Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

For this week’s readings, I chose the Russian Folktales unit.  To be honest, I started several other units but kept getting bored or side tracked.  I figured the Russians are famous for being not-quite-right in the head so they must have some pretty interesting folktales that would hopefully keep my attention! And boy was I right! These folktales rival the Grimm’s for interesting twists and gory endings, but they were definitely a lot of fun to read.  I wish I had had the chance to read these before I wrote my storybook because I could have taken some notes from these stories!

There were dark story topics throughout the unit that were very cool.  The Dead Mother had a mother die in childbirth and then come back and nurse the baby in secret.  The Coffin Lid is the story of a woman who died and the child who was supposed to pray over her was forced to face down horrible visions to ensure the witch stayed dead! 

I really did enjoy this unit and would have loved to include it in my storybook, but oh well!  

The Coffin Lid. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary B: Italian Popular Tales

The second half of the Italian Popular Tales unit definitely took a turn.  The first few stories were definitely of a religious nature, compared to the other stories that I had been reading.   

An Incident in Rome was a very interesting story.  The story itself was rather simple and basic, but I loved the way in which it was written.  I wish that I had read this earlier in the semester as it would have been a lot of fun to incorporate into my storybook.

Feast Day was another simple story, but I loved the way it ended.  It listed all the things that came unfast and fell into the mouth of the next person, which ended with the reader, whom the narrator called blockheads!

Most of these stories reminded me of Grimm fairytales in one way or another.  The themes were similar and the writing styles were almost identical!

The Vatican. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A: Italian Popular Tales

Italy. Source: Wikimedia Commons

For this week (really two weeks, but who’s counting) readings, I chose the Italian Popular Tales unit.  Since I am travelling to Italy in the spring, I thought that it would be fun to read their fairy tales.  Maybe it will give a bit of insight into their culture, maybe not. 

The unit was very interesting, although slightly repetitive.  Zelindaand the Monster was a lot like Beauty and the Beast.  The woman met a dragon whom she was forced to live with and when she finally agreed to marry him, he became a handsome young man.  The Fair Angiola was very similar to Rapunzel… but with a dog’s face.  The hair and tower were the same, but the witch cursed her with a dog’s face when she ran.  Howthe Devil Married Three Sisters started out like the story of Cupid and Psyche.  He told the women to not do something, which of course he did. 

I really enjoyed reading this unit.  It reminded me a lot of the Grimm fairy tales that I have been reading all semester, so of course I loved them!

Reading Diary B: King Arthur

As I continued to read the King Arthur unit, I realized something that was very entertaining.  The Knights of the Round Table whine about everything!  When things do not go their way, they bemoan their situation and whine to whoever they meet next about their misfortunes.  You would think that such brave, strong knights would have better character than that! They kind of remind me of the way that I have been writing the Grimm Brothers.  They appear to be strong and brave men, but once you break the surface, they’re rather pretentious

Not to mention, they almost all find their way with the help of a woman.  A woman appears who shows them the way that they must follow after they fall into misfortune. 

The more I read of the unit, the more connections I made to other television shows and books that I have read.  The show Merlin, which is what I titled my blog after, is somewhat similar to the tales.  A series of books by Angela Knight has all the right names, but the Knights and their ladies are vampires and witches.  Regardless, all of the renditions of these stories are amazing and I love that I finally know what is, more or less, the original story.  

Merlin Television Show. Source: Ultra Publications

Reading Diary A: King Arthur

I chose to read the King Arthur unit this week.  To be honest, I mainly chose it because King Arthur and Camelot are the focus of this season of Once Upon a Time.  I wanted to see how much of the original stories the show is drawing upon and how they are reinterpreting the old tales.  They seem to follow the same tale, more or less, but with a much darker twist. 

Excalibur was broken and so Arthur has become a broken and twisted ruler.  We recently learned the role that Nimue plays in the show as well, which somewhat reflects the old tales. In The Passing of Merlin, we learned that Nimue was playing Merlin the entire time and was using him to learn magic.  This is vaguely reflected in the show, but not entirely.  She started out loving him but was corrupted by power, like most people seem to be. 

I really enjoyed reading this half of the unit and comparing it to the show and cannot wait to finish it. 

Image Source: Once Upon a Time Logo. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Reading Diary B: Canterbury Tales

Well, the second half of the Canterbury Tales unit definitely started off with a bang.  The Prioress’s Tale: Little Hugh seemed a little extra dramatic, especially in their treatment of the Jews!  Definitely seemed a little overboard for what I assume is a children’s story.  Definitely gives an insight into the general feelings towards the Jewish people of the time!

