1) I think the only confusion I had from the text was the changing of protagonists and the shifting of stories..which also blend together. I have only read a few novels (even though this is a tale) that have a few stories within one overarching story.
2) The Mistress of the House's Tale matches up with the broad definition of a tale that we had discussed in class the other day. It is short, the action comes fast, and it concludes quickly. There is no great depth to the characters other than brief explanations so the undeveloped character also alludes to this story being a tale. The only difference one may have in the argument of it not being a tale is the fact that it does not end on a happily ever after situation that we are all used to.
3) The body plays a large role in the tale, more specifically physical love. The story uses words such as "passion" and something along the lines of "love of my life" which also tells the readers that another aspect of the body that can be seen in the text is the heart for the mistress of the house. The characters and where they live are beautiful; their land is beautiful, the mistress and Azraq Blue are defined as beautiful and they are of great wealth and live very comfortably so when the story comes to conclusion we are left taken aback that something that was going so greatly ended so negatively.
4) Something that may be taken away from this story could be something as simple as making sure that you hold on to what is dear. In this case, love. Also, do not become complacent with something or someone even though you believe that it/he/she is always going to be a part of your life because something as simple as a feather can ruin everything that you held of value. -Pat Seiberg
1. In regards to the the tales, I definitely agree. There are various characters, and perspectives switching throughout the tales, but I think that adds a level of intrigue that isn't common in modern literature.
ReplyDelete2. I couldn't agree more. However, I found this tale to be quite endearing, and at the same time a bit of a moral lesson as well. One of the key things I saw was the mistress having trust issues with Azraq, as he eventually turns the mistresses two sisters into dogs. The imagery that was used in this tale was great, even though it moves at a fast pace.
3. For the body, one of the main body parts describes in the mistress tales is towards the end, when Azraq vanishes and she is left with a feather. She's described as holding the feather--lightly near here breast, signifying that she holds Azraq dear to her heart. The breast plays a significant role in the end of this novel, I think, in showing that loves is dualistic, and not everything turns out the way as imagined.
4. I agree, but I also would like to add that just because you love someone, doesn't mean you can necessarily trust them. In this tale, I found it very prevalent with Azraq's actions that he seemed more inclined for his own self-interest, rather than that of the mistress. The bittersweet ending, I think, is to give the reader the idea that love is fleeting, and even though you may think your in love, you can be hurt just as easily--which relates back to the mistress holding the feather by her bedside, isolated and deprived love.