Reading Notes: Moon Origin Stories, Japanese Divinity, and Fairy Tales

Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747-1822)

I enjoyed reading the range of stories for this assignment. I always take notes the same way, whether typing them into a computer or writing them out. I wrote these first, then transferred them to my blog. In this post, I have decided to share my notes on the two Moon origin stories, the Japanese divinity story, and the fairy tale. After the notes, I've provided an explanation.

Moon Origin Stories
#1
The Man in the Moon
- quickly moving plot
- no substantial paragraphs
- not much context
- not much insight into main character's thoughts or feelings
- man who needs help from others
- lesson to be learned
- writing is not superfluous
- the end is a punishment

#2
The Hare that was not Afraid to Die
- Buddhist
- more context given than other Moon origin story
- larger scale than other story (more characters and action)
- the end is a reward

The Divine
The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi
- important figures or gods
- heroic main character helps the incapable
- brains over physical strength
- greatly rewarded hero
- family ties are important (brother is Sun god)
- lengthy context given before problem depicted

Fairy Tales
Beauty and the Basilisk
- Czech
- many similarities to Beauty and the Beast
- begins "Once upon a time"
- one of the lengthiest stories
- lengthy context given before problem depicted

I chose these four stories because they are greatly different. Even between the two Moon origin stories, there is a lot to compare and contrast, and the length and writing styles are completely different. While taking notes, I often write as little as possible so that I can easily refer back to what I was thinking at the time of reading, or I quote directly from my reading sources. I did not think quoting directly was necessary here, however. Taking notes this way enables me to quickly draw comparisons between several stories at once, and it is easy to spot the differences. There were other similarities to draw between the stories I chose not to share my notes on. Another of the stories I did not mention used "Once upon a time" as an opening, almost every story depicted a lesson or truth, and all of the stories were either of punishment or reward. I preferred the stories that were longer, because I have a hard time relating to characters when their thoughts and feelings are not apparent, and when I am not given enough context.






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