Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Part B
The second half of my Jewish fairy tale reading seemed significantly darker than the first half, and also shifted away from the more classically Biblical focus of part A. However, I really enjoyed several of these stories, and especially the ones below:
King for Three Days
I did enjoy this story as is, and especially the contrasting figures of Godfrey and Rashi. However, if I was rewriting, I think I'd gender flip the rabbi. I know women weren't rabbis, but the story could work with Godfrey consulting a wise and respected female teacher and having her prophecy come true.
The Rabbi's Bogey-Man
This fairy tale is really fascinating to me! I love the futuristic feel of the story and of the rabbi's invention, and I love the language shift in the middle of the story — the rabbi's invention is called "the machine woman" at first, then moves to "the bogey-man" and "the monster" in its reincarnation (language is important!). This story is dark, especially toward the end — it's kind of a shift from the fairy tales I've been reading so far. I really enjoy certain types of science fiction, and this felt like an interesting combination of the fairy tale and sci-fi genres and I loved that genre-bending aspect (I think incorporating different genres into pre-existing stories is something I could do).
The Fairy Frog
This story is so interesting and whimsical; it really grabbed my attention! I do enjoy the tale in its original format, but in rewriting I think I could bring an interesting twist by changing up the setting. I feel like the frog could even be another unexpected kind of animal — maybe the story could be reset in another climate, like the wild west, and the frog could be a horned frog, or an armadillo.
Bibliography: Gertrude Landa, Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends (1919)
King for Three Days
I did enjoy this story as is, and especially the contrasting figures of Godfrey and Rashi. However, if I was rewriting, I think I'd gender flip the rabbi. I know women weren't rabbis, but the story could work with Godfrey consulting a wise and respected female teacher and having her prophecy come true.
The Rabbi's Bogey-Man
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| The fairy frog. Courtesy of Laura Gibbs. Source: Jewish Fairy Tales: The Fairy Frog. |
The Fairy Frog
This story is so interesting and whimsical; it really grabbed my attention! I do enjoy the tale in its original format, but in rewriting I think I could bring an interesting twist by changing up the setting. I feel like the frog could even be another unexpected kind of animal — maybe the story could be reset in another climate, like the wild west, and the frog could be a horned frog, or an armadillo.
Bibliography: Gertrude Landa, Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends (1919)
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