"This means that the myth of romance, though closely related to the myth of Christianity, and for centuriescontemporary with it, should not be thought of as derived from it." Frye pg 88
I just wanted to say that I loved the presentations in class on friday. They were hilarious! It didn't feel like we were in class. It felt more like story time at school. Everyone did a great job. All the stories were unique and almost all of them made me laugh in one way or another.
Alex's presentation made me laugh so hard! Nice job, Alex.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Modern Day Fairy Tale
"In any case there are escapes and ascents as well as descents, both for the heroine herself and for those she helps." Frye pg 89
Jenna Theisen
Dr. Sexson
Oceans of
Stories
February 22,
2012
Modern Fairy Tale
Beth and her friends were talking one
day outside a theater. They just saw a movie of a remake of the Cinderella
story. Her friends forced her to go. She hated fairy tales. The only way they
could get her to go, was to promise her popcorn and a large latte afterwards.
It wasn’t that she hated all fairy tales. She just didn’t like the mushy love
stories. She didn’t think that was reality. There was no way true love could
awaken someone from a deep sleep or a man could find the woman of his dreams by
finding an old shoe she lost. No. She was a realist.
Her friends kept their promise of
the latte afterwards, so they all walked down to the local coffee shop. While
ordering her double espresso, Beth saw the most hideous young man she had ever
seen. He was staring at her from the corner table and was wearing a dirty ball
cap with the logo worn out. He had braces on his teeth and holes in his jeans.
He was definitely in need of a haircut. His long brown hair was ratty and his
overgrown whiskers attempted to cover the acne-filled face. Yeah. He was a
winner.
She grabbed her coffee and that is when
he came up to her. She was so embarrassed to be seen with such an ugly guy,
especially with her friends watching. She was used to random guys coming up to
her and hitting on her. She knew the routine and had her line-of-rejection
ready. Then he surprised her. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself as
Frank. Frank bought a house near town and needed a landscape artist to help get
it ready for a housewarming party. He had heard from a friend that she was in
the business and looking for a job.
Feeling a little embarrassed she took his hand and agreed to work for him. She could
really use the business and he seemed nice enough. At least she would be
working outside and wouldn’t have to see him much.
Two days later she went to his house.
She pulled in the driveway to this huge mansion (probably previously owned by
one of those celebrities you read about in gossip magazines). He was in the
front yard filling in gopher holes when she arrived. He showed her what all he
wanted done and gave her free rein on the rest. He wanted her to use her
imagination and surprise him. Money was no object.
She worked on the landscaping for weeks and he would join her often when he had time. He wanted to learn more about the art of dirt. She was actually surprised about how much she loved to teach him and hang out. They grew to deep really close friends and talked hours each day.
He would text her random jokes to make her laugh and she would always respond
with one of her own. Her friends didn’t get it. He was hideous. How could she
like someone so ugly? It must be his money.
She was very disappointed in her friends. They were kind of snobbish. She was simply being a good friend. Besides, she didn’t care about looks. He was a nice guy. And she didn’t even
care that he had money. It wasn’t like he spent any of that money on himself.
Look at him!
But what Beth saw in Frank was much more than what her friends saw in him. He was charming--always a gentleman. It wasn’t long after that the job was finished and he was getting ready for his house warming party. Of course she was invited. Of course she was going to go. She tried to convince herself the only reason she was going was to mingle with the people and create more business.
Her friends were also invited. They wanted to go to eat fancy food and drink all his liquor. They also wanted to know who an ugly man like himself would hang out with. They also wanted make
sure Beth didn’t do anything stupid and kiss him in public. If it ended up on Facebook, she was done for.
But what they saw at the house was something completely unexpected. The guests were
all dressed in fancy clothing—the men in black tuxes and women in very elegant
dresses. But that wasn’t the part that surprised them the most. The host had
gotten his braces off and revealed a nice straight smile. She had gotten his
hair cut and shaved. He was also wearing a white tux. He definitely stood out.
Yet, the girls did not recognize him as Frank. They just thought he was one of
the guests.
All the girls were staring at the dude in the white tux except Beth. She was still searching for Frank or a drink, whichever she found first. She didn’t even recognize him when he walked up and kissed her hand hello.
