Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology
There are a nearly uncountable number of mythological stories and fables in the world, many more famous than others. Some archetypes of story are common around the world, including great tales of heroism, creation, transformation, trickery, and moral justice. Several of these archetypes were displayed amongst the anthology, but the two that particularly caught my attention was the story of Pygmalion and that of the jackal trickster.
The story of Pygmalion is framed in an almost pathetic nature, of one so dedicated to their craft that they fall physically in love with their creation - perhaps due to a combination of "disillusionment" with the "eligible scene" of possible lovers as well as his own craft's true beauty. Despite this, he has his wits about it, showing embarrassment at the festival of Venus, yet his wish is still granted due to the profound depth of his love.
The second story is that of the jackal trickster, who aids a charitable Brahman to escape the deceitful situation he placed himself in through his charity, in helping a tiger to escape his cage. He plays dumb, as dumb as bricks, even. In this, he gives away his trickery not even to the man he chose to help, catching the tiger at just the right point.
Both of these stories offer inspiration for the good in storytelling. Much of modern creative writing has become so focused on bad endings for the sake of seeming creative, unique, or edgy, or simply to induce cheap emotion. However, these stories are tales of dedication and reward, and triumph against deceit. I hope to be able to integrate a story as fulfilling as that of the jackal, and as heartening as that of Pygmalion.
The story of Pygmalion is framed in an almost pathetic nature, of one so dedicated to their craft that they fall physically in love with their creation - perhaps due to a combination of "disillusionment" with the "eligible scene" of possible lovers as well as his own craft's true beauty. Despite this, he has his wits about it, showing embarrassment at the festival of Venus, yet his wish is still granted due to the profound depth of his love.
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| The Brahman, the jackal, and the tiger. Originally from this book but taken from the respective story. |
The second story is that of the jackal trickster, who aids a charitable Brahman to escape the deceitful situation he placed himself in through his charity, in helping a tiger to escape his cage. He plays dumb, as dumb as bricks, even. In this, he gives away his trickery not even to the man he chose to help, catching the tiger at just the right point.
Both of these stories offer inspiration for the good in storytelling. Much of modern creative writing has become so focused on bad endings for the sake of seeming creative, unique, or edgy, or simply to induce cheap emotion. However, these stories are tales of dedication and reward, and triumph against deceit. I hope to be able to integrate a story as fulfilling as that of the jackal, and as heartening as that of Pygmalion.
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