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Reading Notes : Congo, Part A

I was really suprised by how gruesome some of the stories from the Congo were. I found that most of them involved the relationship between a husband and wife, but always with a male at the center of it and making the big decisions. These people are not very affectionate; there were so many instances of brutal murder over petty things. This made the whole thing quite interesting to read (but only if you have a strong stomach!)

Things I really noted were how some characters were born special. They were born with a fetish or a charm that protected them, even brought them back to life! Also, justice is not black and white. In these stories, what is fair or not is a spectrum. For example, someone may have had a pitiful birth, gotten wealth from a spirit, but if he was ungrateful and deceitful, he would lose it again. The reader is left a bit ambiguous who the protagonist is. Often times, it is simply a storytelling of different characters, where the plot is more interesting than the actors.

Because plot is the maind driving force, the characters were often more one dimensional. The writing style was a bit more harsh and straightforward that I usually enjoy. Combined with the brutiality, it was an experience for sure (not sure if it was good or bad...). I think this type of writing would be hard to reimagine; I love focusing on character and the motivation behind their different actions, and the Congo stories had characters acting rashly and often out of anger.

This has been a fun adventure so far! Kind of like watching a sort of scary movie you're not super enjoying but already committed to finish.

Congo Rainforest. Ensia



R.E. Dennett, Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort. 1989. Web Source.

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