Briar Rose

"No, in the end she was taken rather rudely by a band of drunken peasants who had broken into the castle, intent on loot. I don't believe this."

This quote makes me think about society's expectations on the endings of stories, movies, etc. Rose is surprised that in this "fairy tale," the Beauty isn't woken up by a prince, but by a bunch of savages instead. I think many people in our culture have been conditioned to expect a happy ending or some sort of closure when it comes to fictional stories, and I find it interesting that Rose is the same. I also think it is interesting that "Briar Rose" does not try to fit this mold, which makes it unique. Instead of telling the story of Sleeping Beauty that many have been exposed to (the happy fairy tale of a princess being awoken by her true love), Coover puts a dark and twisted spin on it that would make many people in our society cringe.