Wonderland

I must confess that as a child this was my least favorite Disney movie. I'm not sure if it was my mom's dislike that influenced my own, or really my own. But while reading this book for the first time, I realized it was because the Disney version is crap, and the books is amazing! I think my favorite parts were the 'mixed up' poems that she recites.

How doth the little crocodile...

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!


How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

As opposed to:

How doth the little busy bee...

How doth the little busy Bee
Improve each shining Hour,
And gather Honey all the day
From every opening Flower!


How skilfully she builds her Cell!
How neat she spreads the Wax!
And labours hard to store it well
With the sweet Food she makes.


In Works of Labour or of Skill
I would be busy too:
For Satan finds some Mischief still
For idle Hands to do.


In Books, or Work, or healthful Play
Let my first Years be past,
That I may give for every Day
Some good Account at last.

I really enjoy how he takes a didactic tale about working hard and changes it into nonsense.

You are old Father William...

'You are old, Father William', the young man said,
'And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
Do you think, at your age, it is right?'

'In my youth', Father William replied to his son,
'I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.'

'You are old', said the youth, 'as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --
Pray, what is the reason of that?'

'In my youth', said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
'I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box -
Allow me to sell you a couple?'

'You are old', said the youth, 'and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak -
Pray, how did you manage to do it?'

'In my youth', said his father, 'I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.'

'You are old', said the youth, 'one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -
What made you so awfully clever?'

'I have answered three questions, and that is enough,'
Said his father, 'don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!'

Shockingly I couldn't find the poem this was parodying. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just that my google didn't find it. This is a really interesting concept for me, that Carroll was parodying something when he had nothing to parody.

Tis the voice of the Lobster... from Alice

'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare
"You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.

When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark;
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.

I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye,
How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie:
The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat,
While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat.

When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon,
Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon;
While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl,
And concluded the banquet by ---

Tis the voice of the sluggard...

’Tis the voice of the Sluggard: I heard him complain,
‘You have waked me too soon! I must slumber again!’
As the door on its hinges, so he on his bead
Turns his sides, and his shoulders, and his heavy head.

‘A little more sleep, and a little more slumber!’
Thus he wastes half his days and his hours without number;
And when he gets up he sits folding his hands,
Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands.

I passed by his garden, and saw the wild brier,
The thorn, and the thistle grow broader and higher:
The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags;
And his money still wastes, till he starves or he begs.

I made him a visit, still hoping to find
He had took better care for improving his mind:
He told me his dreams, talk’d of eating and drinking;
But he scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking.

Said I then to my heart, ‘Here’s a lesson for me!
That man’s but a picture of what I might be;
But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding,
Who have taught me by times to love working and reading!’

This one is funny because The Sluggard is a christian song that he changed into a lobster tale.

My Moral

If beauty is what's treasured most,

And those who have it never cease to boast.

Then where is wit and intellect?

Does this grace have to effect?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Fairy in this tale didn't understand

What Cinderella should have known was the master plan.

What good is royalty to you

If you have the brains of an ewe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beauty is the most essential

Does this have marriage potential?

And what is grace if you have no words?

A lame and tasteless curd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It does seem instead that beauty is the benefit,

Certainly not brains or wit.

As Cinderella should have known,

Her life will certainly be blown,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If all she cares about are outward things,

And shiny, shiny, shiny bling.

You certainly do not need help,

If these things are forever felt.

My book and heart review

When I first left the theater after viewing this movie, I must admit that I was disappointed. I didn't feel like I learned anything at all, and I was frustrated by the fact that we had already discussed all of the main points. What I didn't realize, until after we discussed it is class, was that there was not fault in the movie, but within myself. I was blinded by my aforementioned feelings and didn't take the time to realize how great the film really was. Although we had learned the information, the presentation of it was much different. Through narration, pictures, and props, the creators got their point across in a way that was fascinating and visually stimulating. This film was funny, serious and educational all at the same time, which is rare. The beauty of the words and pictures helped to show the viewers not only the importance of the little forgotten books, but the importance of reading. When you read you are taken to a magical place all your own, for no two people read the same story the same. The first book that I remember reading over and over again is 'Quest For a Maid' by Frances Mary Hendry. It's about a little girl named Meg, whose sister Inge is a witch. One dark and stormy night she sneaks into her sister's store-room and watches her kill a king with her powers. Inge leaves the next day to become a lady in waiting, and Meg struggles with all that she had seen and heard. The tale is exciting, beautifully written and sad but it has and always will be my favorite. Even now, 15 years later, I still read it every year. I have given tons as gifts and still talk about it to anyone who will listen. The film reminded me of how truly magical it is to read your favorite book for the first time. No matter how many times you read it, inspite of all the new information that you get from it each time, you can never have that first time back. It reminded me to treasure books because you never know when you will read your next favorite book for the first time.

