In this class, I was glad to have looked at the interaction of folklore with written literature. I have never been one to read fairy tales, so it was nice to broaden my horizons to an area of writing I would likely never have paid mind to on my own. I enjoyed analyzing “Yellow Woman” by Leslie Markon Silko as well as “White Tigers” by Maxxine Hong Kingston for how effectively they showed the relationship between folklore and the modern world. Kingstone uses the tale of the Chinese swordswoman to not only carry her through the anti-Chinese sentiment she faced in America, but also the misogyny she faced in her own culture. In “Yellow Woman”, Silko shows the intimacy that the cultural touchstones of folk tales can create. Though the narrator exists in the modern world with a family who will not understand the importance of the tale of the Yellow Woman, she represents still feeling connected to her cultural identity. 

In addition to approaches to issues of culture and gender, I think it was also great to look at how this folklore changes over time. Literature is a discourse wherein the individual pieces need each other to communicate their message, just as “The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carver needed Charles Perrault’s “Blue Beard” and vice versa. The interaction between these two stories in particular was also illustrative of the idea of remixing and the remediation of cultural material. This helps show how literature is in a constantly in a state of evolution and change, in lockstep with the developments of humanity.

In regards to fairy tales themselves, I can credit this class with helping me understand the structure and content that constitutes the definition of a fairy tale. I specifically liked Bruno Bettelheim’s analysis in the excerpt we read from Uses of Enchantment. Reading this helped me realize themes and commonalities that I encountered in experiencing fairy tales but never truly acknowledged.

As a whole, this class provided an enlightening reminder of the poignancy and literary power singular to short stories.

Shaw, Valerie. The Short Story. Routledge, 2013.

 
Reflection

The comparison of “Bluebeard” and Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” was a great look at how classic folklore transitions and remains relevant in more modern times. Though not brought up in discussion, I think it’s important to consider how the “The Bloody Chamber” exists as a remix, or remediation of Bluebeard, pulling from the influences of gothic literature and hinting to modernity at the time of publication, combining these influences into a completely new work that is still able to effectively communicate the tale of “Bluebeard”. In remediating “Bluebeard”, Carver also put forth a more progressive interpretation of the issue of gender roles. In our discussion, we noticed how the women, particularly the mother, in Carver’s piece had a more active, and strong role in the story.

These stories are not ageless but instead put in the context of time to convey their meanings; do you think this is required for fairy tales to persist in the modern day?

Reflection

I think “Yellow Woman” by Leslie Markon Silko and “White Tigers” by Maxxine Hong Kingston offer unique and interesting insight into issues of cultural identity and preservation. These stores give a mutual accessibility for not only people of the cultures the stories discuss, but also those outside. By analyzing how these cultures interact with the modern world, they bring to surface issues specific to this day in age. Both authors use folklore, and explain the relationship this folklore has with the modern world. In “Yellow Woman”, Silko cements the folklore of the Yellow Woman in the modern world of Jell-O and screen doors; Kingston explains how the folklore inspires her in her struggles with Asian discrimination in the U.S. 

Reflection

Our discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Bernice Bobs her Hair and of Ngugi Wa Thiongo's "Minutes of Glory"revolved around the characters’ search for identity, and their search for equality as women in their respective societies and times. Both stories have female characters that, in their own form, break the mold of their society. Bernice eventually realizes the coercion of her cousin, Margaret, and the humiliating depersonalization and superficiality of Jazz Age flapper culture. Beatrice in “Minutes of Glory”, breaks the mold of subservience in a symbol of spiritual triumph. Having stolen the truck driver’s money, she buys nice clothes and dances in front of him. This a provocative and powerful gesture, much in the same vain as Beatrice’s brazen act of cutting Margaret’s hair and escaping home. I think both of these stories represent the oppressive standards society can place on the expression of femininity.

Reflection

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Sweat” by Zora Neal Hurston both look at domestic abuse. In our discussion, we covered how both stories look at the problem of male dominance and how this abuse is justified by society. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Gilman speaks out against the rest cure. Through her story, Gilman is able to show the inherent illogic, ineffectuality, and damage done by the rest cure. She represents the rest cure as one of the many means to oppress women into domesticity. Hurston looks at similar themes but shows them as they effect poor African Americans in the 1920s. 

“To Room Nineteen” and “The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars” represent the dysfunction in relationships created by miscommunication. Thinking back on these two stories in consideration with our class discussion, Lessing and Diaz showed how, though in very different representation, miscommunication can fundamentally poison relationships. In Lessig piece, a rift between Matthew and Susan permits Susan’s depression to fester, eventually leading her to suicide. In Diaz’s work, Magda and the narrator have different perceptions of their relationship; the narrator thinks he is going to recover the relationship after his own infidelities, but she instead is using him. Both of the stories lead to dead ends for the couples because of this miscommunication.