Reading Diary Week 14: Brother's Grimm Librivox

These are my thoughts on the stories in the first half of the Brother's Grimm Librivox unit. These stories come from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm which is from project Gutenberg.

The Frog Prince: This story was actually not that dark for a Brother's Grimm story. It was close to the story I know of this title. Overall, I enjoyed it, though the ending is a little too perfect.

Rapunzel: I had not realized until now just how much of the plot of Into The Woods came from the Grimm's Rapunzel story. I realized Rapunzel and her prince were in it, but I did not realize how well the baker and his wife's story also fit in. It was fun to read this and compare the similarities and differences.

The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean: I do not think I had ever heard this story before. It was equal parts adorable and morbid which is an odd combination but somehow that worked well. I enjoyed it.

The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage: The idea of this random collection of creatures and sausage living together greatly amused me. The story overall was quite morbid but in an ironic and therefore digestible way.

The Travelling musicians: I liked that all of the characters in this story were not in their prime but still managed to make a good end of life for themselves (albeit at the expense of the robbers).

Clever Elsie: This was an odd story. I did not really understand it and did not particularly like it. Overall definitely not my favorite.

Briar Rose: This is a story I know many versions of rather well, including this one. It was nice to refresh my knowledge of the story though as it is one that I always enjoy.

By Walter Crane

Reading Diary Week 13, Continued: La Fontaine

I really enjoyed the first half of this unit, so my hopes are high for the second half. I will do this in the same format, picking a favorite from each page to write about. These stories are all from The Fables of La Fontaine.

The Mouse Metamorphosed into a Maid: I first thought when I read the title of this story that it would be similar to the cat story of similar name, but it was not! I was caught off guard, but pleasantly so.

The Council Held by the Rats: I adored this story when I first read it in the Aesop unit and I loved it again in poetic form. The author did a great job transposing it into verse!

The Tortoise and the Two Ducks: Though I am not so sure of the ending, I liked the majority of this story.

The Frogs Asking a King: I honestly do not know why I enjoyed this story so much, but I really did! I think it was the juxtaposition of the rhyming verse with the harsh god that tickled me.

The Swallow and the Little Birds: Though I did not necessarily think this story was fantastic, I chose it because it reminds me of the birds in the Sower passage of the Bible. I love that passage and therefore any reminder makes me happy.

The Bear and the Amateur Gardner: I think I have a love hate relationship with this story. On the one hand there is the sad ending, but on the other there is a funny picture of a man and bear as friends and a stupid bear at that. I love and hate this as I said.

The Astrologer Who Stumbled Into a Well: I found the purposeful irony in this story hilarious and that is why I chose this story from the page. It really made me smile.

The Carter in the Mire: This story makes me think of the saying of "God helps those who learn to help themselves" which is I think sometimes true and sometimes God just has to do the thing for you (once you ask him to, so I suppose asking is helping yourself). But I digress, in short I appreciate that Hercules helped him figure out how to do the task himself.

Poebus and Boreas: I have heard a version of this story before as a riddle, but never just as a story I do not think. I enjoyed how it played out.

Illustration by Barlow

Reading Diary Week 13: La Fontaine

Here are my thoughts on some of the rhymes from the first half of the La Fontaine unit. I am picking my favorites from each page to discuss here. These stories come from either Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks or The Fables of La Fontaine.

The Hare and the Tortoise: For a story that I know so well, this story was surprisingly refreshing and I really loved it! There were some funny quips throughout that added to the rhythm of the rhyme for an extremely pleasant read of a classic tale.

The Monkey and the Cat: This story caught my attention because I do not believe I have heard it before but it was a good one. I like the play between the two creatures and how the monkey strokes the cat's pride to get his way.

The Fox and the Stork: The trickery in this story amuses me greatly. I loved this story when I first read the Aesop version early in the semester and I love it even more now in verse. Such a funny story and fitting for a rhyme.

The Heron who was Hard to Please: This story reminded me of trying new foods growing up. My mom would always say "either eat what I made or don't eat at all," and I thank her for that because my palate became much more accepting and adventurous than the average child's. It seems like the Heron is learning this the hard way.

The Dove and the Ant: I just really love all of the good deeds in this story. That an ant and dove should both save the life of the other is a sweet concept and one that is made sweeter through rhyme.

The Acorn and the Pumpkin: This story spread a smile across my face. I love the innocence of the bumpkin and his realization that maybe things are the way they are for a reason. Very lovable character and story.

