Reading Diary B: Russian Folktales

The Russian Folktales unit has kept me very entertained the past few days! Some of the stories I recognized from when my grandma told them to me as a child, but some of them were new to me. The variety in the tales was great! One thing that I liked about a lot of them is that I couldn't tell what would happen next. I'm usually good at predicting plot twists, but this time, some of these threw me for a loop!

I did notice that most of the stories dealt with death. It seems like death and/or transformations were important to convey to the people reading or hearing the stories. Death was also used in many of these stories to teach some sort of lesson. For example, The Shroud tells the story of a lazy girl that takes advantage of others in order to get what she wants. She takes things too far, however, and angers a dead person by taking their shroud and not returning it. In the end, she disappears and only her hair is left. Her death is brought about by her disobedience and laziness, two things that are never looked upon in a positive light.

(Tales involving death and cemeteries)

Another story about death that also provides a sort of lesson is The Dog and the Corpse. The dog in the story defends its owner from an angry corpse, but the owner abandons the dog. The dog, in turn, holds a grudge and tries to get back at its owner for abandoning it instead of helping defeat the corpse. It's sad that the dog has to die in the end, because it really was the owner's fault. The lesson that I got from this tale is that you shouldn't abandon someone when they are trying to protect you. Also, all of these stories paint a pretty bleak picture of Russia in the old days. It seems like the dead really didn't like to stay dead back then.

Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

This week, I decided to read the Russian Folktales unit. I'm Russian, so this was exciting for me! I was familiar with some of the titles in this unit, but I thought it would be interesting to see how they were translated. Some of the stories, I had never heard, so it gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more about the tales of my homeland.

The tales started off on a very dark note. When I first started reading European fairy tales, I was kind of surprised by how gruesome some of them are. Since this wasn't the first unit with especially creepy tales, I think I was more prepared. Still, The Dead Mother was quite chilling. I especially didn't predict that the baby would be dead in the end when all of the people saw that it was the dead mother feeding her baby. I shouldn't have read that story so late at night.

Most of these stories were actually a little sad! The Water Snake was a tale that was particularly depressing. From the beginning, I couldn't tell where this story was going. I hoped that the snake turned into a prince or something, but when I got to the part about all of the snakes taking the girl from her house, I thought they were going to kill her or something. It was nice to read that she had a happy marriage, but then her mother had to go and ruin it! That definitely killed the mood for me. I wish I knew the motive behind her killing the girl's husband, especially since the girl seemed to be happy. I thought her turning herself and her children into birds was a bit random, too. Nevertheless, I'm excited to read the second half of the unit to see what kind of crazy stories that part has.

(The Water Snake)

Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno

The second half of the Dante's Inferno unit was not an easy read. There was so much suffering and anguish in the later tales! This is understandable given the location of the traveler and his guide, but I had to read something happy after finishing this unit because it was just a little too depressing to dwell on.

As with the first half, the amount of detail and imagery provided in the second half of the unit was astounding. It made me feel like I was going along on the journey, which is good from the literary sense but creepy because I would never like to go on such a journey. The descriptions of the characters in The Giants was particularly chilling. I made the mistake of reading this late at night, and it creeped me out quite a bit. The giants all seem like beings with whom I would never want to interact, which is why it surprised me that Dante wanted to look at one in particular. Also, I thought it was interesting that the giant responsible for the different languages was here and tried to communicate in his gibberish. This detail gave me goosebumps.

(Terrifying Giants)

Ugolino was even more unsettling to read about. Everything about his life and fate in the afterlife is sickening, particularly the fact that he had to spend the rest of eternity eating the one who starved him to death. If fans of horror movies would only read Dante's Inferno, they would be satisfied with how horrifying and unnerving it actually is.

Reading Diary A: Dante's Inferno

This week, I chose the Dante's Inferno unit. I have wanted to read the tale for the longest time, but the length and difficult wording was always something that discouraged me. That, and the already humongous pile of books on my bedside table. I was excited to see that this was one of the options offered, and I dove in.

