Week 2: Greek Myths: Ovid I - I am very much into gods and goddesses so this will be right up my alley. I have not read much about the old Greek gods and goddesses, so I'm taking this opportunity to learn.
Week 3: Greek Myths: Ovid III - Pretty much the same as above. I chose III over II because I recognized more names from the table of contents.
Week 4: Ancient Egypt - I've always been interested in Egypt in the archaeology, architecture and myths. I have heard some myths from watching shows on Discovery, but I am excited to read these first hand.
Week 5: Khasi Folktales - I chose the Khasi Folktales because it included creation stories, gods, and goddesses
Week 6: Brer Rabbit - I went off subject here on my theme because I was so excited to see Brer Rabbit and More Brer Rabbit. I grew up in Macon GA about an hour away from Eatonton GA, which is where the author is from. I used to go visit the museum when we would be on our way to South Carolina to visit family. Although the stories have been see as racist, which is why my mother never let me read them as a kid, I am interested in reading them now because it is said that Joel Chandler Harris retold these stories straight from southern African-American oral stories. Although he is said to have been trying to appropriate their culture, without him, we may not have had any of those stories go to print and be preserved. I think he had good intentions anyway. Mr. Harris was very supportive of African-American people, which was not the norm, especially for his time and being from the south.
Week 7: More Brer Rabbit - See above.
Week 8: Review Week
Week 9: Eskimo Stories - I chose this one because it has supernatural, shaman, and ghost elements to it.
Week 10: Cherokee or Apache Stories - Both of these appeal to me over the rest, but I can't make a decision at this moment :)
Week 11: Celtic Tales - These call out to my heart. I learned over the last 4 years or so that I am 1/4 Irish, so I have taken learning everything Irish to heart. I am also English, German, and African, but for some reason the Irish is what speaks to me.
Week 12: More Celtic Fairy Tales - See above.
Week 13: Grimm (Libravox) - I chose this Grimm because there are not many stories I know from this section so I want to take this opportunity to read outside of my comfort zone.
Week 14: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman) - I chose this Grimm over the other 2 because one of the stories listed is "The Gifts of the Little People" I know this is not the same Little People from Creek stories, but I thought it would be interesting to compare.
Week 15: Review Week
And, that's my semester!
(illustration by Anne Anderson)
Oh, this is great, Nicole: of course you can change your mind as you go along, and you will also see there is an option to read part of a second unit each week if you want.. but having a plan in place to start with is a good idea, esp. if some week rolls around and you are in a hurry or feeling uninspired — then you can look back to what grabbed you back in the fresh days of the new semester! And I am SO GLAD you are interested in the Khasi stories. It was really exciting for me to include not just tribal traditions of the Americans, but also native traditions of India: there are so many ethnic groups that make up India today, and the Khasis, Santals, etc. have beautiful storytelling traditions of their own. And I am THRILLED that you are a fan of Brer Rabbit. It is kind of an obsession of mine, and you are exactly right that Harris provided a record of African-American storytelling that probably would have been lost to us forever, more is our shame. When you get to the Native American units, read the Cherokee stories! The back-and-forth between the Cherokee and other southeastern peoples with the African-American storytellers is a great part of the whole Brer Rabbit legacy! Oh, so much fun: it gave me such a boost just seeing this list of reading units for the class. I hope you will enjoy them!!!
ReplyDeleteTotally weird copy-and-paste snafu up there, so I deleted first comment, ha ha. My first copy-and-paste weirdness of the semester... but there will be more to come no doubt! :-)
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