Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales, Part B

The Animal's Language: Having the child learn so many skills the teacher could not teach him anymore was a great start to the story. Putting the skill to use repetitively was a good plot.

An Incident in Rome: 'Who is neither saved nor damned.' I was very interested to see what was in the black hole and that is what held my interest in the story.

Crivoliu's Story: The introduction is so shocking I think it takes away from the rest of the plot. I think the author should add more information about the brother and sister.

The Cat and Mouse: I thought this story had an entertaining, cute vibe. The sounds the author used to show the animals singing were very creative.

Feast Day: The scene where the dog and cat help each other get the food was very descriptive and entertaining. I couldn't help wondering what would happen to the animals if they were caught.

Buchettino: The roles between Buchettino and the ogres flipped throughout the plot. First, it seemed the Ogre had outsmarted Buchettino, but towards the end you found out it was actually the other way around.

The Goslings: The ending showed a lesson learned and a happy ending for the gosling family. I thought the metaphor for the wolf being so greedy that he swallowed them whole instead of chewing was clever.

The Cock Who Wanted to Become the Pope: I thought this story was short, but sweet. It was sad that the characters most readers would be rooting for did not get to meet their goals.

Image Information: Proud Cock, Web Source: Flickr

Bibliography: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane, Web Source: Italian Unit

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales, Part A

Zelinda and the Monster: I really enjoyed the relationships in this story. The awful sisters made you appreciate the selfless daughter's actions with her father. The monster's personality had it's ups and downs throughout the story.

The Fair Angiola: The jujubes gave the story a fun side. I thought the foreshadowing of the witch wanting Angiola was well done. Having the inanimate objects be living with the potential to turn the maiden in was a great twist.

How the Devil Married Three Sisters: I thought the third sister bringing the other two out of hell benefited the plot of the story. The writer did a great job of describing every character's feelings throughout the tale.

 Salt and Water: The morals behind this story are not recognized at the beginning, but that's what keeps the reader interested in the plot.

Poor Catherine: I thought making each character have their own fate was a great idea. I think most people would choose to enjoy life in their youth just in case they die young or get sick in their old age.

The Hunter, Snake, and Fox: The word usage in this story was great. 'Hunger does not observe promises' was clever and had a hint of an attitude. Foxes always seem to be helpful in stories.

Image Information: Eastern Fox Snake, Web Source: Flickr

Bibliography: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane, Web Source: Italian Unit

Story Lab: TvTropes

For this week's story lab I chose to explore the TVtropes website. The writer described a trope as, 'a storytelling device or convention, a shortcut for describing situations the storyteller can reasonably assume the audience will recognize.' Comedy and Horror are my favorite genres, so i wanted to look at the tropes found in those stories. Coincidentally, there was a link that included both comedy and horror. The writers pointed out that movies/stories will use comedy in a scary entertainment to break the nervousness with a laugh. I have noticed this in a lot of books I have read. You have to keep the dominant genre more prominent or you risk ruining a scene or the entire story. If you kill of a character in a comedy, then you have to make it a humorous death or it won't make sense with the theme of your show/story. It was interesting to see how writers include tropes in their story and I bet this website could come in handy if you have writer's block!

Image Information: Comedic Horror, Web Source: Max Pixel
Story Lab Web Source: TvTropes

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm, Part B

I really enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with one another in Bearskin. I can tell Bearskin giving the poor man money for his family will be the good turn of the story. When the sister said the wedding will be great because bears dance well made me giggle, but it was a bit confusing because before that they seemed so concerned for their sister's future marriage. I did not think the sisters deserved to die or have their souls taken.

I thought there could have been more details to help with visualizing the story. This would have been really beneficial when the half-human half-hedgehog was born. The story was sad when the father just wanted the son to die even though he wanted a child so badly. There was a comical feeling to the story, especially if you consider this sentence, "Hans the Hedgehog, however, looked after his asses and pigs, and was always merry, and sat on the tree, and played his bagpipes." I am glad Hans the Hedgehog ended up happy in his own body and found love.

