Extra Reading Diary: Hans Christian Andersen

Extra Reading Diary: Hans Christian Andersen

I have heard of Hans Christian Anderson, but I don't actually know much about him. It looks like I've read or been read some of his stories before, but it's been a long time. I look forward to getting reacquainted with his work.

The Princess and the Pea: I read this story when I was younger. I remember it fairly well, but this might be a different version. I'm excited to find out. This wasn't the version that I read. This one was much more direct and simple. There wasn't a lot to the story, but it obviously provided a good base for people to write from.

Princess On Her Bed
(illustration by Dulac)

The Wicked Prince: Wow, I've never read anything quite like this story. In the beginning the story had a very realistic feel to it, until the Prince decided to try and kill God. It's a very interesting concept. The story didn't proceed or end like I thought it would. How the mighty was brought down by a single sting.

Reading Diary B: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Reading Diary A: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

I'm excited about reading the second part of this unit. There are quite a few stories that I haven't heard of and just from the title they seem very interesting. I'm expecting some great stories!

Eve's Unequal Children: I read the Adam and Eve unit early on in the semester so it's nice to come full circle and find out a little bit more about their story. I think this story is an interesting take on people's destiny. Not everyone can be the king or president, but there have to be the lower-class workers. Although it seems unfair to me that it is that way, there is no changing it. I enjoyed this story and it had an outcome that I did not expect. I thought that the Lord would be angry with Eve for hiding away her ugly children.

Eve and Her Unequal Children
(illustration by Otto Ubbelohde)

The Peasant and the Devil:  I really enjoyed this story. It's not often that you hear of the devil being tricked. It's usually the other way around. I like that the roles of trickster were switched in this story. And since the peasant is an underdog, the reader will immediately be rooting for him, even if he is a clever trickster.

Reading Diary A: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Reading Diary A: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

I've heard of the Brothers Grimm, but haven't actually read any of their stories. There are some obvious stories in this unit that I've already read, but I think I'd like to focus on the ones that are unfamiliar to me.

The Wolf and Seven Young Kids: I honestly thought it was going to be about human children, not goats, but really that's my bad. As always I'm tempted to read anything that has the mention of wolves and this story was no exception. Besides the mention of the wolf, the number of goats also immediately got me interested. I like stories that deal with important numbers, like three or seven. The seven dwarfs and the three beds that Goldilocks tries out are two examples of this. I first of all liked how the wolf was able to disguise his voice. I'd be interested to see if eating chalk is an old-wives tale for softening your voice. My favorite sentence of the story was: "'If you will not do it, I will eat you up.' That frightened the miller, and he made his paw white for him. Yes, that is the way people are." I like that the author is telling a story but also making a comment on society at the same time. I liked how the story ended, really I liked the story from beginning to end.

The Wolf and Seven Young Kids
Source: Wikipedia Commons

 Little Red Cap: I know I said I wanted to concentrate on newer stories, to me at least, but I have a soft spot for Little Red Riding Hood. I love that there are so many different variations to the story and each one has something special about it. This story was very similar to the first story I wrote about. It seems that everyone that's eaten by a wolf can but cut out and saved!

I enjoyed this unit and I look forward to reading the second half in my next Reading Diary post!

Extra Reading Diary: Europa's Fairy Book

Extra Reading Diary: Europa's Fairy Book

I love fairy tales so I'm looking forward to reading half of this unit. It sounds like the author mix and matched different stories and made them his own. It sounds exactly like what we do in this class so I think it'll be cool to see the differences and his techniques.

Beauty and the Beast: I've seen Disney's Beauty and the Beast, but I had never read the story before. This story was a bit less dramatic than Disney's. The way that Belle ended up with the Beast was interesting, but not that great. I did like how Belle found Beast in his garden at the end. This story makes much more sense with the rose, because it's explained in the beginning.

Beauty and the Beast
Source: Europa's Fairy Book by Joseph Jacobs and illustrated by John Batten (1916)

The Language of Animals: I love reading stories about talking animals so I'm very excited to read this story. Ah, I loved this story. I think it's so cool that Jack could understand animals. It made for a very great power since it didn't seem that anyone else could tell what they were saying. I like how the beginning of the story tied perfectly into the end. I also liked that there was a happy ending for Jack and his family.

Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno

Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno

I've enjoyed this unit so far and I'm looking to see the rest of Dante's journey. His interpretations have been interesting and I'm expecting more of the same.

Jason and the Demons: I found it interesting how Dante incorporated mythology into what mainly seems to be a Christianized story.  I really liked the exchange that Virgil had with the demons. It was cool to see the demons have some actually dialogue because I feel they are often depicted as mindless evil doers. I hope the story goes into more detail about the hierarchy of demons in Hell.

Structure of Hell
Source: (illustration by di Fruosino)

Satan: I loved the author's description of seeing Lucifer. It was such a striking image. The imagery reminded me of the book of Revelation. There are so many different ways to interpret the symbols. I also liked the Judas was depicted in this story. I think he's an interesting character to explore. In this story it wasn't going too well for him in Hell with Satan.

Reading Diary A: Dante's Inferno

Reading Diary A: Dante's Inferno

I've heard a lot about this story, but I have never read it. I think it's such an interesting concept and I'm excited to explore it. I think that we all wonder what the other side of life will be like and it's cool to see one person's imagining of it. I like afterlife stories as much as I like origin stories. We're in the middle of our life, but I always wonder about the beginning and the end.

Dante and Virgil: I quite liked the beginning of this story. I think it's such an accurate depiction of life when you become self-aware. I think the image I selected is haunting because I think we've all felt lost in the woods with no way out. The story was a little hard to follow just because of the language, but I enjoyed it all the same. I'm interested to see where Virgil is taking Dante.

Lost Man
Source: (illustration by Gustave Doré)

The Gate of Hell and Charon: I think it's interesting how Dante mixes Christian and Greco-Roman ideas of Hell. I think the author was clever by using his characters to explain the situation, so reader could better understand the story's meaning. The depiction of the underworld was very haunting and I was struck up the imagery. I truly felt like I was along with Dante for his journey.

Extra Reading Diary: Russian Folktales

Extra Reading Diary: Russian Folktales

I've enjoyed every folktale unit that I've read so far. I think that I'll like this unit too. I'm interested to see what type of stories the Russians focus on. I'm expecting some pretty grim stories for some reason.

The Dead Mother: Well I guess I was right about the dark/grim stories. I'm impressed by how much story was crammed in into a very short text. I wonder why this is a story that was told often. I suppose that long ago there were more deaths during childbirth. This is quite a haunting story for mothers to hear.

Grave of Dead Mother
Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Treasure: I really liked this story. I thought it was interesting to see that the pope was actually the greedy one in the story. I also liked how the story ended. I think having justice served in the end is the best part. The setting felt distinctly Russian. I think it was mainly that it took place in winter. That really solidified the Russian aspect for me. I think the author did a great job of crafting the story. 

Reading Diary B: Beowulf

Reading Diary B: Beowulf

The really enjoyed the first half of this unit, so I'm expecting great things from the second half. I like Beowulf's character and I'm hoping that he doesn't meet a tragic end.

The Arrival of the Dragon: I liked how the author described the peaceful period for Beowulf and his people. It was crucial to paint a very happy picture, so this next adventure could come in and break that up. The way the story is going reminds me of The Hobbit. There is a big dragon with a lot of gold and now the king is going to try to take it from him. I'm interested to see how Beowulf approaches the situation.

My favorite character in this section was the stranger who brought the news to Beowulf. He was described perfectly and his character ushered in a new challenge for the King.

The Dragon
Source: illustration by A. R. Skelton

Battle with the Dragon: The detail in describing the dragon was incredible. I felt like I was really there watching the battle. I'm impressed with the description of the battle also. I wondered how Beowulf was going to fight and I got my answer. I think my hope that Beowulf would not have a tragic ending is not going to be fulfilled, but maybe he'll surprise me!

The End of Beowulf: Well he did have a tragic ending, but at least the dragon was defeated. I like that Beowulf stayed true to himself until the end, unlike the other barons. His legend lives on! I quite enjoyed this entire unit and I'm glad I finally got to read this full story.

Reading Diary A: Beowulf

Reading Diary A: Beowulf

I don't know much about the story of Beowulf. I didn't get a chance to read it in high school so I'm excited that I'm finally getting the chance to do so. I know that there was a movie made about it maybe five or so year ago, so I'd be interested in watching that this week while I read the unit! I'm hoping that the "wulf" means that there are going to be some werewolves, but I won't hold my breath.

