Selections from the UnTextbook

Dante’s Inferno  

Dante’s Inferno has always been a piece of literature that interests me.  Admittedly, I have unfortunately never read any of the material.  However, I am familiar with the concept and would love to actually read it during this class.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories from my childhood.  Now that I’m older I’m well aware that Alice in Wonderland is not at all a “strictly for children story”.  It has been some time since I’ve looked over the story or any of its content.  I think at my current age and academic level it would be interesting to see how my opinions regarding this story have changed.

Russian Folktales

During my past three semesters at OU I have taken a course of Russian.  The language was one of the most challenging things I have ever set out to learn.  That being said, the courses spent so much time on the language that I wish more time had been spent on the culture.  By reading this story I could get the inside look into Russian culture that I had been missing.

Sinbad

I selected the legend of Sinbad unit for similar purposes as the Alice in Wonderland unit.  This is another story that I encountered as a child, and I feel appreciating it in my adulthood would be an interesting change of pace.

Jamaican Stories

I’m not exactly sure why this unit jumped out and caught my attention.  However, the unit’s overview seems as if this unit could have some interesting content from another culture. 

"Who are YOU"
Illustration By: Sir John Tenniel
Acquired from the UnTextbook of Mythology and Folklore

My Storybook Favorites

I found my three Storybook examples from the Storybook List for Myth-Folklore.

The three I have chosen to explore as examples are: 

https://sites.google.com/site/meangirlsmorals/

https://sites.google.com/site/therealveggietales/

https://sites.google.com/site/thestoriesofcinderella/

My first example Mean Girls Morals which attracted my attention because Mean Girls is essentially the cult movie for my generation.  The introduction made this story seem like a really interesting concept.  The spin-off direction that the author chose to take is very creative.  Undoubtedly, I will be reading this story in its entirety because the beginning was so grasping. 

The Real Veggie Tales is my second example that I chose to explore more in-depth.  I was attracted to this story because of the title.  Veggie Tales used to play religiously in my household when I was a child.  The introduction outlines a story that was not anything remotely close to what I was expecting.  That being said I think the author’s approach as a psychiatrist for these misunderstood vegetables is quite a clever way of outlining his or her intro. 

Finally, my last storybook example is The Help: The Stories of Cinderella.  This storybook project strikes me as being rather different than my previous choices.  The Stories of Cinderella focuses not merely on one area of story telling; rather this storybook focuses on several different story lines from around the world.  Thus the author can highlight various similarities in global story telling, and also exemplify the differences in similar plots.  This storybook is somewhat of a statement as to how storytelling is a global phenomenon.  This phenomenon can be used to teach lessons, preserve history, or simply keep one’s imagination alive and well.

Every storybook I selected is unique and original in its own light.  These authors are all brilliant examples of creativity and good writing. After reading and thinking about their storybooks I have several ideas for my own writing as the class progresses. 

Karen from Mean Girls
From the Movie Mean Girls
Acquired from the website http://kisscosmetics.co.uk/blog/?p=114

Introduction (w/ a smudge of recruiting)

My name is Rachel Fischer, I’m a senior at the University of Oklahoma.  Mythology and Folklore is one of seven classes I’m taking this semester.  I’m graduating after three years of being in college as opposed to four, or five.  In order to accomplish that I take really heavy course loads, typically 21 hours a semester.  My major is Criminology, I will also have a minor in Anthropology, along with an emphasis in Pre-Law.  So essentially school is like a full-time job for me and at this point I feel like everything is a mad race to the finish in May.

Apart from my hectic school schedule I try to lead an active lifestyle.  My first year at the University I was a rower.  Beautiful sport, amazing team, the girls are all tremendously talented athletes; however, rowing was not for me.  I now spend my time playing for the OU Roses, the Women’s Rugby team that is affiliated with the University, but it’s a club team so you don’t need to be enrolled to play.  Rugby is an awesome sport and continuously one of my favorite parts of my weeks.  (If you’re an athletic girl looking for a team to be on… you should come try out rugby and see how you like it.  Cause the sport is amazing, the team is incredibly fun, and you can tell everyone that you’re a warrior.  Yes, I just recruited on my blog post. Whaddup!!  No seriously, if you want to play please come check it out!)

