On to Fiction, Folklore, and Film!

This is not a picture from Godfather Death, but it is an illustration of another, more famous Brothers Grimm tale: "The Pied Piper of Hamlin."  I thought you'd appreciate a colorful image.  Below is an image of a female coyote although Coyote is almost always male.

Today we moved onto fiction, folklore, and film, starting with the folk tales "Godfather Death" and "Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead."  Friday we will be discussing the literary short story "Love in LA" by Dagoberto Gilb.

Here are a few more questions.  In April you will be handing in a paper responding to folklore, fiction, and film.  Perhaps your paper may respond to one of these questions.

-- Compare/contrast drama/theater with fiction/folklore, using examples from our readings (including "Love in LA").  Feel free to use terms from today's cluster.

-- How does each folk tale embody the concept of orality?  (See cluster and other notes.)

-- Does it matter to you that the Brothers Grimm didn't actually write "Godfather Death" but transcribed and edited the version that Marie Elisabeth Wild told?  Why?  Why not?

-- Does it matter to you that there are different versions of "Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead"?  Why?  Why not?

-- What do you make of the father's decision to name Death as his son's godfather?  Why did he do it, passing up God and the Devil?

-- How do the Brothers Grimm depict God, the Devil, and Death?

-- Here is a link to a Norwegian story about one boy's encounter with Death: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0332.html#norway  How does it compare to "Godfather Death"?  Consider the use of repetition.  How is it different?

-- If you have read other stories edited by the Brothers Grimm, how does "Godfather Death" compare?  Here are some links.  First there is the story of Snow White: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm053.html  Then there is "Hansel and Gretel":  https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm015.html  The "Pied Piper of Hamlin" is actually the version by poet Robert Browning, but here is the version that the Brothers Grimm edited: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/hameln.html#grimm245  I'll finish with "The Girl without Hands," a harsher tale: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm031.html  Compare and contrast these stories, focusing on plot, character, narration, setting, symbols, and elements of orality.

-- Here are some audio and video versions of "Godfather Death."  What do they add to your understanding of the story?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Vh7LHzG_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYKIzID8h0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfjiDANIiGY

-- Now let's watch the video of "Coyote and Eagle Steal the Sun and the Moon."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGXRSfdObag
What does this video add to your understanding of the story we read?
Compare each story's similarities and differences (including Coyote and Eagle).

Here are a few more videos for you.  The first is "How the Coyote Got His Cunning":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d2Zh318kRY
Next is a version of a South American folktale about Coyote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay8_yzutPzM  I know you don't know Navajo, but here is a version of a Coyote story in Navajo with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2XO4ioxjII  You might enjoy seeing a live storyteller tell a tale:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suM5f12huI

What do these videos add to your understanding of the story we read?  What do they add to your understanding of Coyote?  Coyote as trickster?

How do these stories compare to others from your own culture?

Enjoy!