Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales, Part A

For the first part of this reading, I decided to try something new and listened to it via the LibraVox audiobooks. This added an interesting new element to the stories themselves--each story was read by a different person, all with many different accents and different ways of reading. It's cool that audiobooks are an option for this class--definitely something to keep in mind in the future.

I chose another Japanese reading because I enjoyed the Japanese Mythology so much. The old Japanese backdrop adds something interesting to what would otherwise be standard fairy tales.

My favorite was the story of The Cat's Elopement--reading or listening, it's a very relaxing and sweet story. One my favorite series in my middle school days was the Warrior cats series, so I may have a soft spot for feline main characters. Still, the imagery in The Cat's Elopement was so wholesome and comforting that I think I have to recommend it anyway. If you're reading this, and you feel stressed, try putting on the audiobook of this eight (or so) minute story and listening as you fall asleep.

The other stories had a similar tone--lighthearted enough to be children's stories, not dark enough to be something out of the Grimm Brothers' stories (which is fine with me). The Two Frogs was a unique story about a simple mistake with a big impact. The Envious Neighbor and The Sparrow with the Split Tongue were both classic tales that put Nice and Good protagonists against Mean and Bad antagonists who ultimately got what they deserved. What kept them interesting was the magical elements--a dog with a nose for gold and who can magically help its owners from beyond the grave, and a sparrow who transforms into a princess. The Nice and Good protagonists, of course, were rewarded for their goodness by these very magical elements.

I look forward to reading tomorrow's section, too.

Source:
Andrew Lang's Japanese Fairy Tales

Image:
"My favourite! Sparrow flavoured peanuts" by John Haslam