This completely surprised her. When she
finally noticed who this random guy was she yelled, “HOLY CRAP!”.
Jenna Theisen
Dr. Sexson
Oceans of
Stories
February 22,
2012
Modern Fairy Tale
Beth and her friends were talking one
day outside a theater. They just saw a movie of a remake of the Cinderella
story. Her friends forced her to go. She hated fairy tales. The only way they
could get her to go, was to promise her popcorn and a large latte afterwards.
It wasn’t that she hated all fairy tales. She just didn’t like the mushy love
stories. She didn’t think that was reality. There was no way true love could
awaken someone from a deep sleep or a man could find the woman of his dreams by
finding an old shoe she lost. No. She was a realist.
Her friends kept their promise of
the latte afterwards, so they all walked down to the local coffee shop. While
ordering her double espresso, Beth saw the most hideous young man she had ever
seen. He was staring at her from the corner table and was wearing a dirty ball
cap with the logo worn out. He had braces on his teeth and holes in his jeans.
He was definitely in need of a haircut. His long brown hair was ratty and his
overgrown whiskers attempted to cover the acne-filled face. Yeah. He was a
winner.
She grabbed her coffee and that is when
he came up to her. She was so embarrassed to be seen with such an ugly guy,
especially with her friends watching. She was used to random guys coming up to
her and hitting on her. She knew the routine and had her line-of-rejection
ready. Then he surprised her. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself as
Frank. Frank bought a house near town and needed a landscape artist to help get
it ready for a housewarming party. He had heard from a friend that she was in
the business and looking for a job.
Feeling a little embarrassed she took his hand and agreed to work for him. She could
really use the business and he seemed nice enough. At least she would be
working outside and wouldn’t have to see him much.
Two days later she went to his house.
She pulled in the driveway to this huge mansion (probably previously owned by
one of those celebrities you read about in gossip magazines). He was in the
front yard filling in gopher holes when she arrived. He showed her what all he
wanted done and gave her free rein on the rest. He wanted her to use her
imagination and surprise him. Money was no object.
She worked on the landscaping for weeks and he would join her often when he had time. He wanted to learn more about the art of dirt. She was actually surprised about how much she loved to teach him and hang out. They grew to deep really close friends and talked hours each day.
He would text her random jokes to make her laugh and she would always respond
with one of her own. Her friends didn’t get it. He was hideous. How could she
like someone so ugly? It must be his money.
She was very disappointed in her friends. They were kind of snobbish. She was simply being a good friend. Besides, she didn’t care about looks. He was a nice guy. And she didn’t even
care that he had money. It wasn’t like he spent any of that money on himself.
Look at him!
But what Beth saw in Frank was much more than what her friends saw in him. He was charming--always a gentleman. It wasn’t long after that the job was finished and he was getting ready for his house warming party. Of course she was invited. Of course she was going to go. She tried to convince herself the only reason she was going was to mingle with the people and create more business.
Her friends were also invited. They wanted to go to eat fancy food and drink all his liquor. They also wanted to know who an ugly man like himself would hang out with. They also wanted make
sure Beth didn’t do anything stupid and kiss him in public. If it ended up on Facebook, she was done for.
But what they saw at the house was something completely unexpected. The guests were
all dressed in fancy clothing—the men in black tuxes and women in very elegant
dresses. But that wasn’t the part that surprised them the most. The host had
gotten his braces off and revealed a nice straight smile. She had gotten his
hair cut and shaved. He was also wearing a white tux. He definitely stood out.
Yet, the girls did not recognize him as Frank. They just thought he was one of
the guests.
All the girls were staring at the dude in the white tux except Beth. She was still searching for Frank or a drink, whichever she found first. She didn’t even recognize him when he walked up and kissed her hand hello.
This completely surprised her. When she
finally noticed who this random guy was she yelled, “HOLY CRAP!”.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Modern Fairytale?
I am kind of having a difficult time coming up with just ONE fairytale to do my skit/story on. I love a combination of all. I guess I will have to narrow it down to three stories and choose which one is the best. I hope everyone else has more luck than me on this.
