Professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Banes and Carroll shift the traditional focus of the canonical Romantic ballet La Sylphide (1930) from a quest for the ideal to a cautioning tale against marrying outside of one’s social circle. Basing their analysis on the Danish choreographer August Bournonville’s 1836 adaptation, Banes and Carroll examine this moralizing narrative in regards to prescribed courtship etiquette as well as the cathartic pleasure of doomed wish fulfillment. This article presents a view of the prescribed notions of gender roles during this period, which will be useful in my exploration of the deeper implications of pointe shoes (a strictly female device).