A Few of My Storybook Favorites

After browsing through the storybooks and reading their introductions, there were several that seemed really interesting, and looking at all of them has made me so excited to start my own Storybook project.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian,
The Book Palace.

My oldest sister MacKenzie graduated with a degree in Classical Culture from OU several years ago, and she took Mythology and Folklore while she was here. She is an awesome writer (and sister), and she occasionally will share with me stories she has started writing. I love getting to read her stories and writing because we share a similar interest in novels, so I immediately looked up her storybook. She did her project over the Tales of Maid Marian and Robin Hood. MacKenzie and I both love a strong and intelligent female character, so I was really excited to find that she had focused her stories on the woman who had captured Robin Hood's heart. She also included an excerpt in her introduction which depicted the initial meeting of Marian and Robin. It was well written and ended with the perfect line, successfully making me want to read all of the stories included in the storybook (and then text her and demand she write a novel immediately).

I also liked Sarah Watson's Girl Power on Mount Olympus. I liked that she focused on the strength of the different goddesses on Mount Olympus. It was fun to have a storybook entirely devoted to strong women. I like that she also chose characters who were all related to each other and explained their connections in the intro. It was interesting background information that made me want to learn even more about the goddesses outside of just the stories she told.

I also really enjoyed Ben Mayer's Fairytales: The Other Side. Exploring fairytales from the point of the antagonist was a pretty creative thing to do. I always think it's interesting to see both sides of a story, and to attempt to find connections with all characters in a story. The introduction was well written and got me excited about reading the revamped fairytales. I also like how he chose to use an investigative journalist as the narrator for the stories. It added a modern element to the stories that was really cool.

Week One: Readings from the UnTextbook

Exploring the UnTextbook was so fun, there are so many different reading units that sound incredibly interesting. It's hard to narrow down which units I am most intrigued by, but I have come up with a working list of units I would be excited to explore.

I like the idea of progressing through the units in a hybrid of chronological and geographical order. To me it could be a sort of time travel adventure where as you are traveling through time you are also traveling through the different civilizations, gaining a picture of the stories and folklore of different cultures while also seeing how older stories impact and relate to the stories told in newer civilizations and cultures.

1. Bible Women (King James Bible). As a Christian woman I find the stories of the women in the Bible remarkable and fascinating. While I am knowledgeable about many of the women in the Bible: Mary, Ruth, Esther, etc. There are still many stories of which I have not studied in depth. Studying the stories of women , their courage and their faith in a time where women were not often regarded in a positive light is both comforting and encouraging to me.

2. Homer's the Iliad (retold by AJ Church). I am a big fan of classical history and literature. I have read many of the great Greek tragedies: Oedipus the King, Medea, Antigone, etc... but I haven't spent much time reading Homer's epic poems. I would love to study the Iliad because of it's focus on Hector who is one of my favorite characters in classical history.

3. Ramayana (as told in Mackenzie's Indian Myth and Legend). This story dates back to the 4th or 5th century BCE. It is an Indian epic poem, and I am very interested in it largely because I know little about Indian history and Hindu stories. Religious stories are very interesting to me because they have such a large impact on culture and reveal much about what characteristics and values that different religions esteem highly.

4. Boccaccio's The Decameron. The Decameron is of particular interest to me because I spent the past summer in Italy studying the Plague and its affects on literature, architecture, and culture. Boccaccio's the Decameron is structured as a series of stories told by several men and women who had fled Florence during the Black Death. I am relatively familiar with Boccaccio but have read only excerpts from his work and would love to read them in their entirety.

Franz Winterhalter's The Decameron, 1837. http://www.paintinghere.org/painting/the_decameron-24710.html

5. Margaret, Queen of Navarre's The Heptameron. I am a self-professed francophile and therefore tend to enjoy anything related to French language, history, culture, and food. The Heptameron would be particularly interesting to study following The Decameron because it was largely inspired by Boccaccio's work. It would be so interesting to see how the stories told by Boccaccio influenced Margaret as well as to see what elements between the Italian and French stories differed and how those differences reflect the differences between Italian and French culture.

6. The Fables of La Fontaine. I have read several of Jean de La Fontaine's fables in their original French, but it has been several years since I have read any of them. What I do remember about Fontaine's poems is how fun they were to read because of their rhymed structure. I would be excited to read the English translations done by W. T. Larned in Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks and Elizur Wright in Fables of La Fontaine and to be able to compare the translations with the original French verses to see how the language translation affects the structure and meaning of the poems.