Abu Kasim's Slippers
While reading this story, I was a little confused. I mean, I loved it. Don't get me wrong. But I thought the slippers were the old ones. For some reason I had in my mind that after his old slippers were taken (and then returned to him) they were cursed. I did not know it was a new pair of slippers. I thought the moral of the story was to be loyal to the things you love or karma will come back and bite you in the toosh. I guess the real moral of the story is not to be too cheap. Those are completely opposite morals. OOPS!
Romance Requirements
There are a few requirements that a Romance must have.
1. Happy Ending
2. Conflict
3. Butterfly-feeling
4. Lovable characters
1. Happy Ending
2. Conflict
3. Butterfly-feeling
4. Lovable characters
Favorite Part of Daphnis and Chole
I had a lot of favorite parts of Daphnis and Chloe. I guess I loved it when Daphnis said he would not hurt Chloe. I could not stand to cause her pain and to draw blood. That was very sweet and highly unlike a teenage boy. I thought a lot of the action parts were kind of confusing and random. I did love how they were very responsible. I also loved how Chloe's father did not allow anyone else to marry her.
The part I thought was very odd, was the part about how Daphnis went to see Chloe during the winter/spring months. What I thought was odd was the part where Daphnis kisses Chloe's dad and sleeps with him. It says on page 177 of the Greek Fiction book, "Daphnis enjoyed an empty pleasure: he thought it was delightful to sleep even with Chole's father, so he threw his arms around him and kissed him repeatedly, dreaming that he was doing all this to Chloe." Ummmm. Can you say Weird???
The part I thought was very odd, was the part about how Daphnis went to see Chloe during the winter/spring months. What I thought was odd was the part where Daphnis kisses Chloe's dad and sleeps with him. It says on page 177 of the Greek Fiction book, "Daphnis enjoyed an empty pleasure: he thought it was delightful to sleep even with Chole's father, so he threw his arms around him and kissed him repeatedly, dreaming that he was doing all this to Chloe." Ummmm. Can you say Weird???
Obsessions
I hate to admit it, but I am obsessed with a lot of different things. I just have one of those addictive personalitites. When I get into something, I am in it 100%. I cannot stop myself.
When I was super young, I used to have everything Barney. My entire outfit and room was covered with purple dinosaurs. I used to sit down in front of the television every day and sing the familiar songs. There was a line saying, "if you wish real hard, Barney can come see you." I wasted probably three birthday cake wishes on that dinosaur.
When I got older, I became obsessed with the Denver Broncos. The Barney stuff went elsewhere and the blue and orange moved in. I had posters all over the walls and ceilings, and newspaper cut-outs tacked onto my walls. Every clothing item I wore was either blue/orange, or said the Broncos on it. I am still obsessed with watching football and am always rooting my boys on. (In fact, this last year I got to go to my very first game in Denver. Tebow!!!)
I was also obsessed with Dawson's Creek. I lived for that show. I would stay up all night watching it when there was a marathon. I could not pull myself away from it. The show was very addicting. The show taught me many things and I began to grow up. My first crush was a character on the show.
I also decided to become a fan of cars. All I wanted was a Mustang. Not just a Mustang, but a 1967 Shelby Mustang. I would go crazy every time I saw a Mustang and completely go insane. I am sure my parents were ready to put me in a psych ward.
I am also a huge fan of Country Music. I have this thing where I have to buy all of a certain artist's albums. For example, my first concert I went to was Clint Black. I bought every CD he had. I still have a collection of CDs just to say I have them. This leads me to my next obsession. Every time I go to a concert, I must buy a Tshirt. I own quite a few Tshirts now, because I work at the Fieldhouse and get to see all the shows.
I am also a binge reader. Whenever I find a book or author I like, I read all of them. One of my favorite book series is the Rizzoli and Isles books series by Tess Gerritsen.
My most recent obsession is watching our Lady Bobcats play basketball. I find it to be so much fun. They are doing really well and I am getting to know the players. I even listen to the games on the radio if they are away. Go Cats!
There are a couple of TV shows i am obsessed with--Castle, Rizzoli and Isles, The Lost Girl, and Rookie Blue.
When I was super young, I used to have everything Barney. My entire outfit and room was covered with purple dinosaurs. I used to sit down in front of the television every day and sing the familiar songs. There was a line saying, "if you wish real hard, Barney can come see you." I wasted probably three birthday cake wishes on that dinosaur.