STUDY GUIDE

you need to know:

• Little Mermaid
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Cinderella
• Hansel and Gretel
• Beauty and the Beast
• Sleeping Beauty
• Snow White
• Rupunzel
• East of the Sun, West of the Moon
• The Juniper Tree

+commentary by Tartar

+ look at different versions of the stories

+Displaced FT's too

+ Humpty Dumpty/ Alice in Wonderland/ Jabberwoky/ portmanteau

QUESTIONS:

1. Who is the archetypal lady named in Finnegan's Wake that we discussed in class? OR more specifically the portmanteau- multilevel word A- Prank Quean
2. What is the privaleged number in FT's? A- 3
3. What is misplaced concreteness? A- Rupunzel- whether someone's hair can hold a human's weight- fallacy
4. According to the index (Arney Thompson) what is the fairy tale for 333? A- 333
5. How does the collective unconscious show its self in FTs? A- archetypes
6. What is the following quote from and who says it: "If you're really crafty you'll get them both"? A- the wold in Little Red to himself
7. 3 parts of universal quest according to Joseph Cambell A- 1) separation, 2) initiation, and 3) return
8. 3 parts of the triple goddess A- 1) mother, 2) crone, and 3) triple goddess
9. Why is there no such thing as an original? A- all lit is displaced myth
10. What do you recognize in someone when you bow to them? A- the divine
11. "I'm not history, I'm ___________!" said the genie in Aladdin. A- mythology
12. Cinderella's differences between Perault and Grimm? A- ash girl in Grimm version
13. Hans my Hedgehog, Beauty and the Beast, and East of the Sun are all _________ motifs. A- search for missing husband/ beast group
14. Which doesn't involve parents struggling to concieve? A- Bluebeard
15. Archetypal mythological mother/ daughter duo. A- Persephane and Demeter
16. Write a haiku about one of our chosen stories. hints: 3 lines (5, 7, 5 sylables); usually about nature, outdoors; declarations of images from story
17. What is the significance of blue in bluebeard's beard? A- otherworldlyness, fear... D- all of the above
18. What causes the transformation in Beauty and the Beast? A- love
19. Archetype of talking animal? A- Lucius from the Golden Ass
20. Why did cupid wake up when Psyche was looking at him? A- oil from the lamp landed on his shoulder
21. What is this: 'sisty ugler'? A- Spoonerism
22. Which Romantic poet thought that man knew everything at one time and then forgot? A- William Wordsworth from the Ode to Imitations
23. What mythical story did Beauty and the Beast come from? A- Cupid and Psyche
24. Bluebeard and genders: character flaws of sexes- an inquisitive women is worse than a murdering man
25. In which Grimm fairy tale is the 'witch' a character? A- Hansel and Gretel
26. Which author wanted to marry Little Red? A- Charles Dickens
27. What phrase clues you in that you are reading a fairy tale? A- once upon a time... and long long ago...
28. Who was Cinderella's mother in the Celtic version? A- Ewe

My Favorite Fairy Tale

My favorite fairy tale would have to be Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault. Although the beginning is horrifying because of an almost case of incest, it redeems itself in the end. I have always loved to imagine her dresses at the end, one the color of the sky, one the color of the moon, and one more splendid than the star of night. They are of unimaginable beauty especially to a young me. To imagine the color is not the hard part, but to imagine making fabric that color is intense. I do so enjoy the stark irony too that the dresses that the godmother suggests to spare herself from her father are the same that in the end help her get her man. I also loved that she was a great baker, because although I cannot cook at all, I love to eat.

Fairy Tales

I have loved reading fairy tales since I was a little girl. Although now that I'm older, and I realize the horrid stereotypes and disgusting expectations that they put forth for the young, I still find solace in the familiar words. But more than reading them to myself, I love to hear them read. It is a magical experience that I force upon any half-willing victim. From family to friends most people that have been around me have sat on my feet and read me a fairy tale or two. I'm not exactly what it is about these stories that make them more dear than the everyday story, but it is so.

Wednesday, September 17

is for giant.

'Brothers and Beasts' by Maria Tatar, men on fts

Iron John by Robert Bly

we are missing mythology (tradition) in our world today

E.M. Forester: 'only connect' works for literature

Brontes: Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are both fts, dd they know?

do you really want to read stuff innoceintly? Or would you rather understand? I would rather understand.

If you look carefully at the Bozo Chronicle you find very interesting stories like 'man reading' by Dr. Sexson

woman with the longest legs and the littlest man

'Fairy tales are hiding in everything we do' ~Dr. Sexson

William Irwin Thompson

"To see the world in a grain of sand" ~William Blake

"not just history, but herstory" ~Dr. Sexson

hysterical

"Why are we talking about this in children's lit? The answer is: I don't know." ~Dr. Sexson

the amber mosquito

Dante: When someone asked him to defend what he did (the Divine Comedy, etc) lost that moved the sun and the other comets

4 levels to Dantes:

1. literal
2. structural- patterns (connections)
3. anthropological
4. cosmological

Genie: 'I'm outta here. Wait a minute, I'm not history, I'm mythology'

witch

magician

Juniper Tree/ Rapunzel: to crave for something that you can't have

in FT's men are stupid and women know everything...

Cinderella:

• The White Goddess by Robert Graves

3 part goddess:

1. mother


2. maiden


3. crone

• Terms of Endearment (Jeff Daniels is Hades)
• this is what all men fear
• when asked what to read to children, Sexson says 'give em the Grimm stuff'

FOOD in stories- women associated w/ women and medicine:

• Demeter: grain
• Persephone
• Pan's Labyrinth

not just agricultural, but gatherings too

Pairs:

• man and woman
• adolesent woman and prince
• twins
• mother and maiden
• maiden and crone

The one becoming two

stable vs unstable relationships: mother and father -> Rapunzel and prince

men have always been stupid: Trifles

POWER between mother and daughter

"First thing, we kill all the lawyers" ~Shakespeare, but actually he kills the English teachers first

Jurassic Park is the perfect place- asexual, filled with mothers and daughters, Rapunzel plant is the same. Although this is a stable society, it's boring, but when men enter it brings uncertainty and unpredictability and the women then have to recreate stability