Topic Brainstorm

Here are some topics that I brainstormed about for this assignment:

1. Greek Constellation Stories

Since I have always been into Greek Mythology, I thought this would be a fun topic to choose because I can work with something that I love while also learning more about the topic. I might delve into the female stories more; I know I will most definitely work with Cassiopeia if I choose this topic, only because she is one of my favorite women in Greek Mythology, and I have a tattoo of the constellation on my arm. Not only would I work with her, but also her daughter, Andromeda (who also happens to be a constellation - lucky for me!) I'd like to know more about some other female oriented stories in this mythology. I think I'd retell their stories to make them less of victims - like they are in the myths - and have them own up to whatever flaws and problems they faced within their stories. It'll be fun to make them less of a figurehead for the male-oriented telling of these tales and to actually give them a voice.

Personal photo of my Cassiopeia constellation tattoo. Taken January 22, 2016.

2. Dutch Fairy Tales

Since my father's side of the family originated from the Netherlands (he can go back eleven generations and tell you each of their names), I thought it would be fun to research some of the folklore/fairy tales that come from that area of Europe. I don't know much about Dutch fairy tales, which would make this a fun way to learn more about the culture and stories that little Dutch girls grew up on. I would probably focus on stories that are told around specific parts of the Dutch culture, and that are better known to the general public. For example, a lot, if not most, people know about clogging shoes, and I would retell the story, "The Legend of the Wooden Shoe." I would tell the stories as if they are from different characters from each tale - maybe center it around one specific character and then use each story to give them a look into their friend group, or something of the like. Each different story would be told from a different character, therefore giving the readers a different viewpoint with each new tale.

3. Fairy Tale Princesses

With this project, I would use my previous knowledge of well-known fairy tales and try to delve deeper into the tale. Not only that, but I would like to make the commonly known, Disney princesses into something closer to their original stories. For example, using the idea that the step-sisters actually cut off their feet in the original Cinderella, or how Ariel actually turned to sea foam in the end of her tale. These will make the stories seem less romantic and more realistic (at least, in the sense that not everyone gets a happy ending). This idea would combine both stories from the Grimm Brothers, as well as stories from Hans Christian Anderson. I think I would tell the stories almost in the form of a Gossip Girl-like tale, so that it's more modern and something that a lot of people like and are familiar with. For people who aren't, telling the story in such a way will allow the audience to look at the princesses differently than they would have if it was in a Disney movie.

4. The Women of Camelot 

I think it would be a lot of fun to write up a project that focuses on the women of Camelot, because it gives the audience a different look at a very famous tale. People are aware that there are women in this tale - the Lady of the Lake, who helps Author on his quests, and Guinevere, who destroys Author and Camelot - but I think they see them more as a plot point rather than an actual character. It would be fun to give the characters their own voices and allow their stories to expand to something more than a small part of the story. I would probably write this project by using each character and having them tell their own story, with one of the women being the ones that introduce each female. For example, since the Lady of the Lake is the ruler of Avalon, she might introduce each other woman and then also telling her own story as well.

I'm really excited to start researching and to see which one of these projects I start to lean more toward. It's an even tie between the four of them so far, so we'll see how it goes!