The Wolf and the Fox: I love that the beginning of this rhyme notes on a trend in Aesop's tales. It is a fun nod to where the stories came from. I also just really loved the flow of this story.

The Horse Wishing to be Revenged on the Stag: What I enjoyed about this story was the moral behind it. The rhyme itself was a little hard to understand at first, but once it became clear it was like I was the horse coming to realize what had taken place.

The Ass and the Dog: I do not really know what drew me to this story. I did not particularly enjoy or despise it. It simply drew me in.

The Cat Metamorphosed Into a Woman: The absurdness of this story amuses me greatly.

Illustration by Rackham

Week 12 Reading Diary: English Fairy Tales

Here are my thoughts on the stories from the English Fairy Tales Unit. These tales are from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

Tom Tit Tot: I must admit that the title of this story made me giggle. Overall, the story was extremely similar to Rumpelstiltskin. The similarity did not bother me, though I did feel like I was reading something I already knew and part of what I love about this class is learning new stories. All in all the story was good though and I liked some of the vernacular that was used.

The Rose Tree: Wow, this story was way more violent than I was expecting. I thought the stepmom was just going to cut the hair off, but she killed the girl! Though it did make the song make more sense within the story. I thought the song might have been tangential, but no it was definitely how the story went. Completely caught me off guard. I liked it though, the story.

The Old Woman and Her Pig: I love stories like this. It is passover soon and at the end of every passover we sing a song that is cumulative like this about a father buying a kid (as in goat, not child) for two zuzim. I have fond memories of that song and so seeing stories like this make me happy. It even has extremely similar elements like the stick and fire and butcher.

Binnorie: Though this was not my favorite story of the unit I still enjoyed it pretty well. I liked a lot of the alliteration at the beginning of the story.

Mouse and Mouser: I enjoyed the rhythm of this story quite a bit. It made it quick and fun to read. The mouse was pretty stupid to accuse the cat though, he should have seen the ending coming.

Cap O' Rushes: I liked that this story was similar to Cinderella without being an exact copy of it. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The Story of the Three Little Pigs: I have always absolutely loved this story so it was so great to read it for class! There were also some bits included that I did not remember so that was fun to read as well.

The Master and His Pupil: I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. Normally stories in this theme annoy me, but this one is well done and fun.

The Pupil

Reading Diary Week 10: Alaskan Legends

Here are my thoughts on the first half of the Alaskan Legends reading. I am really looking forward to reading about Raven. The readings in this unit are from Myths and Legends of Alaska by Katharine Berry Judson.

The Raven's Myth: Raven Creation: I am enjoying the Raven story thus far. It bears some striking resemblance to Christian creation which is interesting.

The Raven's Myth: Raven Creates People: I like that the story has Raven explain everything to Man. I also like that Raven cares about both Man and his creations. It is interesting that people only took three days to grow up. I wonder how they will explain why that is not true anymore.

The Raven's Myth: The Skyland and Sea: This was a weirder part of the story, but not unlikable. It was just harder to follow.

The Raven's Myth: Raven-Boy and the Sun: These creation stories are quite enjoyable to read. They are fun little explanations of how everything got to the way it is today.

The Flood: This story was also rather hard to follow. It is interesting that they have a flood story though.

The Origin of the Tides: I really enjoyed the simplicity of this story. Just a hole in the ocean that is opened and closed. It makes for a scary but good story for Tael.

Raven's Feast: This was another short but to the point story. I appreciate the depth of story developed in such a short time.

Raven's Marriage: I was confused why Raven was having such trouble keeping up. Is it just that he is not used to long distances? And why did he lie about the arrowhead? This story left me with many questions.

Raven and the Seals: I was not such a fan of this story. Why was Raven so hungry? Talk about ravenous. And why did he have to kill the man? This story's shortness was annoying as it made the story not make sense.

Raven and Pitch: I do not like how cruel Raven is in this story and the last. He went from a lovable creature to a deadly nuisance.

Raven and Marmot: Okay, this story was pretty entertaining. Saved by dancing is a great way to be saved. It was great to imagine Raven dancing clumsily with his eyes closed and Marmot darting beneath him.

The Bringing of the Light by Raven: This story is not bad. I like the explanation of why the nights are sometimes so long in Alaska and sometimes so short. It is a cute story.