King Hygelac of Geatsland: I'm already in love with the setting the storyteller has described. There are so many places that this story could go. The kingdom that they described reminded me a little bit of the Eragon series. Although this is a short story, it sets the rest of the unit up perfectly. I know exactly what type of characters I'm dealing with. And I know the types of problems that they are likely to run into. I'm excited to continue.

Ship At Sea
Source: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933)

The Young Beowulf: The thing that strikes me about the stories in this unit is the beautiful descriptions. I'm a fan of Beowulf at the moment, because he seems so misunderstood. Even though he is really strong, he is king of the underdog because so many people are against him. I look forward to seeing where Beowulf goes in this story. There are only a few lines that let the reader into Beowulf's mind, but they give a perfect description of his thoughts and I feel like I'm on his side and I know how he operates. That just shows the skill of the storyteller for being able to get readers to like his characters so quickly.

Extra Reading Diary: Czech Folktales

Extra Reading Diary: Czech Folktales

I like all types of folktales and since I don't know much about Czech culture I think it would be interesting to explore their stories. I'm hoping for/expecting witches or vampires to make at least one appearance!

The Bear, the Eagle, and the Fish: My favorite line of this story was: "All of them were young and as pretty as peacocks..." I loved this story! There weren't witches, but their was a magician so I was partially right. I like stories that happen in threes. There were three daughters. There were three animals who wed them. I thought the story was going to be over when the count gave away all of his daughters, but I was excited to see that was not the case. My favorite character in the story was the brother. He could have disregard what happened to sisters he did not even know, but he went after them and brought peace to the kingdom. This may be the best folktale I've read all semester.

Czech castle,
photo by B. Henak

Kojata: The first paragraph of this story had me laughing. The line, "he forgot that his wife was about to have a child," is hilarious. I like how the author incorporated numbers into the story. I really enjoyed this story. I'm going to have to read more Czech folktales. I like that there was a happy ending and I think the way the prince and his love escaped her father was perfectly told.

Reading Diary B: King Arthur

Reading Diary B: King Arthur

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the King Arthur unit. I've read some of these stories before, but there are a couple that I'm not familiar with. This second part of the unit looks interesting because it focuses more on the adventures or Arthur's knights.

Sir Galahad and the White Knight: I like the story of Sir Galahad, because he is such a worthy knight.   I feel like he is one of those people that so many prophecies are written about. He is a central character that is able to do many things that others cannot. I also like that the shield in the story can only be worn by the worthiest knight in the land, not the strongest or the smartest. Arthurian Legends, especially when it comes to the Grail Quest, are more focused on being worthy than being powerful. I think these concepts give the stories a very appealing nature.

Sir Galahad Opens Tomb
Source: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902)

The End of Arthur: I really enjoyed this part of the Arthurian story. I think this story about Arthur is so interesting because it allows the legend to live on. Arthur goes off to some mystical land (Avalon) to be healed and now we're all waiting for his return. I think it's a perfect non-conclusion to such an epic story. Even Lancelot and Guinevere are given satisfying endings. But ARTHUR LIVES ON!

Reading Diary A: King Arthur

Reading Diary A: King Arthur

The Drawing of the Sword: I've read this story before in my Arthurian Legend class and I liked it just as much the second time. I think my favorite part is that Arthur did not even strive to become king, but rather fell into it on accident while trying to help his "brother." I really like that when Arthur found out that he was king, he was more upset that Sir Ector wasn't his father than happy to be crowned. I also like the character Merlin. He popped up for a bit in this story, but I'm hoping there are some more stories involving him in his unit.

The Drawing of the Sword
Source:  King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902)

The Passing of Merlin: I like that even though Merlin knows the fate that will befall him he does nothing to stop it. He accepts his fate. I'm not sure if that shows how much he loved this woman or how foolish he is. I would have liked to see what Merlin's reaction was to the betrayal, but I suppose we'll never know. I like that Vivien, even though she was Merlin's apprentice was able to overpower the most powerful wizard. I have a thing for underdogs. I think that this would be an interesting story to use for my storytelling post this week. I think a woman using a man to get what she wants is a storyline that I'd like to explore.

Extra Reading Diary: Marriage Tales

Extra Reading Diary: Marriage Tales

I'm continuing my reading of marriage tales for my Extra Reading Diary. I enjoyed the first half of the unit and I expect the second half will be just as great!

