Skip to main content

Reading Notes : Twenty-Two Goblins, Part B

The conclusion of Twenty-Two Goblins was really satisfying; it turns out the goblin was rooting for the success of the king all along and was testing him to slay the fake monk. This reading followed the same pattern as Part A, stand alone riddles that the king must solve. What I really liked about the ending was that the king did not know the answer to the final riddle, but he stayed silent which showed his character. To this, the goblin found him worthy of the power the rogue monk was trying to get. I like the lesson a lot: knowledge without character, and vice-versa, is weak. The translation is very easy to read and flows seamlessly. The writing style does not take any attention away from what is happening in the plot, which makes it all the more easy to follow and understand. I think this kind of writing is very necessary for a story that largely consists of riddles. The imagery in the ending, describing the monk's ritual, was super creepy and effective. It was also very straightforward which gives the reader a lot of imagiation to fill in the details. This was a good shift in style, from what had largely been plot driven tales to a new image filled scene. It let the reader picture the goriness of the ritual; this was also the largest insight we were given on the monk, and it went along with the whole theme that actions define character. I'm not into the whole skull and blood and ashes kind of rituals, but I actually didn't mind the conclusion chapter. The style and mood change really made it feel like the king was gearing up to take down a final boss of some sort. From previous readings as well, I really prefer this simple type of storytelling that focuses on actions, plot, and the nature of the characters. I envision my own storybook will reflect this writing style.

Illustration of Lord Shiva. source: Wiki 


Vetālapañcaviṃśati (Twenty-Two Goblins). Translated by Arthur Ryder (2000). 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...

Week 11 Story : Guide to Surviving An Asian Father-in-law

In a house on the other side of the world, there lived a very beautiful girl. She took may suitors as husbands, but one by one they perished by the tricks of her father. Her father was very cruel and possessive of her beauty, not believing any man was good enough for her. At last, only one husband remained. His features were light in comparison to her midnight black hair and dark chestnut eyes, but she was determined to help him survive the tests of her father. One evening, the father invited the husband over to his house for dinner, expecting to rid himself of his son-in-law once and for all. "You must absolutely not wear your shoes inside his house." the wife warned. "Although the ground looks calm, you will burn up if your shoes touch the carpet." When the son arrived, he followed the father inside. "There is no need for you to remove your shoes here, I will take no disrespect." the father urged. But the son, aware of his tricks, vehemently insist...

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...