Starting with snow white

periosteum
, where the slightest scratch occasions violent pain and 
fever” (“Richilda” 34). The narrative then continues to describe how although most fail 
to recognize their true and “moral” passions which their “conscience” directs them 
toward, these can be awakened, as depicted through the Earl Gombald when he becomes 
aware of the Countess, Richilda’s love for him (“Richilda” 35, 34). This medical 
rationale both provides and pokes fun at the reasons for which men of “high esteem” 
might seek divorces from their current spouses (“Richilda” 34).
Gendered relations are not the only subject of Musäus’ satire, so too are 
appearances of religion unhinged. At the start of the narrative, the Count of Brabant is 
referenced as one of “exemplary piety,” a “saint” even (“Richilda” 1). “The castle where 
he kept his court had every appearance of a monastery,” and “The Count never missed 
mass” (“Richilda” 1, 2). The appearance of the Count’s piety consumes almost the first 
two pages of the text, before it is markedly distinguished from his wife’s vanity. The 
overblown description of visible displays constituting religious piety along with Musäus’ 
lingering on the language of these appearances makes the notion of apparent religious 
fervor almost laughable.
A range of elements are impacted by these satirical moments in the tale, limiting 
its connections to the fairy tale form as well as its viability as a standing “classic” 

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precursor for broader consumption. The formal structure or length no longer bespeaks 
the compressed structure of a fairy tale, given these extended descriptions and detail. The 
characterization, as well, becomes more concrete, in opposition to the flat “one-
dimensional” quality which fairy tale figures typically assume (Teverson 33). The 
elevated use of language, faux-medical diagnoses of supposed conditions, and ridicule of 
religion and piety indicate that this is not a tale for all audiences. Blamires likewise 
suggests that as an “allusive writer” Musäus’ full meaning might only be captured by 
intellectuals, the local color and flavor of his work missed or literally missing (due to 
translators’ choices when extracting material) (
Telling Tales 
54). In fact, as a tale that 
ironically situates gendered and social impulses, inasmuch as it punishes its central figure 
for her vice of vanity, it could be viewed as dangerous in its own latent moralizing.
Because of its development and expansion concerning this host of themes, there is less of 
a lesson in civility and behavior and more to cause one to begin to question characters’ 
motivations, as well as the social institutions which informed them. While these stylistic 
elements of the narrative can be appreciated by scholarly and adult audiences, they have 
not contributed to the production of a tale that might be easily told and retold. 
Still, what the tale does productively and innovatively offer to the tradition (in 
addition to structurally representing the folk version, per the Brothers Grimm) is an 
adaptation which focuses less on the persecuted heroine and more strongly on her 
opponent, the Countess. Aside from the brief mention of her birth, Blanca has no place 
in the narrative until more than half-way through. The emphasis instead, has been placed 
on the vanity and subsequent villainy of the Countess. Even as the narrative moves 

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forward, Blanca is no more than a chess piece, moved in and out of death, and finally into 
marriage. Richilda’s thoughts, feelings, and emotional responses take center stage. In 
some ways, she is, at last, the fallen heroine of the narrative. It is this alternate 
perspective that gives still greater credence to considerations of Musäus text as essential 
to the