2. The Mistress of the House’s Tale did match with my expectations of a tale, in
many ways. The feelings were very strong, both high and low, which made it
clear and easy to understand. It had a magical touch to it with the flying bird
that turned into a man and the sisters who turned into dogs. It changed quickly
and dramatically from happiness to sorrow.
What I found challenging
for me was the structure of the story. I’m so used to regular Hollywood love
stories, regular storytelling – where love wins in the end. The “forbidden love,”
that is some sort of overarching theme in the first tale, is a very classic
theme. But here, everything ends in disappointment and tears. I like how unpredictable
the storytelling is. Even if there is only one page left, one knows that it can
end either way, which I can appreciate a lot. It’s refreshing. I feel like we
all are so used to the “normal” structure of a story nowadays – with a peak, a
problem, and a way to solve the problem.
3. Just like in other tales we have read so far, I feel like the writer doesn’t focus much on the embodiment of the characters in these two tales. Even if we know that both Azraq and Su’ad are extremely beautiful, and that Azraq has wings, we don’t really know many details. Their beauty is almost presented as God-like which creates a distance and a mystery. “Who is the main character?” is a question I don’t usually ask myself in the end of regular stories. I feel like the shortness of tales makes writers focus more on the plot than the characters.
3. Just like in other tales we have read so far, I feel like the writer doesn’t focus much on the embodiment of the characters in these two tales. Even if we know that both Azraq and Su’ad are extremely beautiful, and that Azraq has wings, we don’t really know many details. Their beauty is almost presented as God-like which creates a distance and a mystery. “Who is the main character?” is a question I don’t usually ask myself in the end of regular stories. I feel like the shortness of tales makes writers focus more on the plot than the characters.
4. It teaches me that stories can be
told in a different way but still be a good read. I also think it can teach
readers other lessons. One of them could be how love kept tearing the sisters apart
and in the end it is love that ruins the whole family, when two of them turn
into dogs. What can we learn? Love can be powerful, love can be dangerous.
Marcus, I agree (to an extent) that by not knowing who Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid was leaves too much room for questioning and in a way, takes away from the story. While I was reading these tales, I found it difficult to pronounce the names of the various characters within the story(ies) making my reading choppy and uncomfortable. Although, when I re-read it a second time to refresh my memory before posting on today's blog assignment I skipped over the names that I had a hard time saying and/or replaced them with different names all together, this allowed me to read it fluently and with a little more confidence. So I guess what I'm saying (or rambling on about) is that I agree that knowing who a character such as the mysterious Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid is and/or being able to pronounce the various characters names without slaughtering them is very important to the reading comprehension process. It's hard to make a connection to a story when you feel alienated from it simply because of unknown character and/or mispronounced names.
ReplyDeleteNow with that said, after re-reading this particular story and discussing it with my husband, I have to admit that it is my favorite of the 1001 Night readings we've been assigned thus far.
I agree with both of you-not knowing who Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid really did affect my reading of the story, and not in a positive way. It begs the question "Was he there before and just not given a name? Or does he come into play more later..? Will we discover who he is?" I also felt confused at first when the women turned into dogs and then the man turned into a bird. I think it was because I was not expecting those to happen and I was waiting for more of an explanation on that. Marcus, I do agree with the lesson "Love can be powerful, love can be dangerous" that you had said. I think that all in all, the story I found to be most engaging was Shahrayer and Shahrazad. I was definitely not expecting Shahrayer to cut off both his wife's and Mas'ud's heads. I think why I was not expecting it was because it went from him almost letting a cry out to cutting of their heads in a matter of seconds. It just escalated so quickly.
DeleteMarcus,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with all the points you have made in your post. I also found the structure of The Mistress of The House's Tale to be confusing and a little unexpected. This story showed that the man and woman may not always end up together which is not the expectation of a typical fairytale or love story that I, as a child, would read. I also think that this story can still teach lessons even if the outcome is not always what is expected.
I have to agree with you Marcus, the story being told by Caliph Haroun al-Rashid raises the questions of who is this guy? and why is his story important that its the resolution to the Porter and the three ladies rather than their own story? Feeling alienated to the characters and story itself I feel is normal since we had no introduction to the characters of Bedouin and Su'ad, like we did with the characters like the Mistress and the Porter. It also makes me want to read the next story that connects to "The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies", for it concludes the Porter but raises more questions to the tale we first read, I want to know what happens to Shahrazad and whether or not she dies. It concludes one to just cliff hang another. Pretty annoying.
ReplyDeleteThese stories fit into my expectations because you never know what to expect when it comes to what may take place in the tale. The fact that the two "bitches" are the mistress's sisters that cause the mistress to lose her one love of her life. Just simply because they were jealous and spiteful because their marriages ended with them being used and spent of their money by their husbands. I just love how surprising the stories are. You believe one part is the climax such as her finding her love and possibly getting married like would normally happen in a Hollywood love story. But I have to admit the whole William Shakespeare "star cross lovers" plot twist that occurs makes the story turn out way better than one can expect. Also I agree, the fantasy aspect that was brought about by Azraq, a man with wings does give a more traditional feel of a fairy tale.
The body itself is not mentioned much in the tales unless it is in a sexual manner. In my opinion I feel like only the beauty of women is mainly being exploited. For example in the resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies, the governor making the husband divorce his beautiful wife simply because he wanted this beautiful women. He didn't care about what this beautiful women wanted. Really it just showed the power men had. Women may have their beauty to trick men but that is their only way of getting on top.
Tales teach lessons and don't always have to end with a "they lived happily ever after", I feel like fairy tales have given us that false perception. Love is a very strong motif in these stories also. Whether it is brotherly love, the love of a wife/husband, the love of a sister despite what the beast had done, and lost love. I agree that love is taught, and also that all people have a story.