Skip to main content

Reading Notes, Week 2 - Anthology : Fables


The reading that interested me most this week were The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894). These are all short and quick to the point, unlike many longer storytellings that seem to focus on adjectives and descriptions to support a more uninteresting plot. The thing I like most is that there is always a moral, and the reader can take something away from each fable. Sometime I feel like stories that do not impact the reader in some way are a waste; looking into the future, I want my own storybook to focus on an issue of today played out by characters that simplify the issue in a symbolic and easy to understand way. Instead of focusing on a single event, meaningful dialogue between two characters can reveal much more, like in The Lion and the Statue, which takes place in just a few sentences, but the lesson is still clear. Because these fables are so short, every word of the dialogue is meaningful. Futher, these fables do not use difficult language (unlike some older Roman tales). One thing I always appreciate as a reader is when a writer does not underestimate the skills of understanding of his or her audience. Little background is given, if any, in these fables, but they are written in a way that the reader can quickly grasp the situation based on the dialogue or actions of the characters. They also end on the climax or right after the "driving home" message. One thing that might be difficult to write in the future is having no boundary between human and animal. In these lion fables, the beast and human communicate as equals. Because of this, I find it harder to associate only with the human. The thoughts of the characters are often not discussed, instead their words are truthful to what they want to convey. Again, dailogue plays a huge part in these fables. Based on what I am invisioning for my own project, it would be more impactful with an all animal cast, or at least have them equal with humans. I am looking forward to getting more ideas from readings in the future! 

Image details: Lion and Statue; source: Crane

The Lion and the Statue. Story by Joseph Jacob from The Fables of Aesop (1894). Limericks and illustrations from The Baby's Own Aesop by W. J. Linton and illustrated by Walter Crane (1887). Web Source
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Favorite Place...Practically Perfect In Every Way

    I have been flying all over the world since I was young, much in part because none of my extended family lives in the United States. As I got older, my excursions got further and futher from East/Southeast Asia and began creeping into the riches of Europe, and whan incredible joy it has been. Throughout my time in Italy, Spain, Germany, etc., I kept retuning to the United Kingdom. London is truly one of the most beautiful and energetic cities I have been to. It is rich with history and culture, making Oklahoma pale in comparison. I have always preferred large cities to the mundane country life, and there is nowhere I'd rather enjoy my years than in the United Kingdom.  Image Details: London at Twilight, source: Geograph What better place to feel the pulse of the city than at Piccadilly Circus?  (on one side you can see some amazing architecture, and on the other the large electronic billboards always flashing their lights to the busy patrons be...
5 comments
Read more

Reading Notes : Ovid's Metamorphoses Part B

For Part B of Ovid's Metamorphoses , the stories that interested me most were the ones about Narcissus  and  Pyramus and Thisbe . What attracted me to these in particular was the tragic endings that befell the characters, one out of pure love and one out of vain infatuation. After reading them together, it is hard to not compare the two. In both, I could understand (but not relate) to the intesity of each person's emotions, which ultimately caused everyone's untimely death. Both stories were not afraid to use the extreme end of the dramatic spectrum to describe the depth of feelings. I like this technique; there is no wishy-washiness and the reader is very clear at where each character stands. Part of this is because the characters take out their emotions on their own bodies, and the consequence is clear. When Narcissus cannot embrace his own appearance, he beats his own chest and bruises his marble-like body. Pyramus, after finding Thisbe's bloody scarf, stabs him...
Post a Comment
Read more

Growth Mindset

 Ctrl+Alt+Delete; source: Laura Gibbs At first glance, Dr. Dweck's philosophy on the growth mindset seems to be a no-nonsense way of improving even the most lackluster students. This was my first encounter with the professor, but much of what she said in her TED Talk seemed like common sense. Encouraging children that failure isn't permenant certainly encourages them to make more attempts at a problem. Incorporating this type of participation in the classroom leads to more equality. The problem of favoritism is something I observed a lot in grade school; the brighter children are set apart at an early age and continue distancing themselves from their peers until their intelligence seems exponentially higher.  I don't believe that the growth mindset is as universal as Dr. Dweck explains it, but traits of it can help student excel in specific subjects. I think the strongest tool a student can have is genuine interest in the subject they want to pursue. The growth m...
1 comment
Read more