Reading Notes: More English Fairy Tales, Part B

 Week 13 

To finish off this British and Celtic unit, I just continued reading the "English Fairy Tales" by Joseph Jacobs, second edition. I think a story will be created from either one of the stories my last notes had, or this section depending on how different they are! I can't wait to look at the style since Jacobs has a range of different writing styles for these tales. I also find all the characters to be unique and presented really well through out these stories. It would be interesting to draw inspiration from one of the more intense stories as well. 

(Source: Stars in the Sky)

The first story I read was "The Children in the Woods." I immediately thought of Hansel and Gretel. I also wondered before reading it if it would end in a dark twisted way like the originals. The way the story is constructed makes it look like a really long poem (I honestly don't know the exact word for this style of story writing). When I started to read the actual story I quickly realized it had nothing to do with Hansel and Gretel but rather a family affair. It was interesting that the two parents died and the Uncle wanted the wealth that was left for their kids. I do think the idea of him making a promise and breaking it to reap the repercussions was fitting for the evil act he did. He even did it to his own family which made him so coldhearted. I liked the way it was told because it was a pretty dark story. I think it it wasn't told in poem form it would've been very sad, but rather the poem form makes it more interesting. 

I thought the story "The King o' The Cats" was also very fun to read and kind of silly. I liked it because the story unravels all through out. While reading it I was kind of waiting to see what point the lady was trying to make and how the cat tied into it. Towards the end I caught on that the name of the cat is who she was speaking about yet she had no idea. I loved the image the lady's descriptions painted while she was talking about the other cats carrying a coffin and staring at her. The small connections through out the story were also cool because they helped guide the reader into figuring out what's about to happen. 

Wow! I wanted to read this story because it has a very similar title to my own project. The story called "The Stars In The Sky" follows a girls journey to see the stars. I personally really liked it. It followed this riddle that she kind of figured out but also met many different characters on the way. It was interesting she tried so many different ways to see the stars but none of them worked. She even went as far as Good Folk told her to but he did warn her that if she couldn't see it then she would end up somewhere else. I feel as if it just wasn't her time or she wasn't ready to see it. It sounded like something that had to come to her rather than her seeking it. Others experienced it in ways different from her. I found the story to be complex in a way that it unraveled itself in a poetic manner.