When I got older, I became obsessed with the Denver Broncos. The Barney stuff went elsewhere and the blue and orange moved in. I had posters all over the walls and ceilings, and newspaper cut-outs tacked onto my walls. Every clothing item I wore was either blue/orange, or said the Broncos on it. I am still obsessed with watching football and am always rooting my boys on. (In fact, this last year I got to go to my very first game in Denver. Tebow!!!)
I was also obsessed with Dawson's Creek. I lived for that show. I would stay up all night watching it when there was a marathon. I could not pull myself away from it. The show was very addicting. The show taught me many things and I began to grow up. My first crush was a character on the show.
I also decided to become a fan of cars. All I wanted was a Mustang. Not just a Mustang, but a 1967 Shelby Mustang. I would go crazy every time I saw a Mustang and completely go insane. I am sure my parents were ready to put me in a psych ward.
I am also a huge fan of Country Music. I have this thing where I have to buy all of a certain artist's albums. For example, my first concert I went to was Clint Black. I bought every CD he had. I still have a collection of CDs just to say I have them. This leads me to my next obsession. Every time I go to a concert, I must buy a Tshirt. I own quite a few Tshirts now, because I work at the Fieldhouse and get to see all the shows.
I am also a binge reader. Whenever I find a book or author I like, I read all of them. One of my favorite book series is the Rizzoli and Isles books series by Tess Gerritsen.
My most recent obsession is watching our Lady Bobcats play basketball. I find it to be so much fun. They are doing really well and I am getting to know the players. I even listen to the games on the radio if they are away. Go Cats!
There are a couple of TV shows i am obsessed with--Castle, Rizzoli and Isles, The Lost Girl, and Rookie Blue.
Love Song
Dr Sexson always says in class something about the main goal is to wed and bed. Well, that reminded me of a song I love. It is by Brad Paisley and the song is called You Do the Math. I posted the song and the lyrics. Hope you enjoy.
"You Do The Math"
With seven billion people in this world,
I can't believe your still a single girl,
I bet you're thinking you're better off on your own,
But the best things in life, Just can't be done alone.
It takes two to make love baby,
I'm sure of that, I'm one, you're one,
You do the math.
Being single has been kinda fun,
But I can see you with me ridin' shotgun,
I'll take you baby anywhere you wanna go,
And together we can have more fun than we can have alone.
It takes two to make love baby,
I'm sure of that,
I'm one, you're one,
You do the math.
I ain't never been a number's guy, but sure enough,
I look into your eyes and all adds up.
It takes two to make love baby,
I'm sure of that,
I'm one, you're one,
You do the math.
I'm one, you're one,
You do the math.
Daphnis and Chole Image
I think this is my favorite image I found of Daphnis and Chloe. I like it because it shows two people madly in love. It is simple. 
Friday, February 3, 2012
Happy Endings
"Romance usually presents us with a hierarchical social order, and in what we have called kidnapped romance, this order is rationalized." Frye (page 177)
Happy Endings. There is this argue as to which is better--happy endings, or realistic endings. Personally, I believe all stories should have a happy ending. Okay, so I am a romantic. But don't you think we should all be romantic? Romance isn't just lovey-dovey-kissy stuff. It is about losing yourself. It is about losing all control and escaping reality. It is about having an overwhelming sensation run through your body. Who wouldn't want that? I guess I am confused as to why people enjoy the depressing endings that are based off of true events. Isn't the world messed up enough? Don't we need to lighten it up a little? I don't know about the rest of you, but I see so much "reality" in real life that I love to escape it now and then. Stories should be a place to escape. That is the beauty of a story--it can end however you want. There is no such thing as a bad ending. We the readers/listeners have the power to end the story wherever we would like.
All of the children's stories we see or hear or even read end happily for that very reason. The happy endings bring a sense of fantasy into our world. How boring would it be if all the children read were about real events? In that case, Cinderella would have never gotten her hunk. He was rich so he would have picked some really hot rich chick to keep their pretty, wealthy genes alive. They would have a terrible relationship and both would have an affair with another rich model down the street. Cinderella, on the other hand, would be home, cleaning and taking care of her ugly stepsisters. She might find a low paying job where she has to work with her hands all day. Her body will age rapidly because of the stress and workload she puts on. She would marry the first guy who looks her way and he will hit her. She will spend the majority of her life protecting her children from their father and teaching them to work hard so they can get out. They will always be poor and end of some disease they could not afford to treat. THE END.
