Unburied Fables Questions - Expectations, Li Chi and the Dragon, & Satin Skirts and Wooden Shoes

[Rose]

Expectations

The next story in this anthology is a wave to many different fairy tales, but mostly The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

-What background do you have with the original fairy tale?

-What elements of the original does the author change?

-What elements are kept the same?

-What common fairy tale elements and tropes are present in this story? How does the author change them to be LGBT+?

-One of the things that frequently gets criticized in fairy tales is how female characters, or female presenting characters, are often more prop than person with very little agency. How do we see this in this story? How do we see the same lack of agency in Aldric?

-One of the themes that seems to be in all of the stories so far is the importance of being true to yourself. How does Aldric embody this? Shireen? Giselle?

-How does the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” apply to this story?

-If you were going to choose a moral for this story, what would it be? Why?


Li Chi and the Dragon

The next story in the anthology is a retelling of the Chinese fairy tale, Li Chi Slays the Serpent

What background do you have with the original fairy tale?

-What elements of the original does the author change?

-What elements are kept the same?

-How does this fairy tale show some real life prejudices?

-Characters in fairy tales often do well because they are clever and think outside the box. How does Chi do this? What are some other examples we have seen in earlier tales or in other traditional fairy tales?

-How is love a common motivation in fairy tales? How does Li Chi’s love help her to volunteer and face the dragon?

-What future do you imagine for Chi?

-If you were going to choose a moral for this story, what would it be? Why?


Satin Skirts and Wooden Shoes

This story is based on Cinderella.

-What background do you have with the original fairy tale?

-What elements of the original does the author change?

-What elements are kept the same?

-What role do fairies, or the fair folk, often play in fairy tales? How do characters' reactions in both traditional and modern fairy tales affect the fairies?

-Like Expectations, Satin Skirts and Wooden Shoes features a person who could be twins of the main character. Why do you think this is a fairy tale trope?

-How does everyone live happily ever after?

-How do you think the characters’ futures might play out?

-If you were going to choose a moral for this story, what would it be? Why?


Now that we have read six of the stories in this anthology, let’s take a moment to talk about them and about fairy tales in general!


-One of the central themes that threads all the stories together so far is the need to be accepted and understood for who you are. Why do you think this resonates so much?

-What other common tropes do you see in each of the stories?

-Fairy tales often have a fairly predictable plot structure. How does that come into play with the retellings?

-Many of the characters in these stories are aro/ace. One of the most common endings to fairy tales is the male and female characters falling in love and getting married. How does having aro/ace characters change this? What kind of endings are we seeing instead of love + marriage? How are these endings just as happy as the standard fairy tale?

-What are some other fairy tales you want to see retold? What kind of queer endings would you want to see?