The Naming of the Birds: This was just a nice way of explaining why all of the birds are the way that they are. Nothing fancy or detailed story-wise, but nice nonetheless. I liked the explanation of the Eagle.

Eagle

How Raven Stole the Lake: This was an interesting story in how Raven just rolled up the lake and flew away with it. I find it interesting the this story makes beavers out to be gamblers. It rather funny actually. 

Reading Diary Week 9, Continued: American Indian Fairy Tales

Here are my thoughts on the second half of the American Indian Fairy Tales unit from the book by W.T. Larned. I really enjoyed the first half so I hope this half is just as entertaining!

The Boy Who Snared the Sun: I love how long the story took to actually become about a mouse. I could feel the impatience of Morning Glory as the story continued to be about the siblings and the sun with no giant mouse in sight. When the story did reach the mouse part, I was slightly alarmed that he was burning alive. Then again this was obviously not a normal burn as he just became a smaller version of himself. I am still really enjoying the style of these stories.

How the Summer Came: It is really sweet that the father sacrificed himself just so that everyone else could experience summer, spring, and fall. I cannot imagine enduring a world where there is only winter and this story almost had me shivering at times! These stories are so well written that I can really see them in my mind. I am glad the summer finally came!

By John Rae

The Fairy Bride: I did not dislike this story, but it was my least favorite out of all the stories I read this week. I appreciated the loving, nature-driven spirit of the girl and the idea of the fairies was fun, but the story just did not capture me like the others in this unit have. Overall it was a fine story though.

Reading Diary Week 9: American Indian Fairy Tales

These are my thoughts on the first half of the American Indian Fairy Tales from the book of the same name by W.T. Larned.

Iagoo the Storyteller: I am very much looking forward to reading the story coming up after reading this introduction. Iagoo sounds like a really interesting man and great speaker.

By John Rae

Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind: I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love that the creature wins because he is so cheerful. What a happy story to get you through the winter!

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds: This story was really quite adorable. I love the way it was similar to the tortoise and the hare with the slow and steady wins the race type moral. The descriptions of the land were beautifully done.

The Child of the Evening Star: This story has so many beautiful layers to it that I hardly know what to say about it. I love the characters in this story. They really came to life and it was like I knew them. I am really enjoying the storytelling style of all of these stories. The story made me wish I could see the kingdom of the evening star! I really cannot wait for the second half of this unit.

Reading Diary Week 7, Continued: Brer Rabbit

I really enjoyed the first half of this unit so I hope that trend continues! Here are my thoughts on the second half of the Brer Rabbit readings from Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (1881).

Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs: This was a short story, but I really enjoyed all of the noises and frog speak. They were fun to listen to in the recording.

Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman: I love how clever Mr. Rabbit is and how gullible the fox is. It is a little ridiculous at this point that the fox is still so easy to trick. It is especially interesting because foxes are usually shown to be so sly and clever but this one is rather dumb.

Mr. Rabbit Meets His Match Again: I'm a little bit glad that someone finally did a decent job of messing with Mr. Rabbit.

A Story About the Little Rabbits: Oh my goodness I loved this story. Good little rabbits listening to the birdie!

(By A.B. Frost)

Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear: Poor Mr. Bear! I felt so bad for him being the victim of Mr. Rabbit's trick! I'm not sure how the sapling was able to hold up a bear though. That must be one strong sapling!

Mr. Terrapin Shows His Strength: I like the turtle. He is a clever little fellow. Poor Mr. Bear just cannot catch a break though. Two stories in a row he gets out witted.

The Story of the Deluge: This may be the oddest flood story I have ever heard. I do like it though. It is very unique and creative.

Plantation Proverbs: I liked some of these but some of them confused me. I think my two favorites were "You k'n hide de fier, but w'at you gwine do wid de smoke?" and "Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck." It might be fun to base a story off of one or two of these proverbs.

Reading Diary Week 7: Brer Rabbit

Here are my thoughts on the first half of the Brer Rabbit readings from Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris.

The Calamus Root: The dialect of the story took a bit to get used to, but once I warmed up to it I actually really enjoyed it. It makes it feel more like sitting and having someone tell you a story than a lot of the other units I have read in the past. The recorded reading is really helpful too.

The Wonderful Tar-baby Story: I like that we don't get to hear the end of the story. While it is frustrating to not know the end, it is also really fun to be in the same boat as the little boy who does not know either.

