectification, and highlights the graphic violence of the original story. This is followed by "The White Snake", the...