This thesis looks at the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast to examine the way that this tale has been used throughout history to address the concerns of young women, as well as reinforce the culturally accepted gender roles of the time of their publication. The first chapter defines the fairy tale genre and features some of the most common criticism on the genre, it will then define and offer critical perspectives on the monster bridegroom motif which Beauty and the Beast is a part of. The second chapter will look at the first two publications of the text, the 1740 version by Mme de Villeneuve and the 1756 version by Mme de Beaumont. The final chapter will examine the first two books in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses published in 2015 and A Court of Mist and Fury published in 2016.