I got a link recently to this post.
http://the-toast.net/2014/05/26/fairy-tales-are-womens-tales/
Read it before you continue or half my post wouldn't make sense-or more.
...
Did you do that? Good. I read it myself, of course.
Of course, me being me, I set myself to analyse it as thoroughly as I could in order to get the most information on what the First Edition was like. And then I was reminded of this post. (Sorry, link -time today, read it).
http://adept-press.com/ideas-and-discourse/other-essays/naked-went-the-gamer/
Why? Because the tales, as written in the First Edition of Brother Grimm's Tales, were pop-fantasy in its purest form. Popular fantasy by popular demand... including women at the time and what they dreamed (and dreaded) for.
So it had sex, almost all consensual, and it had violence, but not mindless violence for violence's sake (although the standard for what is worth killing for was slightly different back then-more relaxed, one might say). But still, these were pretty normal characters for those people - probably mostly women, yeah - that were telling the stories.
Oh, and there was magic and superpowers. And it was probably a "tale of the day" format.
By now you might have guessed my answer to the question in this post's title. The modern-day scions of the fairy tales are the urban fantasy stories. Especially if they're series.
Dresden Files, Lost Girl, Vampire Diaries, all the Ann Rice books... and yes, Anita Blake and Fifty Shades of Whatever (there are probably enough imitations with similar titles that you can pick whatever). They feature pretty normal people that deal with the same everyday issues. And they have magic at their disposal, or against them, because many readers find magic fun.
Please note, I'm not debating which of these series actually have good or at least decent story, characters, or whatever... it's besides the point. What I'm saying is that they're filling the same niche.
The problem, and it is a problem, is when people react like the Grimms:
"Eww, sex in my fantasy...how gross!"
Really? Is that the best we can do? One would think sexuality should be accepted as one of the primary motivators of humanity's behaviour by now! So why should it be kept out of the stories? (And yes, it can be used poorly. Everything can. If we avoided stuff because it can be misused, we should stop telling stories right now!)
Showing posts with label Folk Tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Folk Tales. Show all posts
Friday, 6 June 2014
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Wuxia tale, totally UNoriginal: Guess which country is this tale actually from?
I wanted to illustrate that yes, Eastern and Western tales aren't so far apart. To this goal, I wrote my own wuxia tale. Here it is... Can you guess which tale am I re-telling, wuxia-style?
It doesn't count if you already knew the answer!
"There was Li, the son of a farmer, was born in his village. Due to serious illness in his youth, he was unable to walk until the age of 33. He could only lie on a Northern oven, gathering Yang energy, until he was miraculously healed by two pilgrims. Then, secure in his amassed Yang energy which he now could use to fight and not to prolong his life, he went on to challenge the wandering xia known as the Sacred Mountain.
Turned out, the Sacred Mountain was almost a mountain in his own right! Albeit sleeping, he was a master of Golden Bell and remained unhurt from Li's attack, after Li went to hit him with his iron rod. Instead, he grabbed Li and put him in his pocket, so he could finish his sleep.
After awaking, they talked and became friends. But they only wandered so long together: Li and Sacred Mountain found a coffin, and it was a giant stone coffin! Both had a premonition, with celestial spirits and dragons descending from Heavens to imply that it is for Sacred Mountain. But what would a living man need a coffin for?
Li managed to lie down in the coffin first, but it was too large for him. It did, however, fit Sacred Mountain perfectly. When the giant xia closed the lid, it sealed to the coffin. Before it sealed completely, however, he did manage to infuse his breath with part of his powerful Chi, and give it to Li. His breath was the only part of him that could still leave the coffin!
Li went on to serve prince Wan the Fair Sun. Along the way he single-handedly defended a city from nomadic invasion and was offered honours by the local ruler, but Li declined to stay. In the forests, he killed the forest-dwelling monster Nightingale the Robber, who could stun or even murder travellers with his powerful whistle! The monster was a heterodox monk who, in emulating the Chi of birds, had developed partial bird like features! On one hand, he was able to fly, on the other, despite having a human family, he lived in a nest, and received drinks with his hands.
Nightingale the Robber was said to live in a forest and would sit in a tree by the road to Beijing, and stun strangers with his powerful whistle. He was recognised by his scream, "All the grasses and meadows become entangled, the azure flowers lose their petals, all the dark woods bend down to the earth, and all the people there lie dead!"
It was a mighty battle! Nightingale the Robber levelled half the forest - but he was defeated by Li by his thrown daggers, who struck him in the eye and temple, then dragged the defeated villain to Wan. He wished to hear Nightingale the Robber whistle, but the creature claimed he was too wounded to whistle. Nightingale the Robber requested wine to drink so that his wounds would disappear, then he would whistle for the prince. When he whistled all of Wan's palaces were destroyed and many lay dead. After this, Li took Nightingale the Robber into an open field and cut off his head.
In Kiev, Ilya was declared Wulin Senior, Hero of the army, by the Prince. He defended his country from numerous attacks by the steppe people, including the Golden Horde's chief. Generous and simple-minded but also temperamental due to his excessive Yang, Li once went on a rampage and destroyed all the pagodas in Beijing, after Prince Wan failed to invite him to a celebration. He was soon appeased when the prince sent for him, though."
The answer would be given in the comments, if anyone comments.
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