The rich descriptions were some of the first things I noticed. This is particularly apparent in the first story, Dante and Virgil. Right away, I was captivated by the poetic writing. Even though it was translated into modern English prose, I think that the translator did a wonderful job making sure that the poetic nature of the tale was maintained throughout the work. The description of Virgil by Dante was extremely rewarding to read. Dante introduced Virgil so very generously and made him come into the story seamlessly.

I also have to say that all of the illustrations in this unit have made the reading so much more enjoyable. I like how detailed and otherworldly all of the images are. I particularly liked the image from The Gate of Hell and Charon because it helped me envision the scene so much more fully. The writing on the entrance that was described in the writing appeared in a fairy tale-like way in the illustration, and I thought that made the story so much more otherworldly than it already is. It also helps that the illustration is by William Blake, whom I have researched recently for my museum internship. I'm excited to keep reading this unit and seeing the story unfold further.

(The Gate of Hell)

Reading Diary A: English Fairy Tales

This week, I decided to read the English Fairy Tales. The tales were quite different than what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by all of them.

One thing that I noticed was that some of the tales were extremely gruesome. I guess I'm so used to reading fairy tales that have been tailored to suit the average modern child, so some of these had me taken aback. An example of this would be The Rose Tree. The story had a creepy kind of tone to it from the beginning, but I was very grossed out when I got to the part about the stepmother killing the little girl and feeding her heart and liver to the girl's father. I would have loved to not have read that part, especially since it sort of ruined my appetite. The story did have a good plot, though, because I couldn't predict what would happen next like I usually can.

(The tragic rose tree)

Binnorie was also intense and proved that love triangles never work out too well. The love story was tragic, and the sister killing her younger sister was kind of to be expected in a story such as this. What I didn't expect, though, was the harpist making a harp out of her breast-bone and hair. There was a certain tragic charm to the harp singing about her death and everything, but I wish that could have been altered in some way. I guess I just don't do well with gruesome tales. The more lighthearted ones, however, I enjoyed very much.

Reading Diary B: Canterbury Tales

The second half of the Canterbury Tales unit. This has turned out to be one of my favorite units this semester! It's really great that there is such a variety within the unit itself. No two stories are really alike, and together they make the unit very well-rounded.

One of my favorites from the second half of the unit was Little Hugh. The story was a tragic one and left me feeling a little down, but I'm really glad I read it. The boy in this tale reminded me of the little boy in "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." In both stories, the boys are innocent and pure, yet they both meet such tragic ends. It was interesting to see just how anti-Semetic the tale really was. I have never really read anything very anti-Semetic, so this was a fascinating glimpse into that world. I think that's also why the story sort of reminded me of a Holocaust story.

(Little Hugh)

Another tale that I enjoyed reading was The Priest Who Learned to be a Philosopher. Scam artists have existed much longer than I ever realized, and their skill was highly honed even back then. Nowadays, with all of the advances in science and education, this kind of trickery would most likely not work, but for that age it was extremely clever! It took me a while to get used to the antagonist being referred to as a "canon" because I'm so used to that word having a different meaning. That kind of made me pause every time I came across it for about the first half of the story. Other than that, I thought the reading was very easy and entertaining.

Reading Diary A: Canterbury Tales

This week, I decided to go with the classic Canterbury Tales. I had always wanted to read them, but since I always have at least ten books on my bedside table, reading the tales was always pushed back. I really liked reading the tales in this format because I understood everything clearly and didn't get caught up on old vocabulary or language. I also thought the length of the tales was just right.

(Arviragus and Aurelius)

One of my favorite stories was The Promise of Dorigen. That was such a marvelous tale! It was so full of twists and turns and was told beautifully. I really admire the love of the fair lady and her knights. People always refer to weddings as "fairy tale" weddings and refer to true love in similar terms, and it totally makes sense after reading a tale like this. The character development was what really sucked me in. I felt so sad for the squire because of his unrequited love, but I also felt really sad for the damsel because I'm in a long distance relationship right now and know what it's like to really miss your significant other. I also really liked how honesty and justice prevailed and everything ended on a fair note. I just hoped that there would be some footnote at the end saying that Arelius had found true love, but sadly that was not the case. I also liked that the story was long enough to support such character development and plot twists. Depth of this kind would not have been possible had this tale been told on a single page.

