I’d have hated to modernise the story in any way that diminished its essential fairytale quality. But to make it up-close-and-personal in the way of modern fiction, yet at the same time even more fairytale-ish – that was a dream worth pursuing! I suppose there are two themes in the versions that have come down to us. The first is the idea that true personal qualities matter more than outward appearances; so the Beast is hideously ugly, but his behaviour is courteous and kindly. The second is the theme of hospitality; the Beast shows hospitality in providing food and comfort for the lost traveller, Beauty’s father; the father breaks the laws of hospitality by plucking a rose to take home to his daughter (a bit harsh, but that’s how the Beast explains it); then the Beast renews his hospitality towards Beauty. In some versions, a backstory gives a reason for why this prince became a beast in the first place – because he denied a fairy shelter from the rain.
