Week 2 Reading Overview

-

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4

Week 3: Bible Women

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6

Week 5: Arabian Nights

Week 6: Turkish Fairy Tales

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9

Week 7: Filipino Popular Tales

Week 9: Folktales of Bengal

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11

Week 10: Apache Tales

Week 11: Myths of the Cherokee

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13

Week 12: Alice in Wonderland 

Week 13: Faerie Queen

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Czech Folktales

Week 15: Italian Popular Tales


*For the master list, please visit the The UnTextbook

Comments:

I grew up on folk tales and fairy tales. I always loved the idea that each story was associated with a moral or deeper meaning of some kind, and that the stories were often narrated by animals. Hearing a story from a the point of view of a lion or a spider (Anansi was one of my favorites when I was little!) always felt like an adventure in of itself. I also used to listen to CDs of classic fairy tales each night until I fell asleep. 

I am very excited, therefore, to dive back into the world of myth and folklore! I am taking a class on South Asia this semester, so I am particularly excited for the Bengali folktales. It's one thing to learn about the history and politics of a place, and a very different one to understand the culture and the tales that resonate with people there. I'm also very excited to read Alice in Wonderland. I danced as Alice in a ballet adaptation of the story, and it is therefore a story that is very close to my heart. I've read bits and pieces of Lewis Carroll's prose over the years, but I can't wait to read through a larger chunk of it in this class. Below is a photo from the production -  I absolutely loved getting to embody the whimsy and curiosity of Alice.


Alice prepares to dance her way through Wonderland. Personal photo.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to a Writer in Tights

-
Image
Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Joni and I am from Rockville, Maryland. I originally came to the University of Oklahoma for the ballet program, pursuing a degree in Ballet Performance. My journey began as a six year-old armed with a lot of energy and small pair of pink ballet slippers. I quickly fell in love with the language of the body and have explored a wide range of styles and movement techniques over the years, including ballet, contemporary, modern, flamenco, and tap. I believe that dancers are the visual storytellers of the world and that there is incredible power in speaking through the body. One of the best parts about being involved in the fine arts department at OU is getting to perform; if you've never ventured to the theatre on the North Oval, I highly recommend seeing a show there! During my sophomore year I decided to tackle a second major in International Studies, concentrating on the Middle East. I have taken an array of interesting courses focusing on
Read more

Week 9 Story: Diamond Tears

-
Image
Long ago, a man named Sribatsa and his beautiful wife Ayana set out on a journey to traverse the lands of the earth. The evil eye had been cast upon Sribatsa due to an unfortunate run in with Saturn, the god of bad luck, and he and his wife had decided to leave their home in search of safe lodgings until the eye turned away. But one day as they were making their way through the woods, a horrible fate befell Ayana.  While Sribatsa and Ayana were crossing a river among the trees, Ayana slipped on a rock and fell into the water. She did not know how to swim, but the waters had mercy and did not drown her; her beauty was too rare and too pure to submerge forever beneath the river's rippling surface. The waters instead gently cradled the water-logged woman and placed her on the shore. A group of nearby sailors observed this incident, and believed the woman had special influence over the river. They were envious of her power to control the waters, and kidnapped Ayana to steal t
Read more