History Literature / Aladdin

* ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount: Just selling the dishes from a single genie-provided meal provides enough money for Aladdin and his mother to live for several months, even when being fleeced blind by the buyer. After Aladdin has his palace built, he leaves a single window unfinished (the others all have gems everywhere) so the sultan can finish it using his own treasury. The sultan sends his artisans and treasurer, who tell him there's not enough gold and jewels in their vaults to finish it.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Though the setting still has a case of artistic license, the setting isn't completely implausible because [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_China China does in fact have Muslims.]]
** If it was set in China it was most likely set in one of China's far western provinces, such as Xinjiang, which has a culture similar to that of other parts of Central Asia. Or among similar lines it could have originated in Central Asia among people with some but not complete knowledge of Chinese and Muslim traditions. Any number of intermediate versions could also be to blame as it could have been turned more Muslim as it spread through that part of the world but still kept the China as a vague far-east. Or Galland just goofed. Needless to say, with many tales like this with so much uncertainty it's fairly unknown whether these aluminum Christmas trees have a practical or chance explanation.

* CassandraTruth: The vizier is the only one who figures out that Aladdin's riches and the incredible things he can do--like build an enormous palace in a single night--must be the result of black magic. The sultan writes him off as being jealous because the vizier's son was thrown over for Aladdin.

* {{Fanfiction}}: If Galland ''did'' write this story himself--and again, there's no hard evidence of that, see CanonImmigrant above--then this would be Galland writing an original story in the style of the Arabian Nights, and one of the oldest examples of Fanfiction ever.

* WeAllLiveInAmerica: The story is set in China, but almost everyone is Muslim (and the one character who isn't is a Jew), there are no Buddhists or Confucians, all the characters have Arabic names and the monarchy is distinctly Muslim in style (a sultan with a vizier). Depending on the opinion of the tale's origin this could indicate a CriticalResearchFailure of the original teller or an indication of a yet-to-be-found Central Asian prototype that only got more Muslim as it spread to the Muslim world.

* CanonImmigrant: "Aladdin" wasn't originally a part of ''The Book of Literature/OneThousandAndOneNights'' (a.k.a. the ''Arabian Nights''); in fact there is no documented source for it before it was first printed in Antoine Galland's French translation of the book in 1710. Galland claimed to have heard it from a Syrian storyteller; but there is no hard evidence for that story and there are those who believe he made it up himself.

** It is most likely set in one of China's far western provinces, such as Xinjiang, which has a culture similar to that of other parts of Central Asia.

* WeAllLiveInAmerica: The story is set in China, but almost everyone is Muslim (and the one character who isn't is a Jew), there are no Buddhists or Confucians, all the characters have Arabic names and the monarchy is distinctly Muslim in style (a sultan with a vizier). It seems likely that the setting of "China" is meant simply to be a non-specific location far off to the east.

* EvilChancellor: Though not the main villain (as he is in Disney's Aladdin), the Grand Vizier is still something of a JerkAss ObstructiveBureaucrat who wants to get rid of Aladdin so that his own son can marry the princess. (Of course, JerkassHasAPoint; see the entry for CassandraTruth above.)

* CanonImmigrant: "Aladdin" wasn't originally a part of ''The Book of Literature/OneThousandAndOneNights'' (a.k.a. the ''Arabian Nights''); in fact there is no documented source for it before it was first printed in Antoine Galland's French translation of the book in 1710. Galland claimed to have heard it from a Syrian storyteller; but there is no hard evidence for that story and and there are those who believe he made it up himself.

* CrazedProprietor: When Aladdin is out hunting, the sorcerer disguises himself as an old woman exchanging old lamps for new ones. This creates a commotion, attracting the princess' attention. Then one of her handmaidens mentions they have an old beat-up lamp in their palace, and exchanges the genie's lamp for a regular lamp.

* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: Aladdin himself, though part of it may be ValuesDissonance - a lot of the heroes of the 1001 Nights were unafraid to be callous or ruthless. Most notably: in order to get the princess away from her betrothed Aladdin sends his djinn to kidnap and torment them both every night, until they come to the conclusion that the marriage is cursed and split up - at which point he swoops in and romances her.

Like most folktales, "Aladdin" has undergone some major revisions, but the original story is as follows: Aladdin is a poor young man from a Chinese city (Chinese InNameOnly. The setting is completely Islamic), living with his mother and making a living as a pickpocket. One day, an evil Maghreb sorcerer approaches him, claiming to be his father's brother. He gives Aladdin a ring and tricks him into entering a booby-trapped magic cave to retrieve [[MacGuffin a fancy oil lamp]], but when Aladdin insists on getting out of the cave before handing over the lamp, the sorcerer flies into a rage and tosses him back down into the cave. Fortunately for Aladdin, the ring the sorcerer lent him is a [[RingOfPower Magic Ring]] that, when rubbed, releases a [[GenieInABottle Djinni]] who brings him home, along with the lamp. When he gets home, Aladdin's mother starts cleaning the lamp, releasing a far more powerful Djinni who grants Aladdin his every wish.