Reading Diary A: Tejas Stories

For this week's unit, I chose Tejas Stories. Texas has a rich history, and I knew that the mythology associated with it would help me appreciate the history of the state even more. I also liked that different stories came from other regions but became part of the mythology associated with the state and particularly the Caddo Indians.

I really enjoyed reading Why the Woodpecker Pecks. I've always been a little puzzled as to why the woodpecker has to constantly be pecking away at something, so reading this was an entertaining answer to my question. The story itself is quite sad. Something bad always happens when you don't listen to the medicine men. Those poor woodpeckers seem like they will never find their hidden children! What if one day all of the woodpeckers just stopped wood pecking? That would be creepy. That could mean that they finally found their children.

(Woodpeckers)

Another story I really liked was The Cloud That Was Lost. I really loved how the setting was described in this tale. The description of the rich nature was lovely to read. The way the lost cloud was described as a puppy at one point was just adorable! I was sad that it was lost, but thought it was a very creative way to show how the white flowers got their colors. I wish there would have been a way for both the cloud and the flowers to get what they wanted, but at least now the flowers look much prettier and brighter.

Reading Diary B: Pacific Northwest

The second half of the reading of the Pacific Northwest unit had some stories that I was excited about reading because the locations in the titles and stories themselves are locations that I've visited! It was really cool to read about a place and its history knowing that I had been there and seen the settings with my own eyes.

One story I particularly enjoyed was The Memaloose Islands. From the additional article at the beginning of the story, I realized that I had passed the island on a kayaking trip last summer! I didn't see any Indian burial tombs, but I wasn't really paying attention. It was just such a neat connection! I think the story is a fascinating one. I'm a sucker for love stories, so of course this one was a really enjoyable read. I was saddened by the fact that the chief died in the beginning, but it was sweet that the maiden and her lover got to be together for one more night. It was also unfortunate that the maiden was impatient when it came to the supernatural baby. That part kind of reminded me of Pandora's box. Seeing these kinds of connections across tales from different cultures is always so fun to me.

Another story that I was particularly interested in was Falls of the Willamette. My boyfriend's alma mater is in the Willamette Valley, so of course the title jumped out at me. The story itself was very interesting. I love that natural geographical elements in this area have been attributed to the work of Tallapus. In my opinion, he could have built his fire and just ignored the full trap. I understand, though, that that's not usually how myths work, which in turn makes them more interesting and amusing to read.

(Leaping salmon at Willamette Falls)

Reading Diary A: Pacific Northwest

I chose the Pacific Northwest unit because I will be spending my Spring Break up in Oregon, and I'm so glad that I did! Right away, I knew I had made the right decision. I like the format of the stories, and they all are so entertaining!

One of my favorites is actually three tales in one: Three Coyote Stories. I was amused by the relationship of Coyote and Silver-Fox in the first story, because it reflected the dynamic of the two in the creation story at the beginning of this unit. For the second story in the Coyote series, I really liked the twists and turns of the story. It seemed throughout the tale that coyote wouldn't actually be the most cunning, but at the end, the coyote got something out of the deal after all! The third story about Coyote's death was just tragic. All he wanted to do was travel the world! I understand that he was somewhat of a controversial figure, but he wasn't all bad. I thought the Star could have at least warned him. I guess at least it wasn't a boring death...

(Coyote)

I thought it was interesting that there are so many different creation stories in this unit! I enjoyed reading each one to see how they differed.

I have always had a fascination with totem poles, so reading The First Totem Pole was really neat! I have to admit, the story was a little complicated, and I really had to focus throughout the whole thing in order to remember all of the details, but I loved how intricate the tale was!

Reading Diary A: African Stories (Lang)

This week, I chose African Stories from Lang's Fairy Books. This unit is comprised of longer stories from Africa. I like that the stories were easy to read and were a little longer. Length isn't an issue when the writing is easy to read.

