Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

I had a hard time choosing between the Arabian Nights Unit and the Twenty-Two Goblins Unit. Both are frametale stories, which I like. I decided to go with Twenty-Two Goblins, however, because I am less familiar with it. I figured I would get more out of it if it was completely new to me. Forgive me, the picture isn't from this story at all (lol).

A Thousand and One Nights by Friedrich Gross

• I must admit... the beginning of this story is rather confusing. 
• The King is portrayed as helpful and kind rather than corrupt, as many stories do with the people in authority.
• When the King cuts down the body, it is possessed by a Goblin, or a demon of sorts. The body then returns to the tree. I don't really know what is happening.
• Now this Goblin possessed body is telling him a story.
• Furthermore, why has this monk waited 12 years to ask the King this obscure favor?
• The premise has now been explained, and I am interested to see how this goes. Based on the title of the story, I am going to guess that it takes 22 stories for the King to be stumped.
• I am finding that this King is quite patient. Personally, I wouldn't keep retrieving this Goblin. His answer to the Three Lovers story was quite nice also. He speaks of the things a father, son, and lover should do for a woman.
• Brave, Wise, Clever is a story about three men who are trying to figure out who should marry this girl, just like the last story. This one involves killing a giant.
• Are all these stories about who should be the woman's husband? Food, Women, Cotton also follows this trend.
• Each section starts with the King returning to the tree to grab the Goblin. Then there is a section cut where the Goblin tells the story. It ends with another section cut where the Goblin asks the King for the right answer.
• Finally, some deviation from who should get the girl.
• Alas, we are back to this theme of who gets the woman.
• The stories are formatted in such a way that they are easy to follow and read. Many small paragraphs rather than one large block of text.

I like this unit. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why this King is so determined to get the goblin to the monk though.

Bibliopgraphy

Twenty-Two Goblins translated by Arthur Ryder