The Vain Little Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Vain Little Mouse is a folktale about a little mouse
and her many suitors.
, who sweetly meows when asked what he'll do at night. In this version the she-mouse marries the cat and she is usually eaten by the cat at the wedding night, though not always.
Other variants have a third part in which the he-mouse falls into a broth and dies, and even there is a fourth part, in which all the friends of the she-mouse harm themselves somehow describing their actions with a jingle, because they feel sorry for her. Each of these characters increase the seriousness of their self-destructive actions, singing a different jingle, but with parallelisms with the previous one.
The main character of the story can also have different representations such as a little ant or a little cockroach.
's Lagrimas (1839) and La Gaviota (1856), but the complete tale is not written until later, in her compilation of tales Cuentos, oraciones, adivinanzas y refranes populares (1877). In this early version, the little she-mouse is actually a little ant, but she still marries a mouse, called Ratón Pérez. This little mouse ("ratón" in Spanish), would later inspire Padre Colomar, who would make him part of the Spanish traditional folklore by turning him into a sort of Tooth Fairy
.
Fernan Caballero's version has the four parts explained in the previous section. The third and the fourth parts have a strong parallelism with the English Fairy Tale Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse, first collected in Joseph Jacobs
English Fairy Tales (1890). Joseph Jacobs found 25 variants of the same droll
scattered over the world from India to Spain, and discusses various theories of its origin.
A second literary reference can be found in Carmen Lyra
's Cuentos de mi tía Panchita (1920), in which, although she acknowledges it to be the same tale as Fernan Caballero's, she also leaves room for an oriental or African origin. In fact, the tale is titled La Cucarachita Mandinga (Mandinga, the Little Roach) and Mandinga is just another name for the Mandinka people
. This leads to believe of some influences from the slaves brought from Africa. The tales of the book became part of the Costa Rican folklore, but the Little Roach is also known in Cuba, Mexico and Panama. In Panama it became even more important as it is an important part of Panamanian folklore after it was turned into a children's theater play by Rogelio Sinán
and with music of Gonzalo Brenes.
In some versions, the cockroach is not Mandinga, but Mondinga and in the Cuban and Caribbean version it seems to be Martina. Additionally, the representation of the main character can also change from country to country, probably depending on the greater influence of Carmen Lyra or Fernan Caballero. Puerto Rican Pura Belpré
's version (as told to her by her grandmother) was the first one published in the US, translated as Perez and Martina: a Puerto Rican Folktale (1932). In 1936 Calleja published another version La hormiguita se quiere casar, in which the mouse in saved from the broth by the little ant.
There are a couple of contemporary versions that are worth mentioning, since they can easily be found in children's bookstores: Daniel Moreton's version (La Cucaracha Martina: a Caribbean folktale), which seems to take root in Belpre's version and Joe Hayes' version, which has replaced the roach with a butterfly in his tale Mariposa: the butterfly or Mariposa Mariposa: the happy tale of La Mariposa the butterfly
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and her many suitors.
Variants
There are many variants of this tale. In some versions of the tale the she-mouse is seduced by the answer of the catCat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, who sweetly meows when asked what he'll do at night. In this version the she-mouse marries the cat and she is usually eaten by the cat at the wedding night, though not always.
Other variants have a third part in which the he-mouse falls into a broth and dies, and even there is a fourth part, in which all the friends of the she-mouse harm themselves somehow describing their actions with a jingle, because they feel sorry for her. Each of these characters increase the seriousness of their self-destructive actions, singing a different jingle, but with parallelisms with the previous one.
The main character of the story can also have different representations such as a little ant or a little cockroach.
Origin
This tale seems to have been originated in the oral tradition and later moved to a literary form. Again, its literary form may have given birth to different variations. The earliest reference to this tale is found in Fernan CaballeroFernán Caballero
Fernán Caballero was the pseudonym adopted from the name of a village in the province of Ciudad Real by the Spanish novelist Cecilia Francisca Josefa Böhl de Faber....