One thing I noticed was that the jackal was used throughout the unit. The jackal was the trickster, which kind of made me think of Loki. In Jackal and Spring, the jackal was the one that didn't want to work for the water and tried tricking animals into letting him drink from the well that they worked so hard to dig. I liked that the antagonist was so clever, because it made the story more interesting than stories where the bad guy is just dumb and easy to beat.

Another story that used the jackal was Adventures of a Jackal. This story was longer and more intricate than the previous one, which made it more detailed, I thought. I got confused on some of the details throughout the story, but overall I really enjoyed the plot. I didn't really understand why the hedgehog betrayed the jackal in the end. I also thought it was sad that the panther didn't get the happy ending he deserved and that the shepherd got it instead. I guess what matters in the end is that the jackal got what he deserved.

(Jackal)

I like how animals are the primary characters in this unit, and I look forward to reading the second half of this unit. I'm especially excited about any story involving monkeys.

Reading Diary B: Chinese Fairy Tales

The second half of the Chinese Fairy Tales unit was just as good as the first. I like that the stories aren't too long and that each one is different from the last in at least one major way. Some of the units with longer stories got to be a little burdensome towards the end of their respective unit, but with these stories, I'm entertained and don't get overwhelmed by the amount of material.

For some reason, the stories with the tiny characters in them are my favorite. The last story in the first half of the unit and the first story in the second half of the unit both have tiny people in them, and I think that's just precious. It reminds me of Gulliver's Travels. In particular, I like the plot for The Little Hunting Dog. The scholar being protected from the pesky insects by a super tiny dog is just so cute! I really like that the little army rode around and killed so many of the bugs for him and then also left behind a dog to protect him. Reading that story made me smile and say "aww" more than I could count.

Some of the stories didn't really make sense to me. For example, in The Talking Silver Foxes, the talking foxes are the antagonists, yet in the beginning they aren't portrayed as such. The story starts out on something completely different, namely what the villagers did when their children were sick. It was only after that part that the story about the foxes really started. I thought the story could have been better had the author either taken out some of the story or separated it into two different tales.

(Bay of Kiau Chau)

Reading Diary A: Chinese Fairy Tales

For this week's reading, I decided to do Chinese Fairy Tales. I was excited about doing this unit because it's one that I had initially expressed an interest in when looking around the UN-Textbook. The unit so far has not disappointed!

One thing I noticed that was kind of funny to me are the similarities of some stories to the stories in Grimm's Fairy Tales. For example, the tale of The Panther is very similar in some aspects to Little Red Riding Hood. The main difference in antagonists is that one is a wolf and one is a panther, but overall the story lines are quite similar. I thought it was particularly gruesome how the panther started combing the mothers hair and then gradually pulled the skin off of her scalp to eat it. I'm not much into gore, and that kind of touched my gore threshold.

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck was a tale that I had mixed feelings about. Firstly, how weird is it that the beggar has dragons going into his ears and coming out of his nostrils? That's an odd way to show that someone is lucky. To each their own, I guess. I thought the time that the beggar was gone from his wife was just awful. The poor woman had to live without her husband for 18 years! That broke my heart. I also didn't like that he tested her after he became emperor. She gave up everything to be with him, so I thought that was enough to prove her love. Characters in these stories can just be so distrustful sometimes.

(Lucky Twin Dragons)

Overall, I've enjoyed this unit so far. I can't wait to see what other legends I will get to read about tomorrow.

Reading Diary B: Twenty-Two Goblins

By the second half of the Twenty-Two Goblins unit, I was thoroughly annoyed with the fact that the goblin would magically go back to the tree upon which it was discovered after the king answered his riddles. I started feeling sorry for the king because of how much he had to walk in one night. I also admired the king for his patience and perseverance.