Upon completion of my undergrad it is ultimately my goal to attend law school and obtain my Juris Doctor and practice law.  I’m leaning towards interests in both family law and constitutional law.  Preferably I would attend the University of Oklahoma Law Program, because I love my Sooners.  Also, three years of undergrad, graduating at the ripe age of 20 was not exactly expected and I hadn’t intended to leave Norman so quickly.

Other than my school, my rugby, and my hopes of law school my social life is that of a typical college student.  I live in a tiny apartment with my best friend.  I own a three-legged cat named Dimitri.  I don’t call my parents nearly as often as one should.  I am surprisingly tatted for a girl of my age.  I have four large tattoos, all of which can't be seen in formal wear.  I go out with my friends and workout with my teammates.  I workout with my friends and go out with my teammates.  I procrastinate, as all college students do.  However, this is getting done really early, so maybe that’s changing!  

Dimitri Being Festive
Personal Photograph Taken in December 2014

Week 1 Storytelling: Utes and Ducks

One crisp November evening two teams squared off on a football field lit against the night sky.  Thus the chime of nine began their match of skill and strength.  Their skills were tested, both brawn and brain, to see which team could deliver more passes, plays, and points in order to attain victory.  The Utes and Ducks came out tackling, sprinting, cheering, and roaring. 

The Utes broke out, with football in hand.  Kaelin Clay was leading them to the promise of another triumph in their football fight.  With the Ducks all chasing closely behind him, Kaelin pushed harder for the end zone; stretching his legs further, pushing his endurance to reach his achievement. 

In celebration of his evasion of the dreaded Ducks, he threw up the football and crossed the finish line.  The stadium cheered as Clay celebrated his run across the end zone.  The Utes went wild with pride, as their wide receiver had simply crossed over into the end zone.  Simply crossed over, as in “You didn’t just score that touchdown that you’re rampantly celebrating right now…”

All of this because karma is forever watching down on us from above.  Karma saw that Kaelin Clay was going to be boastful and arrogant about his victory and therefore; his victory was taken. 

The lingering Ducks noticed that no stoppage had been called on the play.  In seeing this, the mighty Ducks rose from the ashes.  As they plucked up the football from its location of fumbling, and ran the ball back to their end zone and humbly scored a true touchdown of their own.  With this terrific touchdown to fuel their inner fire the Ducks rose to claim their rightful place as victors of this football fight. 

So Case in Point: You never celebrate the win too soon..

Kaelin Clay Fumbles TD

Kaelin-Clay-.jpg

Photo By: blacksportsonline.com

Authors Note:

This story is a re-write based upon the fable “The Fighting Cocks And The Eagle” from Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919)

The original fable is about two cocks in a farmyard that can no longer bear to be at odds with one another.  Following a fight one of the cocks considers himself to be the uncontested victor.  However, an eagle passing by hears the cock crooning, and snatches the cock up.  With the rival vanquished by the eagle the cock who was originally defeated makes his way to the top of the hen house and takes his place as the uncontested victor of the yard.   

My Uncontested Favorite Place

Without a shadow of a doubt my favorite place is the rugby pitch.  Not necessarily the pitch at OU, or the pitch at Tulsa, Dallas, Houston, or Austin, not the pitch at High Desert.  Simply THE rugby pitch.  Any pitch where I can play a game of rugby with my teammates becomes THE only pitch that matters at the time.  My teammates are some of the strongest, bravest, toughest, and best women that I know.  My team is my heart, and they say home is where the heart is.  Therefore, my favorite place is home, when I'm there with my team, fighting on the pitch like a bunch of warriors.

OU Rugby Pitch at Sunset -- Personal Photograph
Taken By: Rachel Fischer September 2014

OU Roses Win War of the Roses Home Tournament -- Personal Photograph
September 2014

OU Roses Win High Desert Rugby Tournament in Albuquerque NM
Photograph by: Derek Lucero 

OU Rugby. OU Roses. <3