Mr. Rabbit and the Tar-Baby

By A. B. Frost

Why Mr. Possum Loves Peace: Oh my goodness, I love this explanation of why possums play dead. It is a really entertaining story that the possum comes up with to tell the raccoon. I love that he tries so hard to not look afraid in front of his friend.

How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox: While I love that the rabbit used reverse psychology on the fox, I do not understand how he got unstuck from he tar! Am I missing something?

Mr. Fox is Outdone by Mr. Buzzard: Mr. Fox just cannot catch a break. I like the buzzard's methods of fooling the fox. They are so simple and yet clever.

Mr. Wolf Makes a Failure: I love that the fox finally gets around to trying to fool the rabbit with the help of the wolf and it just does not work. If it weren't for the fact that he wants to eat the rabbit, I'd feel bad for him.

Mr. Fox Tackles Old Man Tarrypin: Everyone seems to be able to fool the fox in the same way! You'd think he had learned better by now.

The Awful Fate of Mr. Wolf: Oh no, Mr. Wolf died! I didn't know the rabbit could be quite that violent, and in front of his kids! But it did make an interesting end to this half of the reading.

Week 6 Reading Diary, Continued: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang)

Here are my thoughts on the second half of the Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang. I really liked the first half, so I am hoping these are great, too.

Schippeitaro: This was a really interesting story. As a dog person I found it funny that the evil spirit was a cat. I did not like, however, that the other cats had to die.

The Crab and the Monkey: Wow, that story did not at all go as I expected. First I thought it would just be about the crab being more cunning than the rude monkey, which I suppose was true, but in a much more violent manor than expected. I like that the friends helped the crab though.

The Magic Kettle: This was a cute story. I like the creature Tanuki but I feel a little bad that it was forced to perform everyday. I would like it better if he were not captured by enchantments but rather stayed of is own volition.

How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished: Oooo more Tanuki! I have discovered that I really like these mystical creatures between the last story and this one. I look forward to reading more stories about them.

Tanuki by Laszlo

The Slaying of the Tanuki This was a weird story. I am still not sure even though I finished it if I like it or not. I may need to read it again later to make a final verdict.

Uraschimataro and the Turtle: This was a good story to end the unit on! It had me through a range of emotions just in one page which was impressive.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang)

For this weeks reading I will be delving into some Japanese Fairy Tales. These tales all come from books by Andrew Lang. 

The Two Frogs: I loved this story, and yet it frustrated me so much! I wanted to jump up and tell the frogs to try it again facing the other direction. It is funny how such a great plan went so awry. 

The Stone Cutter: This story makes me think of the phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side." I like the chain of things the man went through to show the man how to be satisfied with his lot. I can definitely see Japanese culture in this because of the "know your place" theme.

The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet: This was an interesting story. I can again see many Japanese morals within the story: obeying your parents, hard work, and trying to be just one of the community and not a stand out. I liked the reward the girl got for obeying her mother. I wonder what a story where she disobeyed would look like. 

The Envious Neighbor: I love the little dog in this story. I love thinking of a dog so loyal that even in death he would please his master. I am sad that the dog had to die in the story, but it made for a great plot. The neighbor got his due for being so envious and cruel.

The Sparrow with the Split Tongue: This was a very interesting story. I did not expect it to end in death. A consequence, yes, but the death startled me. I like the sparrow fairy and the man though.

The surprising death

From the Pink Fairy Book

The Cat's Elopement: Oh my goodness, this story was so adorable! I absolutely loved it! It's a star-crossed lover story that ended well which is a nice change. Though the title was rather curious at first. I am really looking forward to reading more of these Japanese fairy tales. I really am enjoying them.

Week 5 Reading Diary, Continued: Turkish Fairy Tales

Here are my thoughts on the second half of the Turkish Fairy Tales unit with readings from Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos.

Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife: I really enjoyed this story. I am not positive what aspect of the story really got me, but I just generally liked it. I am glad the Bey realized his mistake and righted it.

The Imp of the Well: This story was hilarious but it almost felt wrong to laugh at it! I am not sure whether to feel bad for the terrible wife or glad for the husband. The Imp would be an interesting character to write a new story about.

The Soothsayer: This story uses an interesting mix of trickery and blessings from Allah. I found the mixture fascinating in the moral conundrum it conjured in my mind. Was the trickery right? It seemed to be based on the fact that Allah helped the man continue the trickery.