Some of the actions of the characters in the story I just did not understand. For example, in The General's Wife, the general burns himself alive because the king died from being love sick over the general's wife. Didn't the general offer his wife to the king? Why should the general die because the king wouldn't take his wife? It is explained that servants must protect the lives of their masters, but I didn't see how the general killing himself was him protecting his superior. I liked that the king explained his reasoning to the goblin, though, because it helped me understand what was going on in this particular story.

I really liked the story of The Four Brothers, namely for this quote: "No matter how carefully won and guarded, three things are fickle and bring sorrow at the last: evil friendships, a flirt, and money." That's such a great thought! I have liked all of the little bits of wisdom scattered throughout these stories. Although some points are harder to understand than others, I appreciate the lessons that the reader can learn from this unit.

(The Four Brothers)

Reading Diary A: Twenty-Two Goblins

The unit I chose for this week was Twenty-Two Goblins. I chose this unit because I'd never heard of these tales before, and I liked that every story had a riddle in it. The author did a great job in terms of character development throughout the stories.

I liked how the king was introduced in the Introduction, how he was described as a very impressive man that was both noble and kind. I also really liked how the payment was placed in the fruit brought by the monk. That must have made for mountains of jewels when all of the fruit was broken apart! I thought it was interesting how the goblin was introduced. The introduction to this character was very dark, and it's not the sort of introduction I'm used to reading about in stories. Reading about a hanging body that was possessed by a goblin was a little bit unsettling, but I thought it was just sinister enough to be intriguing yet not sinister enough to be horrifying.

(The King and the Goblin)

While reading every story, I couldn't help but be anxious to get to the end just to see how the king would respond to each riddle. In The Three Lovers, his answer surprised me because of how he analyzed it. I honestly didn't even know how to begin to answer such a riddle, especially under the threat of death, but his answer made sense within the context of the story and the culture that these stories came from. Reading the king's answers and thinking about them made the stories even cooler for me.

Reading Diary B: The Voyages of Sindbad

The second part of The Voyages of Sindbad was even more incredible than the first! It started to frustrate me, though, how Sindbad would go on voyages still even though he knew that something bad would happen since it always did. I guess that's just the overly cautious side of me talking. My adventurous side thought all that he did was pretty great.

Fifth Voyage was a very interesting tale because there was so much going on. I was frustrated with the crew in the beginning when they stumbled upon a roc's egg and wanted to destroy it. The rocs had every right to throw those large rocks at the ship afterward, I thought. They were just protecting their young. The old man frustrated me with how he just would not let go. How did he survive when he wasn't being carried by someone? Sindbad's way of getting rid of the old man was brilliant. I thought it was kind of cute that Sindbad always got home safely and always had more treasure than he could carry.

(Old Man)

Sindbad's Seventh and Last Voyage offered a good ending to the tales of his voyages. Initially, I was annoyed with the Caliph because Sindbad wished to just live out the rest of his life quietly in Bagdad. The Caliph must have had many people he could have sent on this voyage, but then it wouldn't turn out to be as amazing of a voyage as it was. I also wondered how Sindbad made it there safely since it was so close to the place where all ships are destroyed. The part with the elephants was interesting to read. I especially liked how they took him to the graveyard of elephants and that stopped the poaching for a while.

Reading Diary A: The Voyages of Sindbad

I chose this unit because I had heard about these tales often growing up but never got to read them. I'm so glad I chose this unit! I love tales involving lots of adventure, so this was the perfect pick for me. The Voyages of Sindbad are the incredible tales of the merchant Sindbad and all that he sees and experiences.

I loved how the setting and character were introduced in First Voyage. The story provided vivid imagery but didn't overdo it. I also enjoyed learning about the back story of Sindbad because it allowed me to connect more deeply with the character. The part about the island being a giant sleeping whale was so entertaining to me! I love how imaginative the story was from the very beginning. That was something that really pulled me in and made me want to continue reading.