A depiction of the fable "The Council held by the Rats" by Jean de La Fontaine illustrated by Condre. http://millefabulae.blogspot.com/2010/08/aesop-illustrations-conde.html

Introduction: Diana Gabaldon, Shoes, and Dogs

Hey guys! I’m Madeline Gabe. I’m a senior this year and will be graduating this spring with a degree in Microbiology. I applied to medical school this past fall and have just finished all of my interviews, and I’ll find out in February which schools I’ve gotten into. It’s been such a long process, so I’m glad that it’s almost over, and that i’ll be able to figure out soon where i’m going to go after graduation.

When i’m not obsessing and stressing myself out about medical school though, I like to read. I love fantasy books, and ones that tend to cross genres. I am a giant Harry Potter fan. I reread the series probably once a year or so. I'm trying to convince my mom that it’s absolutely necessary that she funds me a trip to Harry Potter World for graduation (it’s not going well).

A personal photo of my two older sisters,
MacKenzie and Mallorie,and I at the Diana 
Gabaldon book signing. June 2014. 

My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. She writes the Outlander series. Greatest books you will ever read. Ever. This past summer my sisters and I got to go to a book signing event she held in Dallas. She gave a talk on the series, how she began writing them, how the new tv show of the books became a thing (yes, there is a tv show, and yes, it is the greatest thing to ever happen) and all sorts of other things. We got to meet her and take pictures, and geek out pretty hard. If you haven’t read them, do so immediately. You’re welcome in advance.

If I’m not reading or studying, I am probably online shopping. I have a serious problem. It’s so bad. I have a particular problem with binge buying shoes. I have a collection of close to 50 pairs of shoes, and since Christmas I have bought three new pair. My closet actually looks like the Nordstrom shoe department exploded all over it. Oops.

A personal photo of my dogs, Finn (left)
 and Lacy (right). December 2014.

One last thing… I’m obsessed with my dogs. I’m kind of convinced they are people. They live in Dallas with my sister and her husband, so I don’t get to see them very often during the semester which is ultra depressing because they are the cutest things to ever happen to the world.
I think I've hit the important things, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask! I love to chat, and will probably talk your ear off.

Week 1 Storytelling: Fiddle De Dee, the Fly and the Bee

Fiddle Diddle Dee, the Fly and the Bee

There once was a sweet and beautiful fly named Eleanor. She was the youngest daughter of one of the most important flies in London. When Eleanor had been just a maggot, her mother had been killed by a swarm of bumble bees.

Because of this her father was very protective of his children, particularly his youngest daughter. Unlike the rest of her siblings, Eleanor was never allowed to fly more than a couple of inches from the branch on which they resided, because her father was so fearful she would be hurt. He had even hired guards to ensure that Eleanor was safe and remained close to their home at all times.

Despite her confined life, Eleanor was a very curious fly. One day while her father and her siblings were out, she heard a faint but mysterious humming noise. She took a quick look towards her guard, noting that he had fallen asleep in the shade provided by a patch of leaves, and began to cautiously make her way toward the noise.

“Oh fiddle dee fiddlesticks!” she heard someone exclaim and looked across to the next branch to see a giant fly looking around in all directions.

Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer that her guard wouldn't wake up and find her missing, Eleanor took off and flew to the next branch landing a short distance from the mysterious thing.

“Bzzzz,” she said tentatively, “Excuse me, Is everything okay?”

The thing turned toward her and Eleanor was able to get a good look. It was quite large compared to her, yellow and black striped with wings similar to hers but much larger. Goodness gracious! It was a bumble bee! Flashes of warnings about the terrible and savage creatures had Eleanor backing away apprehensively frantically looking for a place to escape the bee’s sight.

Just as Eleanor was about to make her escape the bee called to her, “Wait, Please don’t go! I won’t hurt you.”

Eleanor stopped and turned back toward the bee. “Who are you? What do you want?” she questioned.

“I’m Franklin. My hive was destroyed today while I was out. When I came back everyone was gone. My queen, my dad, everyone. I’m all alone, I’ve never been all alone before,” he said.

The desperate look on his face tugged at Eleanor’s heart strings and so she settled down to keep the bee company. Eleanor had never had a real friend before, outside of her siblings at least. She found herself telling Franklin all about her life and her family, wishing he could come back to her branch with her to keep her company. After a while though Eleanor remembered where she was.

“Oh no! I’ve got to get back to my branch! If my guard has woken up and finds me missing, I’ll probably get chained to a leaf for the rest of my life! Let’s meet tomorrow? Same time?” Eleanor waited for Franklin to agree before zooming back to her branch. She landed, out of breath and flustered, just as her guard was waking up. Whew! That was close!

