Folktales

Reading Folktales (1) was a very interesting experience for me. I noticed how I like having a physical book in my hands rather than reading electronically. When I have the physical book in my hands, I am less distracted by other things I can do on my computer and also I can just focus on the words on the paper.

Regarding the actual folktales, I noticed one thing that most of them had in common, which was the use of animals and other creatures who were characterized with human traits. For example in "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Little Snow White," characters such as wolf and seven dwarfs are used in order to bring the tales to extremities. The circumstances and characters also make the tales very fun to read, which is why I think little kids like tales so much. 

My theory is that little kids have a certain perception of tales, which is a fun transition into reading more dense material. However, tales are also for adults because adults can look deeper into the tale and extract deeper meaning/lessons applicable to every day life.

In terms of embodiment, I noticed that the descriptions of the characters' bodies are more simple in the tales than the characters of the books we have read. There are minimalistic adjectives and less sensory descriptions used. For example in "Repunzel," Repunzel is described with "wonderful long hair, and it was as fine as spun gold" (Grimm) The author did not describe Repunzel's hair in a way that makes a reader feel some type of way or connect the decryption with something they have/have experienced in their life.

Tales are different than novels, clearly, and I do have to admit they are a nice break from analyzing the dramatic novels. However, I like reading novels better for a few reasons. First off, the physical aspect of holding a book in my hands is very comforting to me. Secondly, I love the more dense material that I can interpret and take lots of notes on. I am excited to start My Year of Meats soon!