(Sindbad, Illustration by Dulac)

The second voyage of Sindbad was even more incredible than the first, which was pleasantly surprising. In Second Voyage (cont'd), Sindbad explains how he escaped from the valley of the snakes. I again marveled at the imagination of the author because I wouldn't be able to think up something so incredible. Tying himself to a piece of meat so that eagles could get him out of the valley was so clever! Sindbad's ingenuity is inspiring. These stories focus on thinking outside the box, which is something I appreciate because I like seeing how different people solve problems. These tales, although crazy and tell of Sindbad being in danger, are nice because all of the people he interacts with end up treating him well, and he is kind to them in return. That aspect of the tales makes them heartwarming to read. 

(Valley of Diamonds)

Reading Diary B: Women Saints of the Golden Legend

The second set of women saints in this unit had even more incredible stories than the first set, it seemed. My favorite from this unit would have to be Saint Martha. Her story involves a dragon, which automatically makes it really intense. It states that she directly interacted with Jesus, which I think makes her the only woman saint to do so in this unit. This, in turn, adds a slightly different air to her tale. I've never seen Da Vinci Code, but want to after reading this story in order to see how her legend was used.

(Saint Martha slaying the dragon)

Another legend that I particularly enjoyed was the one of Saint Barbara. Her story is similar to one in the first half of the unit, but this story involves her helping in the building of her tower, which I thought was interesting. She seemed to lead a very busy life with how much she was doing for the people, namely purifying water to cleanse the masses. One detail I really liked was when she explained the purpose for having three windows instead of two. That small detail changed the course of her life, and I thought it was intriguing that something so insignificant could lead to so many life-altering changes in her life. The ending of this story was also neat, with her father being burned to ash by a flame sent down from Heaven and all. Overall, this story could rival modern action movies with how much took place in one little legend.

(Saint Barbara overseeing tower building)

Reading Diary A: Women Saints of the Golden Legend

This unit was interesting and challenging at the same time. The word usage was the most difficult aspect to grasp, but after the first two stories, the reading became much easier. There were some words in the stories that aren't used anymore, which I thought added a unique touch to each tale. For example, the word "impetre" in the legend Saint Mary of Egypt means to seek or beseech, and that is one word that I had never heard before. This unit definitely provides a learning experience.

In terms of favorite legends, basically the more outrageous the legend was, the more I enjoyed it. One of my favorites was Saint Margaret. In one version of the legend about her, she gets swallowed by a dragon but escapes by making the symbol of the cross. I thought that was the perfect material for a legend and made the saint seem even more legit.

(Saint Margaret)

Another legend I really enjoyed reading was the legend of Saint Christine. The amount of suffering that Saint Christine went through in the legend is incredible. As if having to the hatred of her loved ones wasn't enough, they were also trying to torture and kill her. Yet through all of her trials, she didn't give up her beliefs and stayed strong until the very end. This tale of perseverance through hardship is immensely inspiring. If Saint Christine could be beaten, set on fire, and strung with serpents, then I can suffer through my homework and workout regimen. 

(Saint Christine)

Reading Diary B: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

The second half of Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche is much darker than the first. I preferred reading the second half over the first, though, because the story showed the downsides and dangers of love instead of just the blind obsession with it. In this half of the story, love was the driving force and motivator for both Cupid and Psyche.

In this part, I really enjoyed Psyche's interactions with all of the different characters. It struck me as interesting that the gods wouldn't help her, but the most insignificant things would. This became apparent in Venus and Psyche and continued on through The Third Task. I liked that not only insects helped her, but plants too. The second task involving the aide of the reed struck me as incredibly sweet.

I was rooting for Cupid and Psyche the whole time, but Psyche frustrated me again when she gave in to her urges and peaked at what Persephone had given to her to take to Venus in The Sleep of the Dead. The whole time I was thinking that she had surely learned her lesson, but alas, she was still careless.

I found the ending of Cupid and Psyche's story delightful in that it actually ended happily! In The Wedding Feast, Cupid and Psyche have finally gotten the chance to be together and have now officially been married.  So many mythological tales end on a bad note. Examples of this are: Atlas having to hold up the world for all eternity and Prometheus having to endure an eagle eating his liver and then having it re-grow every single day until the end of time. One of the reasons why this is now one of my favorite stories is because it has a happy ending.

(Cupid and Psyche's Wedding)