* LoveAtFistSight: When the princess goes to the baths, the entire city is placed under lockdown, with anyone trying to look out punished by death. Aladddin, naturally, gets a good look at the princess and falls in love.

* EvilSorcerer

* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: The lamp and ring. In fact, this is the inspiration behind the original Comicbook/GreenLantern, Alan Scott.

* JackassGenie: Surprisingly averted. Some versions of the tale have the more powerful Genie of the Lamp bound by a powerful curse that forces him to obey both the letter and the spirit of the wish.
** The strongest aversion comes during the evil plot of the second EvilSorcerer. He plans to make Aladdin wish for a Rukh's egg - because such wish would be a deathly insult for a genie, as the Rukh is, apparently, a queen of genies. The genie is offended all right - however, he doesn't punish Aladdin, but tells him about the disguised EvilSorcerer instead.

A tale of the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' series and a PublicDomainCharacter that has been adapted countless times, most recently popularised by [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} the Disney version]] added to the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon in 1992.

* GenieInABottle: And also a magic ring.

* NewerThanTheyThink: Not part of the original Literature/ArabianNights tales, but added in the Antoine Galland's French translation of the book in 1710.

A tale of the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' series and a PublicDomainCharacter that has been adapted countless times, most recently popularised by [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} the Disney version]] added to the DisneyAnimatedCanon in 1992.

Like most folktales, "Aladdin" has undergone some major revisions, but the original story is as follows: Aladdin is a poor man from a Chinese city (Chinese InNameOnly. The setting is completely Islamic). One day, an evil Maghreb sorcerer approaches him, claiming to be his father's brother. He gives Aladdin a ring and tricks him into entering a booby-trapped magic cave to retrieve [[MacGuffin a fancy oil lamp]], but when Aladdin insists on getting out of the cave before handing over the lamp, the sorcerer flies into a rage and tosses him back down into the cave. Fortunately for Aladdin, the ring the sorcerer lent him is a [[RingOfPower Magic Ring]] that, when rubbed, releases a [[GenieInABottle Djinni]] who brings him home, along with the lamp. When he gets home, Aladdin's mother starts cleaning the lamp, releasing a far more powerful Djinni who grants Aladdin his every wish.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Before the discovery of the Americas, Maghreb and China were the opposite ends of the known world. Thus, the locations are meant to underscore how valuable the lamp must be that someone would travel all the way across the world for it. Similarly, the genie's ability to just zip back and forth between the opposite ends of the world like it's nothing would have been mind-boggling at the time. Of course, the significance of those regions in relation to each other is not obvious to readers with a modern understanding of geography.

* EvilChancellor: Though not the main villain (as he is in Disney's Aladdin), the Grand Vizier is still something of a JerkAss ObstructiveBureaucrat who wants to get rid of Aladdin so that his own son can marry the princess.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Before the discovery of the Americas, Maghreb and China were the opposite ends of the known world. Thus, the locations are meant to underscore how valuable the lamp must be that someone would travel all the way across the world for it. Similarly, the genie's ability to just zip back and forth between the opposite ends of the world like it's noting would have been mind-boggling at the time. Of course, the significance of those regions in relation to each other is not obvious to readers with a modern understanding of geography.

* ScienceMarchesOn: Before the discovery of the Americas, Maghreb and China were the opposite ends of the known world. Thus, the locations are meant to underscore how valuable the lamp must be that someone would travel all the way across the world for it. Similarly, the genie's ability to just zip back and forth between the opposite ends of the world like it's noting would have been mind-boggling at the time. Of course, the significance is not obvious to readers with a modern understanding of geography.

** Note the sorcerer is said to be from Maghreb, i.e. western Africa. Before the discovery of the Americas, Maghreb and China were the opposite ends of the known world. Thus, the locations are probably meant to underscore how amazing the lamp must be that someone would travel all the way across the world for it. Similarly, the genie's ability to just zip back and forth between the opposite ends of the world like it's noting would have been mind-boggling at the time. And he transports an entire palace at the same time!

** Note the sorcerer is said to be from Maghreb, i.e. western Africa. Before the discovery of the Americas, Maghreb and China were the opposite ends of the known world. Thus, the locations are probably meant to underscore how amazing the lamp must be that someone would travel all the way across the world for it. Similarly, the genie's ability to just zip back and forth between the opposite ends of the world like it's noting would have been mind-boggling at the time.