What child (or adult for that matter) would want to read that? That is depressing! But it is the truth. So you say you do not like happy endings. Well, which would you rather have? A story that makes you feel warm inside with closure, or a story that represents the real world and is a cycle of what is to come?
What I liked at six years old
"The detective story is, in a comic context, an epiphany of law, a balancing and neutralizing activity in society, the murderer discovered at the end balancing the corpse that we normally find at the beginning." Fry (page 137)
When I was six I liked a lot of different things. Most girls loved to play with dolls or play dress-up. Not me. I was one of the boys. I liked to play in the dirt with the trucks. I would make cities of dirt in a pile of fresh top soil. I would play football and play for both teams. There was always an odd number of players (having five kids in the house), so one of us had to play quarterback for both teams. I was fast and small and was hard to tackle.
I liked to kill gophers. I was not old enough to shoot a "real" gun, so I tried to shoot them with my BB gun. Usually that wouldn't kill them, so I got smart. I would find baling twine in the barn and make myself a noose. Whenever I would spot a gopher, I would chase it down its hole and start constructing my trap. I would make sure the slipknot was securely in tied and placed the circle in the hole. I then snaked the remaining twenty feet of the twine away from the hole, and waited. I waited...and...waited...and...waited. (The hardest thing for a six year old to do is wait patiently and stand still.) Finally a gopher would stick its head through the noose and out the hole. That is when I would pull the remaining string as hard as I could. The slipknot would pull tight around the gopher's head, so I could pull it out of its hole. Once I got it out of its hole and it was on my own home-made leash, I could do whatever I would like with it. Usually I would name it and drag it around with me. Being six, I did not like to kill cute little things. (However, my dog would usually attack it as soon as she saw it.)
These were some fun times growing up. As Dr. Sexson said in class, "I am naive." I want to escape into a different world. I still push dirt around while I am bored. I still like to throw a football with my nieces and nephews. I still like to catch gophers alive. (Although, now I usually use them as pranks.)
We cannot lose that inner child. I think that is why I love to read so much. I love to escape reality. Reality is boring. It is depressing. There are WAY too many rules. I mean, who made up the rule saying adults can't play with Tonka trucks in the dirt? The only way it is appropriate at that age is to either act like you are a kid person and play with your kids, or read about it. (I guess you could also be a closeted Tonka truck player and only do it when no one is looking.) But there are way too many rules. No matter what age we are, there is a part of us that will always be six years old.
Class Notes Part 1 Vocab
"The sense that more is meant than meets the ear in romance comes very largely from the reverberations that its familiar conventions set up within our literary experience, like a shell that contains the sound of the sea." Frye (page 59)
Fatwa: islamic symbol on forehead
Archetype: very typical example of a certain thing
Signature: individual characteristics that you bring to thing that doesn't change
Illo-Tempore: in the beginning
Senex: an old man as a stock figure in comedy
Naive: lacking knowledge
Sparagmos: dismemberment of a victim; forming part of ancient rituals and represented in Greek myths and trajedies
Chaste Group: abstain from all sexual intercourse; pure
Vulgar: lacking taste; dull
Ekphrasis: encountering in literature another work of art
Newtgangrage: varmint; bug
Daphnis and Chloe
"With romance it is much harder to avoid the feeling of convention, that the story is one of a family of similar stories." Frye (page 60)
WAIT!!! Isn't that the story of Daphnis and Chloe?
I kept reading the story and found more and more similarities. It is not until the first kiss does Daphnis have feelings for Chloe. In Dawson's Creek, Dawson and Joey (the main characters) were dared to kiss each other. She was in love with him, so of course she agreed. He thought it was stupid but did it any way. It was not until that moment did he see her as more than just a friend with whom he grew up.
It is the same with the bathing. He does not see her for her true beauty until she exposes her natural beauty to him. In both stories it is almost as if both boys were hit over the head with a two by four.
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