UnTextbook Overview

When I first looked over the options for week 2 I was really excited to see the biblical units. After thinking for a moment though I decided to leave a biblical unit for week 3 when I am more comfortable with my story telling because I highly respect and love the Bible and want to do it justice. So for week 2 I think I will do Aesop's Fables (Jacobs). I chose Aesop's Fables because we had a big book of them when I was little and I loved flipping through the stories. I am excited to read through them again as an adult with new perspectives.

As for the other weeks, I found so many units that excite me.

Alice in Wonderland is an incredibly fun book that it has been years since I read. I love both the book and the many movie adaptions of it including the classic animated movie and the newer Johnny Depp version. I cannot wait to read this story within the perspective of this class.

(Illustration of Alice by Sir John Tenniel)

Arabian Nights is something I have always wanted to read but have never gotten around to doing so. Aladdin is one of my all time favorite movies, but I know Disney often strays pretty far from the original story-line and I am curious to see what differences exist.

Canterbury Tales have always fascinated me. When I was younger I owned an abbreviated version that I absolutely loved and in high school I finally read a full version. I am looking forward to revisiting these stories.

The Japanese Mythology unit looks really interesting. I like that they are stories I have never heard before and yet they have familiar story lines and characters. Also, I am a quarter Japanese so I am excited to read some of the mythology from Japan.

I look forward to working with all of these pieces throughout the semester.