The second story, The Cock The Hen and The Fox, was odd.  Several times I thought that I had moved on to a new story, only to realize that I was still in the same one! It was an interesting read, but rather confusing at times!  I was especially confused by the two tales of the men, the one murdered and the other drowned.  I’m not entirely sure why they were included in the story!

Overall, it was an interesting unit, but definitely not one of my favorites.  They just didn’t seem to quite work for me!

 

The Canterbury Tales. Source: Simple English Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Canterbury Tales

For my reading this week, I chose the Canterbury Tales unit.  I was not sure what the unit was about, but the brief description intrigued me.  I thought that maybe it would be reminiscent of the Grimm fairy tales, which it vaguely is.  I did not expect that Greek mythology would be incorporated into the stories, however.  Ovid and Apollo were mentioned in the first few stories, which I thought was very interesting for a British unit!

I really liked that these stories were longer, as it was great to have some continuity to them.  However, I was not particularly impressed with any of the tales in the first half of the unit.  None of them stood out to me or caught my eye.  I liked the general storyline, but they seemed all too familiar to me.  I hope that the other half of the unit contains better stories!

Canterbury Tales Illustration. Source: Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Hunt) Unit

This half of the Brothers Grimm Hunt unit was very interesting.  I had not read or heard of any of these stories before and they certainly intrigued me! They had very interesting creatures in them!  I thought it was a lot of fun to read these stories, although they do not particularly fit with my storybook. 

Bearskin

What an interesting story! I had never heard this fairy tale before, although it certainly bears a resemblance to Beauty and the Beast.  I think that it is so interesting that the Devil shows up again at the end of the story, claiming that even after appearing to lose, he has won! I thought that it was a great twist! I might use something like that in my storybook…

Bearskin Illustration. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Hans the Hedgehog

This was definitely a unique story.  A half hedgehog half man definitely calls an interesting picture to mind.  It was an odd image, but I suppose it worked for the story.  I am confused how something that was small enough to ride on a cock simply shed its skin and became a man, but it is a fairy tale! The whole story was a little odd, so I suppose I can’t get too caught up with this particular mental problem.

Snow-White and Rose-Red         

Another tale reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast! It was certainly an interesting tale, but not nearly as unique as the other two from the unit.  I liked that the dwarf had magic that turned the man into a bear, though.  It was an aspect of the story that I had not thought of before.  I might be able to incorporate it into one of my stories, although I’m not sure how.

Definitely a wonderful unit, but not exactly beneficial to my storybook!

Reading Diary B: Hero Tales

I have finished reading the Hero Tales unit and found yet more intriguing stories!  I find it very interesting which tales are included in this unit, as I do not see all of them as hero tales.  Some of them seem to be the tales of wayward children who are not doing as they were told, such as in the case of Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away.  Yes, they do rid the land of several villains, but they are simply acting like most young boys do.  They did the exact opposite of what their father ordered them to do and just happened to survive the outcome.   

Some of the heroic acts are simply good deeds, such as honoring the promise that you made.  In Dirty-Boy, the two sisters were promised to a poor, disfigured man who shot an eagle from a tree, but only the younger sister honored the deal.  She was richly rewarded for her honesty, but I’m not sure if that classifies as heroism.

Regardless, some of the acts reminded me much of Charlotte Grimm, which I thought was great.  Not every deed needs to be grand.  Some are small things that simply add up.  

Bald Eagle. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Hero Tales

I chose to read the Hero Tales unit for this week.  I enjoyed reading the combination of stories in the Marriage tales unit and wanted to continue that.  I like that I get a glimpse into many different tribes and how they view heroes and heroic acts.

I liked the general theme of most of the stories, as they often reminded me of my own storybook. I like stories of heroes and good deeds, as most children seem to as we are growing up.  I like some of the darker twists, like in the story of The Jealous Uncle.  The uncle has murdered his previous nephews and tries several times to kill the latest one.  However, this nephew escapes and lives, eventually returning to see his parents and end his uncle’s reign over his people. 

These stories were very interesting to read and I look forward to finishing the unit.

Alaskan Inuit Family. Source: Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Hunt) Unit

For this week’s extra reading diary, I read the first half of the Brothers Grimm Hunt unit.  It was a very interesting set of readings, but there was only one tale that truly interested me.  I really enjoyed reading Hansel and Grethel.  It was interesting to read the true story and not just the later renditions. 

