Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Literature / TheLudicrousWishes

Go To

1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1024px_page_facing_130_illustration_from_fairy_tales_of_charles_perrault_clarke_1922_6.jpg]]
2
3"The Ludicrous Wishes" (or "The Three Ridiculous Wishes") is a French literary {{fairy tale}} by Creator/CharlesPerrault.
4
5The tale follows a woodcutter, down on his luck. Depending on the version he is granted three wishes by either the god Jupiter, a fish whose life he spared or, alternatively, a tree spirit, for his help in their time of need.
6
7The woodcutter went home, and his wife persuaded him to put off the wishing until the next day, but while sitting by the fire he wished for sausages. His wife taxed him for his folly, and angry, he wished the sausages on her nose. Finally, they agreed to use the last wish to take the sausages off her nose, leaving them no better off than before.
8
9Full online text [[https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0750a.html#perrault here]] and [[https://americanliterature.com/author/charles-perrault/fairy-tale/the-ridiculous-wishes here]]
10
11----
12!!Tropes in "The Ludicrous Wishes":
13* AndroclesLion: In some versions, the woodcutter is granted wishes for a fish whom he spared or a spirit whom he helped.
14* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Each thoughtless, stupid wish uttered by the woodcutter is fulfilled.
15* CloserToEarth: Likely unintentional, but the wife can come of as this in some versions. Many versions make them equally incompetent however.
16* TheFool: The woodcutter.
17* GoodSamaritan: The woodcutter.
18* NoAntagonist: There is no villain in this story, unless foolishness counts.
19* NoNameGiven: The woodcutter and his wife.
20* TalkingAnimal: In some versions, the woodcutter is granted three wishes by a talking fish.
21* ThreeWishes: This may be the TropeMaker.
22* WastefulWishing: The woodcutter wastes his three wishes on one sausage, embarassing his wife and undoing said embarassment.
23

Top