Image Information: European Hedgehog, Web Source: Wikimedia
Bibliography: Household Tales by Jacob Grimm Web Source: Brothers Grimm Unit
 

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm, Part A

I'm not sure why  but when the married couple referred to each other as 'husband' and 'wife' I felt like the relationship was less personal, or like it was missing love. The description of the forest was very attention grabbing. Normally, the mother has a more protective relationship with children so it is interesting that the father had more remorse for making the children leave home. I find that the units with just a few stories make it easier to be drawn into the story because the characters remain the same. I thought the duck carrying the two children across the water was an excellent addition to the story I am familiar with.

I was surprised when the father gave up Thumb and did not put up much of a fight. The word usage in this story was very creative. "In this little room the windows are forgotten," said he, "and no sun shines in, neither will a candle be brought," was my favorite line. The parents realizing selling their son was a bad idea was a good ending to a long journey.

Allerleirauh contained a plot twist in the beginning of the story. I would have never guessed that the King would want to marry the daughter. I don't see how he can see this as a solution because the mother would be so upset by this. Including the father and daughter relationship before he thought to marry her would have benefited the story.

Image Information: Allerleirauh by Henry Justice Ford, Web Source: Wikipedia

Bibliography: Household Tales by Jacob Grimm Web Source: Brothers Grimm Unit
 



 

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno, Part A

I remember seeing Dante's Inferno at the beginning of the semester and knowing I had to read that unit eventually. The author did a great job or reeling the reader in through the final sentence in the introductory paragraph. I was surprised to see that their would be a guide through hell, but I think this will make the story very interesting.

The words listed above the gate of hell, shown in the first paragraph, gave me chills. The description of the bugs around the first group of people found was so vivid.

'With eyes of burning coal' is such a strong description. I have heard of limbo before, but the place described in this circle was a bit different. 'A meadow of fresh turf' brings a green field into my head.

I was a bit confused by the second circle. I felt like the third circle could have included more details. I can see the relationship between Dante and his guide growing stronger as the story progresses. Reading about people being stuck under mud unable to breath was really sad.

The images included for Canto 9 did not match the people I was seeing in my head while reading through the unit. Dante's Inferno is a lot different than I imagined so far. I am curious to see what the rest of the tour entails.

Image Information: Dante's Inferno film poster, Web Source: Wikipedia
Bibliography: Dante's Divine Comedy by Tony Kline, Web Source: Dante's Inferno Unit

Reading Notes: Robin Hood, Part B

The Bishop of Hereford: I liked when the author said 'Robin Hood dressed himself in shepherd's attire.' The repetition of 'before the king you shall go' gives the story's plot clarity.

Little John a Begging: The title alone draws my attention because Little John is a scary guy, so I am wondering who could cause him to beg and for what. While reading this story I noticed that I imagine all the characters being bubbly because of the rhyming, but they are actually fighting frequently in the stories.

The Bishop: I enjoyed reading the dialect between the old woman and Robin Hood, especially after she agrees to allow him to stay with her.

The Golden Prize: Robin Hood was able to teach someone a lesson in this story without using violence. I thought that was an interesting turn of events. I was a bit confused because I did not think the priests would get anything from hiding the money, but when he found the money he said each person can take one part.

Maid Marian: I am excited to read this story because this is the first tale based on a female character. I thought Marian was brave and clever to disguise herself and find Robin Hood. This is my favorite story from the unit.

The King: I thought the names of the towns, Fountain-abby and Barnsdale, were creative and gave the story some character. 'Taste of our green-wood cheer' was charming word usage.

The Valiant Knight: Knight Sir William sounds like a familiar character. I liked when the author described the clothing as 'glittering armour bright.'  It was sad reading Robin Hood's death, but the final paragraph was a great ending.

Robin Hood's Death: Including two endings to a series of stories is very unique. I thought this ending was better because Little John was included more, and he was Robin Hood's most loyal companion so he should be.  

Image Information: Movie Poster for the Robin Hood Film in 1922, Web Source: Wikimedia Commons


Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child, Web Source: Robin Hood Unit