Aschenputtel Geschichte | Noch Eine
: Analysis of adjectives used in the 19th-century German context shows that "virtue" was often linked to physical beauty and suffering, while "evil" was synonymous with heartlessness.
For a visual reference on the original aesthetics, watch this clip of Lotte Reiniger's 1922 silhouette animation, which captures the Grimm version's darker tone using articulated paper: Noch eine Aschenputtel Geschichte
If you need to contrast the original with modern "solid" literature or media: : Analysis of adjectives used in the 19th-century