Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Progress Posts 2016
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30: A fairytale from a culture other than your own
I'm reading The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano.I think that fairytales are important in that they can convey a culture's values symbolically. Plus, they're an enduring source of inspiration and wonder.
-What are you reading this week?The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey; I started this for the "takes place during Christmas or similar holiday" week in the 2015 challenge and thought it was most appropriate for this week. Way out of order, I know..
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I feel like there are several stories about an older couple who wants a child and then miraculously receives one. There's the story in the Bible (Abraham and Sarah). And also there is a Japanese version (but the child comes from a peach). Those are the only two that I can think of off the top of my head.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Most definitely. For starters, they reflect the ideals, hopes, dreams and interests of a culture.
What are you reading this week?this week I read Princess Bari by Hwang Sok-yong It is a reworking of a story from Korean Mythology making it relevant to the 21st Century
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
This is my first read of Korean Mythology
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I loved it and it captured my interest enough to have me looking at the original story.
-What are you reading this week?The Story of the Youth who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
Fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No, I don't believe I have
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Definitely. They are full of morals and easy lessons for children and even adults to learn.
Kalypso - I've read all the Grimm fairy tales and that one is pretty amusing. There are some others that have fairly disturbing morals though...
* What are you reading this week?The Arabian Nights (also known as The Thousand and One Nights) by Anonymous
*Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
There's so many popular stories that are actually in the Arabian Nights. I found Sindbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba in my edition (apparently there is quite a few different versions - which isn't surprising as it's estimated to be 850 AD!)
*Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Definitely. For children growing up, it's a great way for them to learn morals, the difference between good and evil, etc., all the while entertaining them with princesses and monsters!
What are you reading this week?The Blue Fairy Book-Have you heard a similar version to this fairy tale told from a different culture?
These tales are from The Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, The Arabian Nights, Madame d'Aulnoy and others. Many of the stories I know, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, but I plan to read those stories I've never heard of like "Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess" by Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
-Do you think fairy tales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes, I do.
-What are you reading this week?The Arabian Nights - traditional but translated by Andrew Lang
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Yes some of the stories were familiar from childhood versions, such as Aladdin and Sinbad.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
They clearly have a cultural impact, or reflect the culture they are from, because the feel of Arabian Nights was very different from the Grimms' Fairy Tales I read many a time as a child. I found the number of heads being summarily lopped off for almost any offence in Arabian Nights rather disturbing, but conversely (and not particularly rationally) I don't remember being particularly worried about Hansel being kept in a cage so that he got fat enough for the witch's dinner in Grimms'. So perhaps it is whatever you are used to!
-What are you reading this week? The Tales of Beedle the Bard-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? definitely
What are you reading this week?The Wrath and the Dawn
I know this isn't the /actual/ fairy tale but I decided since it's based off the Arabian Nights tales to still count it. I actually had a tough time with choosing for this one because I took several courses in my undergrad about fairy tales and consequently have read and been exposed to tales from many different cultures and I'm pretty determined to not reread anything for the challenge.
Have you heard a similar version to this fairy tale told from a different culture?
I haven't actually started the novel yet but I've read a bunch of the tales from Arabian Nights before and I know that they've inspired fairy tales in other cultures/have counterparts in other cultures so I'm going to say yes I guess.
Do you think fairy tales have an important role to play in each culture?
Absolutely! I'm actually fascinated by the role fairy tales and story telling in general in the formation and preservation of culture. I think that's actually demonstrated by the fact that there are so many novels based off various fairy tales, it demonstrates that even after we've finished them fairy tales don't really leave our mind completely and that people are always interested in knowing more about what happens in the tale.
Mod
The Wrath and the Dawn
I know this isn't the /actual/ fairy tale but I decided since it's based off the Arabian Nights tales to still count it. I ac..."
I'm joining you in expanding the definition of the week!
-What are you reading this week?
The Visitors
This is a mystery book based on the western isles of Scotland which also goes into the stories of selkies
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
All cultures have tails of women in the water who do things, good and bad.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Extremely. I've done lots of work with Jung and Joseph Campbell over the years and these stories really can help people.