's Lagrimas (1839) and La Gaviota (1856), but the complete tale is not written until later, in her compilation of tales Cuentos, oraciones, adivinanzas y refranes populares (1877). In this early version, the little she-mouse is actually a little ant, but she still marries a mouse, called Ratón Pérez. This little mouse ("ratón" in Spanish), would later inspire Padre Colomar, who would make him part of the Spanish traditional folklore by turning him into a sort of Tooth Fairy
Tooth fairy
The tooth fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood. The folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth, if he or she places it beneath the bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while the child sleeps, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment....
.
Fernan Caballero's version has the four parts explained in the previous section. The third and the fourth parts have a strong parallelism with the English Fairy Tale Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse, first collected in Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
English Fairy Tales (1890). Joseph Jacobs found 25 variants of the same droll
Droll
A droll is a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. With the closure of the theatres, actors were left without any way of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known plays of the Elizabethan theatre, they added dancing and other...
scattered over the world from India to Spain, and discusses various theories of its origin.
A second literary reference can be found in Carmen Lyra
Carmen Lyra
Carmen Lyra was the pseudonym of the first prominent female Costa Rican writer, born Maria Isabel Carvajal...
's Cuentos de mi tía Panchita (1920), in which, although she acknowledges it to be the same tale as Fernan Caballero's, she also leaves room for an oriental or African origin. In fact, the tale is titled La Cucarachita Mandinga (Mandinga, the Little Roach) and Mandinga is just another name for the Mandinka people
Mandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
. This leads to believe of some influences from the slaves brought from Africa. The tales of the book became part of the Costa Rican folklore, but the Little Roach is also known in Cuba, Mexico and Panama. In Panama it became even more important as it is an important part of Panamanian folklore after it was turned into a children's theater play by Rogelio Sinán
Rogelio Sinán
Rogelio Sinán was the pseudonym Panamanian writer Bernardo Domínguez Alba used for his writing. He went to universities in Chile and Italy before becoming a consul to Calcutta. He has written plays and a novel, but is known for his short fiction. His work has been termed Avant-garde and he is a...
and with music of Gonzalo Brenes.
In some versions, the cockroach is not Mandinga, but Mondinga and in the Cuban and Caribbean version it seems to be Martina. Additionally, the representation of the main character can also change from country to country, probably depending on the greater influence of Carmen Lyra or Fernan Caballero. Puerto Rican Pura Belpré
Pura Belpré
Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. There is some dispute as to the date of her birth which has been given as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.- Education :She was born in Cidra,...
's version (as told to her by her grandmother) was the first one published in the US, translated as Perez and Martina: a Puerto Rican Folktale (1932). In 1936 Calleja published another version La hormiguita se quiere casar, in which the mouse in saved from the broth by the little ant.
There are a couple of contemporary versions that are worth mentioning, since they can easily be found in children's bookstores: Daniel Moreton's version (La Cucaracha Martina: a Caribbean folktale), which seems to take root in Belpre's version and Joe Hayes' version, which has replaced the roach with a butterfly in his tale Mariposa: the butterfly or Mariposa Mariposa: the happy tale of La Mariposa the butterfly
Educational value
The structure of this tale makes it suitable for personalization and adaptation to the particular children hearing it. It's also useful in order to teach the little kids about the animals and their different sounds, or to make them participate doing the sounds. Finally, some sense of danger can be taught to the audience in the first part of the tale, by mentioning objects that can harm them or things they shouldn't play with.External links
- Version of the tale (in Spanish)
- Fernan Caballero's version (in Spanish)
- Version of the tale as it appears in Cuentos de mi Tía Panchita (in Spanish)
- La Gaviota (in Spanish)
- La Cucarachita Mandinga, Theater Play by Rogelio Sinan (in Spanish)
- Tópicos literarios y motivos folclóricos en el cuento popular
- An Overview of Hispanic Literature with Special Emphasis on the Literature of Hispanics in the United States
- Cuento Folklórico y Literaturas del Siglo XIX
- English version of Martina the Roach
- Dual version (Spanish and English) of Martina the Roach