Popular Culture Review Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2005 | Page 136

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Popular Culture Review
castle in the background, a furry beast-like prince walking on all fours to the
left, and a young girl on the bottom right with dark hair and a blue dress
suspiciously looking very much like Belle. We know, then, that Belle is aware
of the story and her potential place in it. When she later finds these events
unfolding in her own life, when she asks the Beast to step into the light, she does
so with a cocked eyebrow and a coy voice that suggests she has just become
aware of what’s really going on around her. When the Beast shows himself,
confirming Belle’s suspicion, she at once knows how the story will end if she
plays it correctly, and so she takes up