I had never heard the part of the story that told of them returning to their house first.  I also didn’t know that it was their step mother that came up with the idea to leave them in the forest in the first place.  I really liked the way that the witch was described, particularly her keen sense of smell.

I’ve always found the tale of Hansel and Grethel intriguing and I am definitely planning on using it in my storybook. I think that it will be fun to write Charlotte into this story and just by reading it, I have already come up with several ideas.  

Hansel and Grethel. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Marriage Tales

I enjoyed the remainder of the Native American Marriage Tales unit.  It had longer tales that gave me a better insight into the culture.  I still didn’t find anything that I was really excited to draw from, but there was one story that caught my eye.

I particularly liked the tale of the Girl and The Turkeys.  It was very similar to the tale of Cinderella, but from a different culture’s viewpoint.  I really liked that the Turkeys were the ones that aided her in going to the ball, not a fairy god mother.  I thought it was interesting that there wasn’t really anyone that told her she couldn’t go to the ball, just her view of herself.  I liked that the Turkeys cleaned her clothes and then essentially spat out a variety of ornaments for her to wear.  The fact that she forgot about them after she left was cool too.  It definitely sets the tale apart from Cinderella.  

Turkey. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Marriage Tales

This week’s theme was Native American tales.  From the choices, I selected the Marriage Tales because it encompasses a range of tribes so I would get a feel for many different cultures.  I enjoyed the readings in the first half of the unit, but did not really find any that I could draw from.  

I like the tale of Splinter-Foot-Girl, but did not draw anything from it that I wanted to use in my stories.  I did like that the animals helped her escape from her marriages.  However, she was a rather meek girl that didn’t really do much for herself.  Her family helped her escape and she simply went along with the plan. 

I like when the girl takes charge of the situation and makes a name for herself.  I guess it just goes along with my outlook on life.  We need to be the writers of our own destinies. Why wouldn’t she try to take charge of the situation? Why would she wait for help and go along with what everyone wants her to do? It just doesn’t fit with my perspective I suppose.  

Badger. Source: Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Brother Grimm (Crane) unit

For this week’s Extra Reading, I finished the Brothers Grimm Crane unit.  There was only one story that I wasn’t real wild about, but it definitely gave me some great fodder for my own Storybook.  I found a story that will work as well as a general format/reference that will be a great help.

I like the tone of The Six Swans story.  It reminds me a lot of how I intend to write Charlotte Grimm.  A very strong young woman who does not shirk from her duty.  She is so devoted to her brothers that she risks her own life to save them.  I will definitely refer to this story as I write my own since it is such a great example of what I am trying to do!

King Thrushbeard was a very interesting story, with a twist at the end that I did not entirely see coming!  The story as a whole is like a twist on the tale of Cinderella, but in reverse.  The great King dresses like a beggar so the woman will learn some humility! I really liked this story, but can’t really see myself using it in my storybook. 

The beginning of the Grimm version of Snow White is reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I really liked this version of the story, without the “true love’s kiss” that awakens her from her slumber.  This might be an option for my Storybook, although I would definitely have to mix up the story a little bit to make it work.  I like how persistent the queen was in her attempts to kill Snow White, and I think it was much better than the Disney version of the story.  

Image Information: King Thrushbeard and his Wife. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Tibetan Folk Tales

The remainder of the Tibetan Folk Tales unit was interesting.  I noticed a trend to all the stories, which was that some character in the story always died! Sometimes it was the villain and sometimes it was the main character. 

There didn’t seem to be any honest morals to the story that could transfer to real life.  With many of the stories, the person who committed villainous deeds was actually the one who benefited the most from his actions.  In How the Wolf, the Fox and the Rabbit Committed a Crime, this was exactly what happened.  The three characters stole a man’s things and divided the profits between them.  The rabbit divided the goods, giving the wolf the heavy boots that got him killed and the rabbit a bell that seriously frightened his children, while the rabbit got food!

While these stories were great, they definitely won’t work for my storybook.  I didn’t even find any general ideas that could transfer, although that may be because the stories were so short.  

Rabbit. Source: Pixabay

Reading Diary A: Tibetan Folk Tales

For this week’s readings, I chose to do the unit on Tibetan Folk Tales.  It was a very interesting unit, full of animal trickery and unique life lessons.  There was very little in this unit that I could use in my Storybook, but it was definitely fun to read.  I had not yet read a unit quite like this.

