Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine two picture book versions of Snow White (2014) and Cinderella (2015) and to argue that they are important texts within the studies of children's literature. Although currently ignored by scholars, Disney's picture books reveal a great deal about society's expectations through their spatial cues. The thesis shall explore how these texts are didactic as they condition their young audience to behave a certain way in accordance with their sex. This learned gendered behaviour is worrisome because, firstly, within these popular tales is a clear moral lesson: as a girl, you need to be sweet, obedient and submissive like the heroine to live a happy life. Whereas on the contrary, if you try to adopt 'masculine' traits such as dominance and power, you will be punished, as demonstrated by the wicked stepmother. Secondly, these books and films are still being read and watched by a modern audience. I will also be considering modern texts in order to analyse the fairy tales' evolution process. With each new adaptation, one witnesses the creator's ideologies about how society should function; these ideals are consumed by children and help shape the way they view themselves within the world.