-What are you reading this week? I read during several weeks: The King of the Waterfalls (Celtic)
The Fox and the Wolf (Spanish)
The 3 treasures of the Giants (Slavic)
The Silent Princess (Turkish)
Momotaro (Japanese)
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No, they weren't all good but I didn't find them familiar.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes, as they are known by a lot of people and they are also terrible stories you can read to children (they usually enjoy the creepy side a lot). It's a good ground to write retellings and I like how they focus on different things when they are not from the same culture. I'm not really fond of the lessons they teach but I usually enjoy the telling.
Is there a significant difference between fairy tales and fables? I was thinking of reading Aesop's Fables but if I remember my previous children's lit courses correctly, they're not really the same thing.
There is a difference between the two but for the purpose of this category I think Aesop's Fables work just as well as any more ~traditional fairytale would
Erika wrote: "There is a difference between the two but for the purpose of this category I think Aesop's Fables work just as well as any more ~traditional fairytale would"Out of curiosity, what is the difference?
I've already read many of Grimm's and Hans Christen Andersen's fairy tales when I took a few children's literature courses, and I'm having trouble finding anything else that interests me/is accessible.
-What are you reading this week?I read The Girl Who Married The Moon: Tales From Native North America
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
The book was a collection of short Native American tales from across the United States. Many of them were similar to each other, but not much to the traditional European fairy tales most people are used to hearing.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I do. "Fairytales" are a part of any culture's history and tradition.
-What are you reading this week?I'm reading
to my 7 year old daughter-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
So far we have read a few stories but most notably for my daughter would be the little mermaid. This version is very different to the Disney one, where they live happily ever after! My daughter found this one less scary too.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes definitely
What are you reading this week?I have been reading Alif the Unseen and found out that it doesn't really count as a fairy tale. It is rather urban fantasy set in a fictional arabian country, that elegantly mixes computer hackers, djin lore and other Aladdin-like legends, revolution, religion and love.
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Hmm. Maybe the Frog Prince (Grimm) is a bit like that.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Absolutely.
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Progress Post:-What are you reading this week?
I read African Folktales
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I read several stories out of this book. Some of them were similar to ones I have heard in the past but most were new
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Absolutely. They are a thread that connects people to other people that share a location or heritage.
What are you reading this week?I am reading two books for this week's topic.
Russian Fairy Tales and Division: A Collection of Science Fiction Fairytales
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
There are several similar stories from the Russian fairy tales that I've heard before, including Russian variants. I do not know what will be in the Sci-Fi one, if these will be traditional tales adapted to the SF genre, or something completely new.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I think they do. A lot of oral history comes through in fairy tales. Now that history is not as relevant because we have the written word, but there is a beauty of hope and dreams that are encased in fairy tales. I think it's good to tell them to our children to encourage their creativity and character building.
-What are you reading this week?I'm reading East of The Sun and West of the Moon , a collection of Scandinavian fairy tales.
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I think there are certain universal themes in fairy tales, such as the triumph of good over evil, but I cant recall reading a similar one to this.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Absolutely - I agree with Manda that a culture's prewritten and oral history is often preserved through history.
What are you reading this week?I read three tales from African Folktales by Roger D. Abrahams:
> Tale of an Old Woman,
> The King’s Daughter Who Lost Her Hair,
> The Man and the Muskrat
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
There are themes that are familiar from other tales: help me, and I will return the favour, or good wins over evil and so on.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes, I think they are important, they teach a child how to navigate the world, and they are optimistic (even the gruesome ones) as the hero/heroine/whatever always prevails.
Rachel wrote: "Erika wrote: "There is a difference between the two but for the purpose of this category I think Aesop's Fables work just as well as any more ~traditional fairytale would"Out of curiosity, what i..."
Rachel wrote: "Is there a significant difference between fairy tales and fables? I was thinking of reading Aesop's Fables but if I remember my previous children's lit courses correctly, they're not really the sam..."
IMO the difference is that fairy tales have an element of magic (genies, witches, etc.) and fables usually use anthropomorphism -- that is, animals or other non-human that have human traits (Tortoise and the Hare, the Fox and the Grapes).
But I would say that they both function as a way to teach a lesson or give a warning to children.
-What are you reading this week? Momotaro -Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? I can't think of anything similar
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? Yes, I think that common stories are good.
-What are you reading this week?I'm cheating. I'm reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard this week. I didn't want to read a single story, and I couldn't find any good anthologies from other languages in the library. I'd been curious about reading this for awhile, but had never gotten around to doing it. But I think it counts because 1) it's wizarding culture and 2) even if it wasn't, JKR probably takes from a lot of British and Welsh and Celtic folklore, and that's definitely a different culture from mine.