The Story of the Donkey and the Rock was one of my favorite stories in this unit. I really liked how it didn’t really teach a lesson to the main characters, but taught a lesson to the entire town.  Curiosity may actually be nosiness disguised!  This could be an interesting twist to use in one of my storybook tales.

Working Donkey. Source: Pixabay

My other favorite story was The Ingratitude of Man.  I think that it is funny that people assume that others like them will reciprocate favors, when that is rarely the case.  By making the animals the ones who actually showed gratitude and payed the debt, it shows that you cannot always judge a book by its cover.  (This idea reminds me of the monster book in Harry Potter)

This unit has been fun to read so far and I look forward to continuing the readings.  I hope I will be able to find other ideas to include in my storybook.  

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Crane) Unit

This week, I read the first half of the Brothers Grimm Crane Unit.  It contains the stories of The Fisherman and his Wife, Aschenputtel (a.k.a. Cinderella), and The Robber Bridegroom. All of these tales are so amazing, but there was only one that I would like to incorporate into my storybook. 

The Robber Bridegroom is a very dark and evil story, even for the Grimm brothers.  I think that it would be a great story to use since there is such a clear villain and so many ways that I could tweak the story for my purposes.  Charlotte could be the bride, the old woman, the bird, or any number of other characters in the story.  She could even be one of the robber-cannibals if I really want to make it interesting!  I am definitely going to use this story in my book. 

I’m really excited to start writing it, even though I plan on using one of the more well-known stories first.  I think it will be very interesting to see how Charlotte fits into this story!

Old Woman and Bride Escaping. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

The remainder of The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung unit went by rather quickly.  I did not find it nearly as interesting as the beginning of the unit, although that may be because of the synopses at the end of the unit.  I did not find anything that I would want to use in my storybook, although I may use the extreme arrogance of the Monkey King in some of my future weekly stories.

No particular story drew my attention, nor did any of the new characters that were introduced.  The settings were the same and the plot was simply a continuation of the beginning of the story, so there was little for me to draw from.

Overall, the unit was very interesting and a blast to read.  The adventures were so dramatic and fantastical that I just couldn’t stop reading.  However, the stories were not of the type-- in either character setting or plot line-- for what I am thinking to use in my own storybook.  That is, not including the arrogance of the king being translated into the Grimm Brothers!

Huangshan Mountain. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

For week 6, I chose to read the unit on The Monkey King SunWu Kung.  It is definitely an interesting read, full of adventure and unique story lines. 

I particularly like the section on The Great Sea.  The like how the ape disguises himself as a human.  It would be fun to use this type of story in my storybook to explain how Charlotte gets away with following her brothers.  Clearly some sort of disguise had to be involved.  She could be disguised as a man!

I thought it was interesting that, though Sun Wu Kung was supposedly a saint, he was so greedy and arrogant.  The way that his character is written would be intriguing to use for the Grimm Brothers.  Clearly they were so full of themselves that they didn’t notice their sister was following and helping them.

I think that this is very similar to how the Monkey King is acting.  He doesn’t think that the rules apply to him, so he essentially overrules them.  He takes what is not his and demands things on top of those that he has already stolen.  He demands for his will to be done and gets it out of fear.  He is so arrogant that he is sure to fall at some point.

Ape Rock Formation. Source: Flickr

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman) Unit

I continued reading the Brothers Grimm Ashliman unit for my extra reading this week.  Unfortunately, it was just as useless to my storybook as the first half of the unit.  There were no true villains in these stories, just people or things that were greedy or simply mean towards other characters.  The stories were meant more as warnings to be nice to your friends and family, instead of teaching morals like many of the Grimm fairy tales do. 

I did like the tale of the Simeli Mountain more than the others.  When I first read it, I thought that the Mountain was called Sesimi, not Semsi.  I got excited because I thought that they were basically saying open sesame, not open Semsi.  Proves that I really need to look at what I am reading and not get in such a hurry! I got all excited for nothing!

I always like the stories about a personified death, so I like the story of Death’s Messengers.  I think that it is a great representation of the human ideal in that it is never their time to die.  Death warned the man that messengers would come, and he ignored them.  He assumed that it was too early for him to die so he didn’t prepare for his end!

I am really enjoying reading the Grimm units and will definitely continue to read them!

Death Personified. Source: Wikipedia