Over the next week, Franklin and Eleanor met up as often as they could. Franklin was all she could think about. He was shy and funny, nothing like the bees her father had warned her about. She was so caught up in her new friendship, that she almost missed when her father tell her that he had decided she was to be married, and soon.

“I have found a suitable match for you, Eleanor. He is strong and quick, and lives on a large branch with many servants and guards who will keep you safe.”

Ripped from her daydream, Eleanor stuttered, “Wh-what? Suitable match? What are you even talking about? Have you been drinking fermented nectar again, I’m not marrying some random fly!”

“Eleanor, you will do as I say, and you will do it without complaint,” her father turned around, dismissing her. “The wedding will be held in two days time.”

Eleanor was in a panic. She paced and buzzed around for hours, unable to fathom what was happening. She had to get away. She couldn’t live like this anymore! She was not going to be handed off to another fly and live the rest of her life confined to a branch. She wanted love, adventure, freedom!

She began devising a plan. Tomorrow morning while her father and siblings were away, she would escape her guard to see Franklin. They would run away together, maybe if they got enough of a head start her father would never find her.

The next morning she could hardly stand still while she waited for Franklin to meet her in their usual spot. When he finally got there she could hardly get the words out fast enough.

“Franklin! We have to get out of here! My father has demanded that I marry some fly he’s chosen in two days! We have to run away! Quick, let’s go!”

“Wait, Ellie, what? Now hold on. There might be a way around this. You don’t have to leave your family behind forever,” he reasoned.

“What do you mean?” Eleanor asked, blushing over the nickname he had given her.

“We could get married instead. If you’re already married to someone, your father won’t be able to make you marry that fly. Ya know, if you wouldn’t mind marrying me,” he looked away shyly, unable to make eye contact with her.

Eleanor was shocked, but more than a little thrilled. Spending time with Franklin was the best part of her day. She hesitated for a second before breaking into a smile, “Well what are we waiting for?”

Eleanor and Franklin flew off to the nearest church the could find, giddy in their nervous excitement. They paused outside of the church, linked their limbs and smiled at each other before walking in and saying their vows.

Authors note: The story was based off of this nursery rhyme:

FIDDLE-DE-DEE, fiddle-de-dee, 

The fly shall marry the humble-bee.

They went to the church, and married was she:

The fly has married the humble-bee.

I got the idea for the story in imagining why a fly and a bumble bee would ever meet, and what circumstances would cause them to be married.

Bibliography: The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897). http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26197?msg=welcome_stranger

Image information: This image depicting the wedding of a fly and a bumble bee was created by Zach Bellissimo and posted in 2007 on deviantart. http://seizuredemon.deviantart.com/art/A-Fly-marrying-a-Bumble-Bee-65880641

Arezzo: My Very Very Favorite Place

This past summer I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Arezzo, Italy. I remember before arriving in Italy I had been so excited for the big name cities... Rome, Florence, Naples/Pompeii... and true to my expectations, those places did not disappoint. They were lively and beautiful, steeped in history. What I did not expect was to fall so completely in love with Arezzo, a small city in Tuscany which I had hardly heard about.

Personal photo from my apartment window in Arezzo, July 2014.

Arezzo is a sleepy town in some ways. There are always people on the streets, hanging out in the piazzas, sharing wine on the patio, however there is still a slowness to everything. No one is in a rush, there isn't the same hustle and bustle as there is in Rome and in Florence.

Arezzo sits on a hill and its ancient walls still exist around much of the city. It's a charming mix of old and new. One of my favorite places within in Arezzo was the park that sits directly on the top of the hill and looks out over the wineries, houses, and scenery that sits just beyond the old city walls. There is a drink stand at the top of the hill where you can buy beverages of all sorts. After class my friends and I would climb the rest of the hill and share a bottle of wine while we did our homework or just sat and talked. 

Personal photo taken at the park on top of the hill in Arezzo, July 2014.

Another thing that made me fall so in love with Arezzo were the constant city wide activities. Throughout the summer Arezzo will divide its city into four different neighborhoods. Those neighborhoods compete against each other in medieval contests like jousting. All throughout the city you will see the flags of each neighborhood hanging from the buildings. At night the piazzas would be filled with people, stages were set up in front of the fountains and free concerts were held. One night in the middle of a concert I was able to participate in a lantern festival. It was straight out of Tangled. Nothing can quite compare to the feeling of sitting with friends in my favorite piazza, listening to beautiful music and watching hundreds of colorful lanterns float across the sky. It was the most magical thing I have ever seen.

Personal photo of the lantern festival in Arezzo, July 2014.

I cannot wait until I have another opportunity to go back to this place. It was absolutely the most exceptional and magical experience of my life.