Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Week 14 Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Crane)

Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

The Fisherman and His Wife
  • A fisherman went fishing one morning and caught a flounder
  • The flounder claimed to be an enchanted prince and asked to be released
  • The fisherman released him and went home
  • When he told his wife she asked why he didn't wish for anything
  • She sent him back to the flounder to ask for a cottage because she was tired of the old hovel they were living in
  • The fish granted it and sent the fisherman home
  • He returned to his wife and she sent him back because she wanted a castle
  • The flounder granted the wish again and sent him home
  • His wife sent him back again because she wanted to be king
  • The flounder granted it and sent him home
  • She sent him back again because she wanted to be emperor
  • The flounder granted it and sent him home
  • She sent him back once more because she wanted to be pope
  • The flounder granted it and sent him home
  • She sent him back again because she wanted to have power over the sun/moon
  • The flounder told him to go home and find his wife in the old hovel
  • There they sit to this day
Aschenputtel
  • There was a young girl and her mother died
  • Her father remarried and the woman had two daughters of her own
  • They treated Aschenputtel horribly
  • The father asked them all one day what they wanted from town and all Aschenputtel asked for was the first twig to strike his hat
  • He brought her back a hazel twig and she planted in on her mothers grave and wept
  • A tree grew and every time she would return and weep a dove would appear from the tree and grant any wish she had
  • One day the king ordered all of the beautiful women of the kingdom should attend a ball in which his son could choose a wife
  • She asked her step-mother to go and her step-mother told her if she could pick up a dish full of lentils from the ashes in two hours she could go
  • She called for the birds to help her and they finished the task in an hour
  • Her step-mother said no and then told her if she could pick two full dishes of lentils from the ashes then she could go
  • She called the birds to help her again and they finished in half an hour
  • Her step-mother told her she couldn't go, she didn't have nice clothes and couldn't dance
  • She went to the hazel tree on her mothers grave and wept and called out to the tree to let silver and gold fall over her
  • The dove brought a beautiful silver and gold dress and shoes
  • She went to the ball and her family didn't recognize her because she was so beautiful
  • The prince wouldn't let her leave without going with her so she hopped in a pigeon-house
  • They cut the house open but no one was inside
  • She had snuck out and returned the dress and was in the kitchen
  • The next day she returned to the tree with the same plea
  • The dove brought down an even more beautiful dress
  • She returned to the festival and the prince again wouldn't let her leave without going with her
  • She ran and hopped into a pear tree in the garden
  • They chopped the pear tree down but no one was in it
  • She had snuck down the other side, returned the dress, and was in the kitchen where she belonged
  • She did it for a third time but this time the prince had the steps covered in pitch so her left shoe would stick when she ran off
  • He began searching for his bride that the shoe fit
  • The eldest step sister tried it but couldn't get her big toe to fit
  • Her mother told her to chop it off, she wouldn't need it when she was queen
  • She did and crammed her foot into the shoe
  • The prince took her and then realized the shoe was bloody, so he returned her
  • He made the younger sister try on the shoe, but her heel was too large
  • Her mother told her to cut off a piece of her heel, she wouldn't walk when she was queen
  • The prince took her but too realized the shoe was bloody, so he returned her
  • He asked if there was another daughter and they said no, only poor Aschenputtel from his first wife
  • He ordered for her and she cleaned herself up, tried on the shoe, and it fit
  • He took her off and they were married
  • During the bridal procession the birds pecked the two step-sisters eyes out and they were blind because of their wickedness and falsehood
The Robber Bridegroom
  • The was a man who had a daughter that said he would give her to any man who seemed worthy
  • He met a nice man and decided he was worthy
  • The daughter never felt right about the man and didn't know why
  • One day the man asked why they had never met, they were to be married
  • He convinced her to come visit him at his house deep in the woods
  • She went and when she arrived no one was there and a bird inside gave her a warning
  • She went into the cellar and there was an old woman
  • The old woman told her that her soon to be husband was a robber and would kill her and eat her
  • She hid her and told her to wait until the night and she would sneak her out
  • The robbers returned with a young girl and begin to cut her up
  • They cut one of her fingers with a gold ring off and it fell in the daughter's lap
  • One of the robbers began to look for it but the old woman called them to eat and told them to resume tomorrow
  • She put sleeping aids in their wine and they soon fell asleep
  • The daughter and the old woman escaped
  • When the robber came to their wedding the girl told them of her "dream" and then showed the finger with the ring
  • The family and friends caught the robbers and executed them

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