Reading Notes: Lang, Part A
The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1903).
The Stonecutter
Grass Always Greener:
I love how the story comes full circle. He wishes for all these things but simply ends up being a stonecutter again in the end. It also shows that there is no absolute scale of "mightiness". Just like rock paper scissors, there are different advantages that certain entities have over one another, but none is all-powerful.
Not Granting the Wish:
I wonder if there is a story where the spirit or genie just does not want to grant the wish. That could be because it is something bad and the genie tries his best to prevent it, or it could just be a wacky wish and the spirit is trying to look out for the person wishing. This may be an interesting topic to think about or a potential story.
Personability:
I think making the spirit of the mountain more personable would add to the story. In a lot of the Arabian Nights tales, the genius tends to be more human-like in their personality and has its own goals. The spirit of the mountain seems to be this cosmic force that is hard to relate to. Maybe giving motivation to the spirit or some commentary into its thoughts would be a good exploration to do.
Story Plan:
I think the story that I'm going to write will be from the mountain spirit's point of view. The man will ask for something ridiculous. I'm not sure what that is yet. The mountain spirit will be so baffled that he finds loopholes as to not grant the exact wish of the man. I'll have to start spinning up some creativity to think of the man's wishes!
The Stonecutter
Grass Always Greener:
I love how the story comes full circle. He wishes for all these things but simply ends up being a stonecutter again in the end. It also shows that there is no absolute scale of "mightiness". Just like rock paper scissors, there are different advantages that certain entities have over one another, but none is all-powerful.
Rock Paper Scissors diagram. Source: Wikimedia
Not Granting the Wish:
I wonder if there is a story where the spirit or genie just does not want to grant the wish. That could be because it is something bad and the genie tries his best to prevent it, or it could just be a wacky wish and the spirit is trying to look out for the person wishing. This may be an interesting topic to think about or a potential story.
Personability:
I think making the spirit of the mountain more personable would add to the story. In a lot of the Arabian Nights tales, the genius tends to be more human-like in their personality and has its own goals. The spirit of the mountain seems to be this cosmic force that is hard to relate to. Maybe giving motivation to the spirit or some commentary into its thoughts would be a good exploration to do.
Story Plan:
I think the story that I'm going to write will be from the mountain spirit's point of view. The man will ask for something ridiculous. I'm not sure what that is yet. The mountain spirit will be so baffled that he finds loopholes as to not grant the exact wish of the man. I'll have to start spinning up some creativity to think of the man's wishes!
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