The Wizard and his Pupil: While I enjoyed the story, I am again off put by the lack of morality in the story. It seems that the boy does nothing good and yet gets all the rewards while the wizard ends up dead. Very odd but very enjoyable fairy tales thus far in the unit.

The Liver: I really love this story and those like it. While most people that read this may think of the story of the spider, I think of an entirely different story. My family celebrates Passover, and every year at the end we sing a song that starts out with a father buying a kid (goat) for two zuzim. The story follows a path of biting, beating, eating, etc. all the way to an Angel of the Lord. I love that song and I love that this story reminded me of it.

The stork stealing the liver

By Willy Pogany

Madjun: I continue to be astounded by the fact that these youths bear no consequences for their actions. The youth is a complete bum but gets the princess because he demands it and happens upon a wizard. It is so odd. Maybe there is just something I am not seeing.

Kunterbunt: Ah! I love this one! I was entirely confused the whole story about what was going on until the very end. When the narrator said it was a dream I nearly laughed out loud because the way the story was written is exactly how dreams go. They jump around and make no sense and yet when you are in them you think they are the real story. I really love this concept.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Turkish Fairy Tales

For week 5 I am reading a compilation of Turkish fairy tales  from Ignacz Kunos's Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales. Here are my thoughts on the first half of the reading.

Fear: This story was somehow sweet, creepy, and silly all at once. I love the innocence and levelheadedness of the youth and that though going through so many situations unafraid, in the end a simple sparrow startled him.

The Wizard Dervish: This was a really odd story. I like the creativeness of the maiden, but the story is a bit nonsensical and non sequitur in nature. It would be interesting to have some back story to why the dervish married the boy to the maiden without informing the mother. I would also like to know why the maiden helped the youth.

The Fish-Peri: I found this story entertaining but odd. There were never consequences for the youth messing up though I kept expecting there to be. It really confused me. I was left questioning why this story was created. I did, however, find the idea of a newborn slapping a man extremely funny and ridiculous.

The newborn baby slapping the Padishah

By Willy Pogany

The Crow-Peri: This story was entertaining and I appreciated that it had a moral to it. I had trouble finding any moral in the last story and honestly the story before that, so it was refreshing to have a more obvious moral again. I wonder if this was relieving only because I am so used to more western fairy tales which are riddled with morals and consequences.

Week 4 Reading Diary, Continued: Twenty-Two Goblins

Here are my thoughts on the second half of the Twenty-Two Goblins reading from the translation by Arthur W. Ryder (1917).

The Snake's Poison: This story is rather depressing on all accounts. I do like, however, that the king did not blame anyone other than the man himself because no one truly was responsible for the death.

The Girl and the Thief: I like that this story had a trick answer and the thief had both wept and laughed. I also really liked the plot of this story. I liked how the girl stuck to what she wanted and did not waiver in the face of an opposing culture.

The General's Wife: I liked the explanation of the king supporting the king as the better man. There is definitely a difference between doing something out of a sense of duty and doing something out of the goodness of your heart when you do not have to.

The Four Brothers: I thought it was interesting that the king knew the goblin would just escape again once he answered but his resolve did not waiver. He is loyal to his task which is admirable. Many a man would just give up, but he keeps on without complaining.

Four brothers being chased by the lion

Perham W. Nahl

The Old Hermit: This story is interesting in that there are really two story-lines that intersect. It makes me want to know more about the backgrounds of all of the characters because you only get to see the little bit where the stories become one.

Father and Son, Daughter and Mother: Wow! It is interesting to find out that the goblin is actually doing everything partly out of kindness! I love that twist. I am very happy with where this story is going and look forward to the conclusion.

Conclusion: I love the continued humility of the King through to the end of the story. Not many a man would be able to resist the goblin's offer, but he did and his reward was even greater for it.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Twenty-Two Goblins

Here are my thoughts on the first part of the Twenty-Two Goblins translated by Arthur Ryder (1917).

Introduction: I enjoy how the translation uses the meanings of the names rather than the Sanskrit names. I have never really seen that done in translated works before, but it adds foreknowledge to the characteristics of each person. I also like that this is a frame-tale.

The Three Lovers: I really loved the shock moment of the little boy being thrown in the fire. It completely caught me off guard and I really felt the disgust of the lover and the relief when the boy was brought back to life.

Brave, Wise, Clever: This story creates a funny conundrum and gives some insight to the culture of the time that it was written. The story made me think of the brothers who ask Jesus whose wife a women would be if each married her and subsequently one after the other. There are interesting parallels.

