Extra Credit Reading Notes: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

from Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang

Aladdin is my one of my favorite Disney movies, so I was really excited to read this. I'm mad at myself for not being able to read it on time for the Part B reading earlier this week bu it's fine. I'm getting it done now.

Aladdin finding the lamp. Source: Digital Trends.

When I first start reading, I saw some similarities from the Disney version but I definitely saw a lot more differences as well. 

Some big differences I noticed in this version of Aladdin compared to Disney's Aladdin:

• A magician who pretends to be Aladdin's uncle is the one who tricks him into going into the cave. In Disney's version, it is Jafar who tricks him. 
• This story of Aladdin has his mom playing a big role whereas in the movie, Aladdin doesn't have any parents. He's an orphan.
• THERE IS NO ABU IN THIS BOOK.
• The vizier wants the princess for his son, not for himself like how Jafar does in the movies.
• The Sultan sets a demand that Aladdin has to pay a high demand to be able to marry his daughter otherwise he'll marry her off to the vizier's son. 
• Aladdin actually seems pretty dark in some parts of the story. When the princess and the vizier's son are married, he tells the genie to bring them to him and makes the genie take the groom outside while he spends the night with the princess. This ends up going on for months until the princess finally confesses.
• The magician who tricked Aladdin in the beginning of the story finds out about Aladdin's new rich life, so he goes to the palace and tricks the princess into giving him the lamp and he orders the genie to take the whole palace with the princess as well to somewhere isolated.
• The Sultan having found out that his daughter was missing along with Aladdin's palace, calls to execute Aladdin but instead gives him time to find his daughter at Aladdin's begging.
• Aladdin eventually finds out its the magician who has his princess and goes to find her. When he does, he devises a plan to kill the magician. 
• When the magician is killed, his brother goes after Aladdin to get revenge for his brother. However, the genie finds out and tells Aladdin and Aladdin kills him in the end.

This version of Aladdin was so so different than the Disney Aladdin that I read it all in one go because I was just shocked at how everything was coming into play. I think I still like the Disney version better though.