The Dog-Husband: When I read this title I was a little suspicious that it could have to do with werewolves, but I thought it was probably just my imagination. But I was right! Although the story doesn't mention werewolves, there are humans who can turn into dogs. I thought it was a very clever and interesting idea to have the main character have a man (werewolf) lover who stayed disguised in his dog form so he could be with her. It was a bit uncomfortable when the children were born as dogs, but I guess that played into the story later. Overall, I really liked this concept.

The Youth Who Joined The Deer: This story was nothing like I expected. These shapeshifter stories never end! I thought this story was amazing. I did find it odd that the man like deer so much at first and yet he still killed them. But it fit in perfectly with the ending of the story. I think this is a beautiful way to look at nature. I also found the concept interesting that deer would sacrifice themselves for their people, but they were always revived. I think it would be an interesting concept if a deer volunteered to be killed, but someone stole his bones so they couldn't bring him back. These marriage tale stories are right up my alley!

Deer
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Reading Diary A: Marriage Tales

Reading Diary A: Marriage Tales

I'm always interested in how different cultures look at love and marriages. In today's society we are so used to the idea of people having soulmates that the thought of an arranged marriage is barbaric. I think that it differs on the time period and it's interesting to see how people have adjusted to their cultures and customs.

The Piqued Buffalo-Wife: I found this to be an interesting story. I like stories about shapeshifters and I didn't expect this story to include it. I liked how the mother and son were both buffalos, but the father was still human. It's interesting to see that the man wasn't horrified or worried that his wife was different than him. Most people are scared of the unknown. I also like when characters have to go through a series of trials to get what they want. I can see this story being told around a bonfire, and those are my favorite kind.

Indian Woman
Source: photo by Edward Curtis

Bear-Woman and Deer-Woman: With the buffalo story, I expected this story to be similar, but was pleasantly happy to find that it wasn't. I like stories where animals interact with each other and are able to talk. I like the dimensions and character that each animal had.

Extra Reading Diary: Alaska

Extra Reading Diary: Alaska

I have family that live in Alaska, so I thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit about the history of where they live. I'm interested in seeing how Alaskan people differ from the Great Plains indians that I read about in my other units for the week. I'm hoping to read something about polar bears too, if possible!

Eskimo Girl
Source: Myths And Legends of Alaska

The Raven Myth: Raven's Creation: My favorite part of this story was the shape-shifting raven. The raven mainly focused on creating animals that would have been relevant to the Alaskan people. Whereas other stories focus on buffalo or such, this author focuses on goats and caribou. I like the idea of a raven creator. I wonder how he was made? Is he a god? I think this could be an interesting topic to explore. 

The Raven Myth: Raven Creates the People: I was particularly intrigued by the little snippet in this story about mosquitos. I think it's funny that in this story mosquitos never bit men until they were told to do so (by man himself no less!). I like that the creator, in this case the raven, is wary of man. I think it's an interesting concept when the creator is a bit horrified of what he has made. Another concept that I like his how quickly the children grew up. Do they still have the mind of a child and the body of an adult? Or do they develop that quickly mentally as well?

Reading Diary B: Great Plains

Reading Diary B: Great Plains

This is a continuation of my Great Plains reading diary. I enjoyed the first part of this unit and I'm looking forward to the second part. I'm already interested in Why The Possum Plays Dead.

Why The Possum Plays Dead: I thought this was a clever story, explaining why possums play dead. I like stories that try to give an explanation for the way things work. I also liked that the story gave each of the animals personalities. Poor possum didn't get a wife in the end, but he did pick up a helpful survival instinct.

Possum
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Coyote and Snake: It was cool to see two animals who are usually depicted at tricksters go up against one another. In this story the snake triumphs. I like that snakes attack was subtle. I could see myself using this idea for my storytelling post this week. Pitting two clever people against each other is more interesting than a fool against someone clever. My only question is why did coyote get fatter? I assume it was swelling from the snake's venom.

Rabbit and Deer: I liked this series of stories, especially the How The Deer Got His Horns story. I like the concept of animals earning their particular physical features. It also gave a funny explanation why rabbits gnaw on bushes.