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Kinda. "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" actually seemed somewhat familiar to me, in theme and structure, but I can't actually remember where I'd read something similar before.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes. It's important to pass these stories around and teach children these lessons and morals
What are you reading this week?I read The Brave Little Tailor by the Brothers Grimm, found in Folk & Fairy Tales: An Introductory Anthology. If anyone is having trouble finding a story for this topic, this book is great. It has multiple versions of many fairy tales, including versions from different cultures.
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Possibly, but what comes to mind most is the Mickey Mouse version that I watched often as a kid. I can't think of a specific story that it reminds me, but there are several that have the same concept of completing tasks to prove yourself worthy of a reward.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Absolutely. I actually took a whole course about fairy tales in college, and most of it was about the role they play in culture/society. I think it's really interesting how so many cultures have similar fairy tales (ie. a Cinderella Story, a Red Riding Hood story). I think fairy tales are important for passing on cultural views, and teaching children lessons in a way that's entertaining and memorable for them...although Grimm and even Hans Christen Andersen can be quite graphic.
-What are you reading this week? The Blue Fairy Book-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? Yes, many fairytales are very similar.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? Absolutely! Children get to know what is good/bad, learning lessons, morals. It's also pleasant time parents and children can spend together. Children can start to know: reading is great!
What are you reading this week? Baba Yaga traditional Russian fairy tale. Baba Yaga will eat you if you don't do what is right. Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? Yes, many sadistic stories to scare the hell out of children so they don't do something that might get them into trouble.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? They teach. I object to the way most of them teach and fortunately many of the sadistic stories are being adapted to be less sadistic while teaching the same message.
-What are you reading this week?I'm cheating a bit because they are not from a different culture but the book has been on my TBR for to long, so I read:
Grimm Tales: For Young and Old retellings by Philip Pullman
And I love the cover
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
After each tale there is some information on the background and similar tales are mentioned (some from other cultures). I did know a few of those (there are 53 tales in the book).
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
They still do, they are a way to teach children.
What are you reading this week?The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
The author, in the introduction,says that this book is a collection of stories that celebrates young girls becoming young women. He and Gayle Ross mention that women have been respected leaders throughout Native cultures and the rite of womanhood song, dance, story and rituals.
Most women in the traditional fairy tales I have read need to be rescued, not celebrated. I am looking forward to reading about strong women, who are their own saviors.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Fairy tales are learning tools that reflect the people we want to be. They can guide us and be a touch stone during those times of strife. They can bring comfort, understanding and bind a people together through shared beliefs. Today our stories are movies and TV shows.
Fairy tales still have a place during bed time stories, around camp fires, and in those tall tales we tell to friends and family. They will always be important.
What are you reading this week?Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I'm familiar with some of them already, but probably the more Disneyed versions.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I think stories in general play an important role. I don't really feel fairy tales are any more or less important than other stories.
-What are you reading this week?Australian Legendary Tales by Katie Langloh Parker
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Somewhat, it seems Rudyard Kipling may have borrowed some ideas from the Australian folktales
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Definitely, I think it can explain a lot about cultures historically, and I find creation stories particularly interesting.
What are you reading this week?I'm reading Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I expect there will be some stories I am familiar with, but probably not as I know them.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Folklore has a very significant role in cultural development. You can tell a lot about a country by the stories they tell.
What are you reading this week? Tales of a Korean Grandmother: 32 Traditional Tales from Korea by Frances CarpenterHave you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? Yes, I think so. Many have to do with animals, like a tortoise and a rabbit. And most include a large degree of magic realism, which is common to most fairytales.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? I think fairytales offer children a spirit of connection to their peers growing up in the same culture, which, hopefully, will lead to their learning and understanding of foreign cultures as they mature. However, I'm not a big fan of these tales. To me, some of this folklore comes across as pure hogwash -- outdated, sexist, bigoted, ageist and a poor excuse for cruelty to animals. It also risks damaging kids in the long run; for instance, girls who believe they are princesses, waiting for their shining knight on horseback to rescue them and live happily ever after. Come on, now.
On a side note, I'm actually reading a weekly challenge book during the week it was assigned. Yeah!
