Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part B

Here I am, reading the second half of the Twenty-Two Goblins unit. I am actually quite eager to see which story finally stumps the King and allows him to finally give the monk what he wants. I went ahead and included an image of frustration because that is how I would feel if I were the King. He never grows frustrated, however.

Frustration from Wikimedia

• The first story follows a Brahman who is poisoned and dies. Who is to blame for his death? The King decides it is not the snake, nor the hawk. Not even the people who gave him the food can be blamed. He has no one to blame but himself since he was ungrateful for the food given to him.
• If I were the King, I would grow more and more frustrated everytime the Goblin says "let me tell you another story."
• All these stories are told from a third person perspective.
• At the end of the story of the thief who got the girl, the story makes sure to point out that the King is not discouraged.
• The King is able to laugh with the Goblin, despite the fact that if he gets the answer right again, the goblin is going to disappear.
• "And the king pursued him, undiscouraged. No great man stops in the middle of the hardest undertaking."
• I am a bit surprised that the King was stumped trying to figure out how the people were related to each other.
• I did not expect that the monk would be a rogue. The King did all this work for him, yet he wants to sacrifice him! That just goes to prove that you can't just be nice to everyone.
• All the King wanted with this new power was to spread the twenty-two stories around the world.

Bibliography

Twenty-Two Goblins translated by Arthur Ryder

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