Skip to main content

Reading Notes : Ovid's Metamorphoses, Part A

Ovid's Metamorphoses recounts a number of human transformations, the majority of which resulted because of Jupiter's infidelity. But the one that left the greatest impression on me was Phaethon and the Sun. I liked the length of it; it was longer and allowed deeper plot and character development. The imagery and dual descriptions also left an impression. The writer discussed both extremes that would happen if the son tried to drive the chariot. This made the reader imagine the desctruction even before it played out. I also like how every force of nature was represented by a godly character or beast, like Aurora, the stars, the dragons at the poles. By personifying these forces of nature, they were able to act on a deadly scale when the sun horses ran amuck. The fierce setting was perfect for amazing descriptive imagery; where there was fire in one place, there was ice in another. I enjoyed this story more than others mainly because it did not involve Jupiter raping a woman and it clearly laid out prideful actions followed by devastating consequences. The stubborness of one half-human half-god child affected everyone on the earth and heavens. It made me think that, even though the gods are immortal and almighty, they can do little to stop the actions of foolish humans. As with many Greek myths, I was underwhelmed by the roles of the parents. Parents are often single-minded, while the children are erratic and much more driven by strong emotions as consequence. Another trait I would like to add to my own storybook is making each living thing an actual character that can contribute to the plot. This would include letting trees and rivers have thoughts and being able to communicate with the main protagonist, even as far as the moon, earth, and sun. I have already decided that I want my storybook to have lessons within it, although not as black-and-white as this story. But the imagery and personification is something I will work on incorporating.

Painting: Apollo and Phaethon by Tiepolo. Source: Wiki

The Metamorphoses, Ovid. Translated by Tony Kline. Web source.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Reading Notes : Hans Christian Andersen, Part B

ANOTHER FAVORITE. The Little Mermaid is such a classic, and the original slaps. I guess I am old and beaten down now, but this version is my new favorite. The Disney version will always have a special place in my heart and be a part of my childhood, but his original version is so poetic. It is definitely more my style; it leaves an impression when the heroine doesn't get to live happily ever after, which is okay too! The world Hans Christian Andersen weaves is glorious . I could feel the mermaid's pain, urgency, and suffocating need to love and be loved. This is a story that will never get old, part of it due to how beautifully it is written. One of my favorite parts is when he describes the five older sisters and the things they experienced going to the surface for the first time. The scenes he paints makes me feel like I am experiencing those beautiful landscapes for the first time, too. Often time mermaids are fantasized, and it was interesting seeing it from the other per...

Reading Notes : Heroes, Part A

One thing I really enjoyed so far about this reading is how long the stories are. Instead of individual stories per chapter, each of these takes up about three chapter for one story. I felt like this really helped with character and plot development. Also, unlike the Alaskan stories I read last week, these stories were a bit more realistic, in the sense that they took place (mainly) on earth with real animals and real events in nature. Everyone loves a good hero story, and all of these were untraditional in their own way which made them interesting. One that I particularly liked centered around a bluejay, whose selfish actions were the reason he got sent on a journey to begin with. But upon his return, despite overcoming many obstacles, his life is pretty much the same before. It was interesting how their definition of hero is quite different from those we typically think of. For humans, it means dominating as the top species. For animals, it usually means just surviving.  At ti...

Reading Notes : Hans Christian Andersen, Part A

I was able to revisit some of my favorite stories from my childhood with this reading. The work of Hans Christian Andersen is so iconic and touching even now. It is really different reading these stories as an adult than as a child; what I took literally before is now so symbolic. I hadn't read the story of the little tin soldier in so long, and with it came a flood of memories. One thing I really love about his writings is how visual they are. For kids, it helps immerse them in the world he is trying to make and really experience the story with the character. For adults, there is something kind of sad and wistful about it. His creativity brings the situations to life in a very enjoyable way. One way he does this is through the flow of the story; it read extremely well and is easy to follow. The narrative is super smooth and beautiful to read, which is a big plus. There is nothing 'hard' or difficult to read about it, and it isn't tedious or repetitive either. Every s...