The Girl, Her Husband, and Her Brother: Wow, talk about shock factor with this one. It seems like just a cute love story and nice family visit and then all of a sudden WHAM two people CUT THEIR OWN HEADS OFF!!! Craziness. I read parts of the story to my roommate that realized if the two ever have kids now it would technically be incest, so that is awkward and gross. But, I agree that the more important is the head overall.

The girl hanging her noose

Food, Women, Cotton: The specialist in cotton in this story reminded me of the story of the princess and the pea very much. However, I was not a big fan of the story as the brothers were annoying and conceited.

The Four Scientific Suitors: This story was interesting in the way that science was approached. It really shows what culture and translation can change because I would not really consider most of those sciences.

The Three Delicate Wives: This story just seemed rather ridiculous. I know that it is simply a fable, but the delicacy of the three queens is just absurd. Also, the riddle is so easy that it cannot redeem the story. If a difficult riddle had come out of the story, that would make up for its ridiculousness, but I quickly new the answer before I read it. Definitely not my favorite of those read today.


Overall, I like this series of stories and the frame tale they are within. However, I do like some stories much more than others.

Week 3 Reading Diary, Continued: Jewish Fairytales

These are my thoughts on the stories from the second half of the Jewish Fairytales unit from Jewish Fairytales and Legends by Gertrude Landa 1919.

The Sleep of One Hundred Years: This was a curious tail. The man's commitment to Jerusalem was admirable and his wish to die understandable, but the story just left something wanting. I am glad he eventually got his peace though.

King for Three Days: Hearing an account of the crusades from the Jewish perspective was interesting. I like that there is both history and folklore within this story.

The Higgeledy-Piggledy Palace: First off, the name of this story is fantastic. I found this story interesting because I know the accounts of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis fairly well and this story mostly just attempts to fill in some unknown details. I enjoyed the tricks the spirit played on Pharaoh, they were quite entertaining.

The spirit attacking Pharoah

The Rabbi's Bogey-Man: This story reminded me a bit of a Jewish Frankenstein. I find it curious that the slip of paper with the name worked. You would think it would only work if God allowed it to and the creature does not seem like something God would want to exist. I might do some more research on this story in the future.

The Fairy Frog: Well, this is a very happy tale I suppose. It makes little sense to me, but is a fun fairytale nonetheless. What does "Adam's Fairy son" mean? How was the Frog caught in the first place? This story leaves me with many questions, but I enjoyed it.

Week 3 Reading Diary: Jewish Fairytales

For week 3 I chose to read the Jewish Fairytales unit which pulls from Jewish Fairytales and Legends by Gertrude Landa 1919. Here are my thoughts on each story from the first half of the unit.

The Giant of the Flood: I had never heard of this story before, but I had heard of Og of Bashan from the Bible which made for an interesting surprise when I discovered this tale was calling them one and the same. I thought the inclusion of the unicorn was interesting because there was only one which allows Noah to have saved it without there being any unicorns left today. I enjoyed the story overall and agree that defying Moses is probably not the best idea.

Og on the Unicorn which is quite the sight

The Beggar King: I liked that there were multiple morals in this story. Obeying God, repentance, compassion, and wisdom are all taught at once. The genie in the story is good at tough love and would be a fun character to work with in future stories.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog: This story was depressing. It characterized the cat as easily swayed to cruelty by the serpent (who represents the devil in many stories) and the dog was just trodden on throughout the tale. I suppose it shows how the devil can destroy relationships.

The Water-Babe: I like that the story explained how Moses got his lisp. His weakness in speech always fascinated me and reminds me of his humanity.

From Shepard-Boy to King: The unicorn returns! I was very much not expecting the unicorn to be in any more stories, and so when he appeared in this one it caught me quite off guard. It makes me wonder if the unicorn was meant to be an immortal creature because there was only the one saved at the flood and therefore no more could be born.

The Magic Palace: Wow! The fact that it was Elijah caught me completely off guard! I loved this story and would very much enjoy working with it somehow. Ibrahim seems like a wonderful character to work with as does the jeweler. I will definitely have to keep them and the appearance of Elijah in mind.

Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Aesop's Fables

Here are some of my favorite stories from part B of the Aesop's Fables (Jacobs) reading.

