Week 11 Reading Notes Part A: American Indian Fairy Tales

1. I like the idea that the stories that Iagoo was told were oral, and have now been written down for people to read. This shows an important culture aspect of folklore within the Native American community. Basically, stories within stories is a fun aspect to write, and it makes the original telling more interesting. However, I would like to make the story into first person, as it connects the reader to Iagoo and his connection with the stories that he is so well known for telling.

2. Shin-ge-bis reminds me of a typical YA love interest. You know, the boys with the flowy hair and pretty half-smiles that always seem to be laughing at the protagonist over the simplest things. Like the story says, he’s a laugher. It’s different than other protagonists that you read about in folklore, who are serious heroes that only want to save the world. They don’t want to laugh. This part of his personality is an awesome aspect in his story.

3. I know these are supposed to be fairy tales, and that Native American culture is very big on being one with the animals, but it always seems to take me out of the story when the animals start to talk, especially if they have a major part of the story that moves the plot along. This is especially if there is no other magical element amongst the plot.

4. The story of the Child of the Evening Star really describes the characters in a way that I can understand who they are. This is uncommon in folklore. I also like the fact that Oweenee can see into the hearts of men and they all seem to suck, because honestly, that’s the most realistic part of this entire story. Honestly, this is my favorite story in the collection at the moment. It almost reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, and we all know how much I love that story!

Hipster Belle meme. Found on WeKnowMemes.

Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921). Link to online reading.