Belle French and Books and Libraries: An Appreciation Post
I was thinking of writing a meta or starting a meta about Belle that I first thought of months ago, Belle is clearly quite underserved over the course of the show and I have lots of thoughts and critiques on the subject. But I’m way to exhausted and haven’t had time to write anything coherent right now.
So instead I’m going to say what I don’t think I’ve seen any straight up appreciation for in the past week: Belle’s love of books and libraries! This is a subject that’s very close to my heart and it’s always great to see a Librarian or another bookish character portrayed as enthusiastically into books in a real way while also not playing into stereotypes of being frumpish and boring or being simply “sexy Librarian” but with no real substance .
“Her Handsome Hero” is up there as one of my favourite episodes because it’s simply a lot of fun. But it’s also great because we see Belle’s love of the book and the inspiration that it brings her and it’s also a source of comfort for her.
Gaston may be an awful person and all but when Belle’s talking about the subject on which she’s so passionate it’s hard to look away. Also we get a glimpse of another smaller library!
I have some critiques of the Dark Castle Library and the design but that’s a post for a different time. This is more just observing the shear wonder on Belle’s face anytime she’s presented with a library. It’s a look that expresses that feeling some of us are all to familiar with which is the feeling of wanting to settle in a Library and never ever leave.
The Storybrooke Library may not be as grand in many ways but you see that same excitement and shear wonder on Belle’s face there as well. I love the times when we see Belle there and wish it had been used more. But I love that initial wonder on her face.
I definitely wish the Storybrooke Library and Belle’s role as Librarian had appeared more. In part because I’m a book/ Library nerd but partly because Belle researching whatever is needed would have given her more independence from Rumple’s plots and integrated her better into the wider plot. At the same time it could have made some of the heroes ideas seem less hare-brained if Belle had done some background research and informed them of a strategy. But that’s another longer post for another day.
But in short: I love Belle’s love of books and Libraries and wish there was more but what there is is great.