Birds, Part 1: I really loved the story of The Crow and the Pitcher. It reminds me of the story I heard about a donkey that fell in a well and was being buried alive by dirt tossed into it. Instead of sitting around to be buried, the donkey stepped on top of the pile of dirt every time it came down and eventually got high enough to jump out of the well. Maybe these two stories could be combined somehow.

Birds, Part 2: On this page The Swallow and the Other Birds made me think of the Sower parable in the Bible. In the parable a farmer scatters seed and the seeds land on various different places and therefore has various different fates. One of the places the seed lands is on the path where it is snatched up by the birds. Other seeds, however, are not snatched up and some of the plants grow strong. It may be interesting to mix these two stories together.\

Insects, Snakes, Crabs: I feel like the characters in The Two Crabs could make for some great snippy dialogue in a storytelling session. There seems enough bite and yet also love in their words that it could make for a fun story to write.

Frogs and Fish: By far my favorite from this page is the story of The Frog and the Ox. Though the outcome of this story is easily predicted the ending is still satisfying. I could feel myself thinking "oh no, don't do it!" as the frog puffed up bigger and bigger. This kind of predictable suspense could be useful in my writing.

Two Crabs by Walter Crane

Nature and Inanimate Objects: I liked the moral behind The Belly and The Members. Showing that everyone has it's part and the importance of cooperation is great for a fable to do.

Humans and Gods: From this section I liked The Old Man and Death. I am not particularly sure why it caught my attention, but I intend to come back and read this story again later on to see if I can figure that out.

Family and Friends: On this page I liked The Two Fellows and The Bear. It reminded me of when people say "you don't have to outrun the bear, just your slowest friend" or something along those lines.

People Wise and Foolish, Part 1: I liked the anti-climactic ending of The Mountains in Labour. Sometimes I get stuck in the thought that any story I write needs some big outcome to be good, but this story reminds me that this is not always true.

People Wise and Foolish, Part 2: I enjoyed The Milkmaid and Her Pail because I never did know the origin of the phrase "don't count your chickens before they've hatched." I feel like this story could easily be expanded to include Polly Shaw and other characters from daily marketplace life.

More Fables (Not in Jacobs): I liked this entire page in general because it is so impressive how rich a story you can get from just a short poem. I also really enjoyed how snarky the stories were at times.

Week 2 Reading Diary: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

For Aesop's Fables (Jacobs and Crane) I chose one favorite story from each page. These were my favorites.

Lions, Part 1: My favorite story from this section is Androcles and the Lion. I really enjoyed the story because it shows the power of compassion. It might be interesting to do this story similar to the story of the good samaritan. Have two people pass by the lion because they are afraid to stop and help and then have the third stop to help. All three men could be presented to the lion on separate days with the lion eating the first two but not the third. Just a preliminary idea.

Lions, Part 2: I was not a huge fan of the stories in this section, but the one I liked most was The Ass and The Sick Lion. This was my favorite because, as in the story directly above, normally if there is a sly animal in a story it is a fox or an owl. However, this story used a donkey which is different and I appreciate that.

Foxes, Part 1: I really enjoyed The Fox and The Crane. I find it very impressive how such a full narrative can be condensed into a short 5 line poem. I hope to be able to write so concisely one day.

Foxes, Part 2: I liked The Fox and The Lion from this page. I think it would be interesting to redo the story to have a different ending moral. Possibly do one based off of "comfort breeds recklessness" or something along those lines. It would completely change the story but use the same characters and setting.

Wolves: The story The Wolf and the Kid stuck out to me because the sentiment can be very true in conversations through the internet. When people are unreachable, they can become more brave in their cruelty.

Dogs and Cats: On this page I liked The Fox and the Cat because I can relate to it quite a bit. I am very indecisive and so sometimes it is better for me to have one good option than many to choose from.

Mice: I thought the response of The Married Mouse to The Mouse and The Lion was extremely clever and not unlike the storytelling we are doing in this class. It was interesting to see a story continuation rather than a story alteration. Definitely something to keep in mind for future storytelling.

Two mouse fables from Linton and Crane

Asses: The Ass stories were not my favorite, though I did appreciate the last one, The Horse and the Ass.

Deer: I thought The One-Eyed Doe was an interesting story. It would be a fun one to try to expand by explaining why she was half blind and why being hunted was her fate. There could be a lot to work with in this story.

Hares: On this last page I enjoyed The Hares and the Frogs  because I had never heard the story behind the phrase "There is always someone worse off than yourself" before.