What are you reading this week? Tales From the 1001 Nights aka Arabian NightsHave you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? Not really. These stories (Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad) seem pretty specific to the Arabian culture.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? I think they serve as a way to teach moral lessons to children in story form.
This week, I started reading The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales.I have only read the first story in the book so far, which is the Magic Orange Tree and I can't say I have ever read a story like that previously. Although it has similarities since the girl has a mean stepmother who mistreats her, I think the magic orange tree element and the way it ends is very special to that culture.
I love folk and fairy tales. They are very entertaining and offer explanations of why things in the natural world occur, among other valuable qualities.
Progress Post:-What are you reading this week?
Steampunk Fairy tales
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No this is on my TBR list.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes. very much so.
What are you reading this week?Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
There is a story in the French culture that is very like this one. Both stories seem to have been influenced by a Swiss German named Paracleasus. I also thought of The Little Mermaid, but see no mention in my research of it. Probably The Little Mermaid was taken from this story.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Very much so. They are teachers of the culture. They teach what to do and how to do it. What happens when you do not follow the teaching/strictures of the culture.
I'm reading The Arabian Nights volume 1.There were lots of parallels between stories in this collection and ones I remember growing up - don't be greedy, remember to share, be kind to those less fortunate than you.
Fairytales help people from different cultures understand their own moral codes and concepts of good and bad.
I was uncomfortable that in the tales I read hunting elephant for their ivory and slavery is considered the norm.
-What are you reading this week?
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I did not even know there were Japanese Fairy Tales. When I think of Fairy Tales, I think Danish or German. The answer BTW is no.
I had picked a fantasy for this week and only today determined it was fairy tale. Thank you, Francesca. I raided your 2016 Plans Blog and saw that you had selected this. It was free for the ebook and 79 cents for the audible. I am enjoying them so far.
-What are you reading this week?Serpents and Werewolves: Tales of Animal Shape-shifters from Around the World - Lari Don
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
Interestingly, this book was somewhat of a compilation of similar fairy tale stories from a wide variety of cultures and countries.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes, especially in more traditional cultures who carry their beliefs through fairytales.
I read
by Kate Morton. I don't read many fairy tales so I'm hoping this counts. The whole book centers around the fictional fairy tale The True History of the Mud Man based in Milderhurst castle in England. The main character, Edie, tries to solve the mystery behind the creation of the fairy tale through interviews with the deceased authors three daughters.
-What are you reading this week? Favorite North American Indian Legends-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?I'm not sure yet. I had originally intended to read another book, but just found this on my book shelf while looking for books for my son to read. It sounded interesting.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? Absolutely. The tales that a culture decides to move forward says something about the values of the culture.
What are you reading this week?The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
I haven't; this was a new story to me.
Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
I think fairy tales give people a base to grow from. We all learn and grow from the same fairy tales (and nursery rhymes). I think, outside of our family, fairy tales are the first base of our culture that we are taught.
-What are you reading this week?I'm reading Vassa in the Night. It's a retelling from the Russian folktale 'Vassilissa the Beautiful'.
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No I have never heard of it before.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes I think they do. I'm from Germany and since the Grimm Brothers are form here my mother always read their fairy tales to me as a child, they're teaching us values from a young age, they just belong to a culture.
I read Boy, Snow, Bird 
It's a retelling of Snow White.
Fairytales are good, they r interesting, magical and always hold a message.
What are you reading this week?The Snow Child
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
No, I don't think I had heard this one before.
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?
Yes, I think they probably carry a lot of history with them.
What are you reading this week?
( 10/20/16)-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture? no
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture? yes, because with out them our history dies out
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Japanese Fairy Book (other topics)Zanzibar Tales: Told by Natives of the East Coast of Africa (other topics)
Momotaro: Peach Boy (other topics)
Italian Folktales (other topics)
The Green Fairy Book (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert D. San Souci (other topics)Kate Morton (other topics)
Lari Don (other topics)
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (other topics)
Andrew Lang (other topics)
More...
Suggestions for this week:
World of Tales
ANDREW LANG'S FAIRY BOOKS
To discuss the book, don't forget to add it in the A-Z folders or join the existing discussion.
Progress Post:
-What are you reading this week?
-Have you heard a similar version to this fairytale told from a different culture?
-Do you think fairytales have an important role to play in each culture?