Reading Diary A: Great Plains

Reading Diary A: Great Plains

I chose this unit because I live where the Great Plains used to be. I think it's important to know the history of the land you live in. I'm also basing the werewolves in my novel off of Native American culture, so I'm hoping to get some ideas from these stories.

Indians + Tepee
Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Creation: I'm always a sucker for creation stories and this one was no exception. I liked the idea of the sun and moon being the parents of humans. This story also presented a creative take on how humans got to Earth and subsequently how animals (mainly the elk) helped them live here. The Native American people were so in tune with nature that it's no surprise they saw themselves working with animals in the beginning.

Sacred Legend: This is another take on the story of creation. In this story, in the beginning humans were in the water. This story is less about creation and more about how the people learned to survive. It takes the reader from the discovery of fire to the building of tepees. There isn't much personality to this story, but I like how it gave a more clinical view of history. This is essentially their science and how they understand the world. It was fairly simple, but it gave them an origin story.

Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

The most interesting stories in this unit were about Kintaro or The Golden Boy. I like that he is a character that inspires a long story.

The Adventures of Kintaro, The Golden Boy:

The way that Kintaro is described in the beginning of this story reminded me of Hercules. He is also like Snow White in that he is best friends with the woodland creatures. I like the idea that he can not only talk to animals, but that he is also friends with them. The fact that all of them are about it wrestle each other is hilarious. This story made me interested to see where Kintaro's story was going to end up. 

Kintaro Doll
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Honestly this doll is really creepy, but it gives an idea of how the people of Japan see Kintaro.

The Adventures of Kintaro (cont.):

This story continues the wrestling match between the hare and the monkey. The other animals battle and it's interesting to see how the author describes each other them. Kintaro seems like a character that is almost god-like. He can do anything that he needs to do and it doesn't seem that difficult to him. I wonder if in the rest of the story he faces some great adversity. 

Japan: The Adventures of Kintaro (cont. again):

I like that we get to meet Kintaro's mother in this section of the story. It gives a little more context as to how he lives. In this section of the story, Kintaro is introduced to an outsider. He wants to arm-wrestle Kintaro. I thought that Kintaro would for sure beat him, but it seems that he was evenly matched. 

The Adventures of Kintaro (end):

The story had a satisfying conclusion. I wish that Kintaro had more adventures and his journey was more difficult for him, but I liked learning about him. I honestly kind of forgot that this legend was supposed to be taking place in Japan until they mentioned a samurai. I enjoyed this story in all of its parts. 

Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

The Dance For Water: I liked this story a lot. It reminded me of the tortoise and the hare. My favorite types of characters are tricksters, because they're always so clever. Even though the rabbit in this story was caught, by his wit he was able to free himself and escape death. I also liked the idea of an animal council. It's kind of like the jungle book, where the animals all work together and have a type of governance in place. I think that could make for a good kernel to use to build my story off of.

Rabbit Footprints
Source: Pixabay

I chose this picture because it best illustrated a pivotal point in The Dance for Water story. The rabbit's footprints are what gives him away to the rest of the animals.

 Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother: Lions are one of my favorite animals so I was excited to read a story about them. I think this story gave a great insight into how the people of Southern Africa view lions. I like that part of the moral of the story is to listen to your mother. I also enjoyed the poem at the end of the story. I think incorporating poems and quotes into a story can give it more depth and allow more room for individual readers' interpretations.

Reading Diary A: South African Folktales

Reading Diary A: South African Folktales

I chose this unit because it focuses on the stories of animals. I think it's interesting to project human feelings and actions on animals and see what happens. I'm hoping to see some interesting plots in this unit. I'm also looking forward to reading stories with a trickster in them. The character of the trickster is one of my favorite because they're always one step ahead of the game.

The Tiger, The Ram, and The Jackal: When I saw this title I figured that The Jackal was going to be the great trickster of this story. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the Ram and his wife that pulled off a clever trick.

Golden Jackal
Source: Wikipedia Commons

I chose this picture because the Jackal was the most interesting character throughout this unit. (The jackal kind of looks like a wolf!)

The Lion, The Jackal, and The Rope: This story reminded me of the scene in Lion King when Scar throws Mufasa into the buffalo stampede. The jackal was a real jerk in this story. I like my tricksters to have some good qualities so I can hate them, but relate to them at the same time. However, I did like how the author used the dialogue between the jackal and his wife. Going from whispering to shouting aloud was a nice touch to convey the Jackal's true intentions.