Short Story Wednesday - Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan Part 5

One hundred great folk tales and fairy tales from all over the world about strong, smart, brave heroines. A definitive sourcebook of folktales and fairytales and the first of its kind to feature a variety of multicultural heroines. Dismayed by the predominance of male protagonists in her daughters' books, Kathleen Ragan set out to collect the stories of our forgotten heroines: courageous mothers, clever young girls, and warrior women who save villages from monsters, rule wisely over kingdoms, and outwit judges, kings, and tigers. Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines. In "The Mirror of Matsuyama," we see the power of a mother's love overcome even the silence imposed by death. In "Moremi and the Egunguns," a fearless girl faces messengers from the land of the dead. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters breaks new ground by reexamining our notions about heroism. This book will appeal to parents who want to foster positive role models for their children. An invaluable resource of multicultural heroines for any school library.

Okay, I will admit it... This book is starting to drag for me. We live in a depressing world because this is the best of examples for empowering women! I keep hoping for better and it is not happening. If it wasn't for the buddy read I probably would have given up, but I do hope that things will improve as we move around the world. You can read Amy's thoughts on this questions on her blog.

Stories Read This Week:

‘The Tiger and the Coal Peddler’s Wife’ (Korea)
‘The Plucky Maiden’ (Korea)
‘The Phoenix and Her City’ (Hui People, China)
‘Sailimai’s Four Precious Things’ (Hui People, China)
‘A Woman’s Love’ (Uighur People, China)
‘Maiden Liu, the Songster’ (Yao People, China)
‘The Festival of Pouring Water’ (Yunnan, China)
‘A Polite Idiosyncrasy’ (Kwangtung, China)
‘The Young Head of the Family’ (Kwangtung, China)
‘Altyn-Aryg’ (Altaian People, Siberia)
‘The Wife Who Stole a Heart’ (Kalmuck People, Siberia)

1. We both were getting frustrated with the stories recently because they are starting to fall into certain stereotypes. Do you feel they got better or worse this week and why?

There was only one story that I found myself skimming through, but I am still just sad. There is no other way to look at it. If this is all we can come up with then we need to do better folks! The stories are better than the 'typical' stories, but they are still disappointing for me. The stories have smart women, but I think I was just expecting more. It is hard to really put it in word.

2. In 'The Plucky Maiden' the plucky maiden really just looks out for herself - what did you think of this in terms of an empowering tale? Do you think it is truly feminist?

I think the problem I have with these stories is that they are not feminist. They are making the women smarter, braver, etc, but at the sake of their integrity. I guess I would like to see women that don't have to be underhanded or selfish in order to fit into this book.

3. Starting with 'The Phoenix and Her City' and then again in a few more of the stories Ragan specifically compares the events of the story to a 'Western' feminist, what did you think of this? Why do you think it only came up now in this section and do you think this is a good thing?

Oh, man, 'The Phoenix and Her City' just dragged! I hardly even remember it! Her notes are a problem, though. I don't think these stories should necessarily be compared to other sections because it is like she is saying one place is better than another. Honestly, seeing these representations I am not really seeing much difference...

4. Following on the answer above, in 'Maiden Liu, the Songster' Ragan in the note area compares Liu to people like Jane Goodall who also studied and worked with 'another group'. What did you think of this message and comparison?

Did this comparison make sense to you? She was talking about monkeys and chimpanzees and things. I didn't get how she was even making these comparisons... It seemed random!

5. Did you like the way relationships were portrayed in 'A Polite Idiosyncrasy'? Do you see this as a fairy tale?

This story made me smile, actually. It was almost a comedy and that was refreshing, but yes, it was a good portrayal of relationships. I am not so sure it is a fairy tale, though. It could easily happen in real life.

6. In 'The Young Head of the Family' Ragan points out how stereotypical behavior can hurt women, what do you think of this? Did you see the tale as subversive in that sense?

hm, I don't think I paid as close attention to the notes as you! I do think that stereotypical behaviour can hurt women, but I didn't think this story was as bad as some. At least the head of the family was a woman and she was portrayed well. That being said, the other women were not so much. It is hard to really say.

7. What did you think of the way 'The Wife Who Stole a Heart' begins? Do you think this story is really feminist and helps women or does the women against woman aspect of it hurt?

This was a strange story. I didn't really like it at all. I hate stories where women are pitted against other women. It is not empowering when writers have to resort to that.

Previous Weeks:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Short Story Wednesday - Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan Part 4

One hundred great folk tales and fairy tales from all over the world about strong, smart, brave heroines. A definitive sourcebook of folktales and fairytales and the first of its kind to feature a variety of multicultural heroines. Dismayed by the predominance of male protagonists in her daughters' books, Kathleen Ragan set out to collect the stories of our forgotten heroines: courageous mothers, clever young girls, and warrior women who save villages from monsters, rule wisely over kingdoms, and outwit judges, kings, and tigers. Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines. In "The Mirror of Matsuyama," we see the power of a mother's love overcome even the silence imposed by death. In "Moremi and the Egunguns," a fearless girl faces messengers from the land of the dead. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters breaks new ground by reexamining our notions about heroism. This book will appeal to parents who want to foster positive role models for their children. An invaluable resource of multicultural heroines for any school library.

I wasn't thinking and agreed to do the Dune read-a-long posts on Saturdays. I knew this buddy read was expected to be posted on Saturdays, too, but I wasn't putting the two things together in my head. It came down to post twice a day, or change dates. Amy suggested just changing to Wednesday, so here we are!

Stories Read This Week:

Tales From Asia:

A Rani's Revenge

How Parvatibai Outwitted the Dacoits

The Close Alliance: A Tale of Woe

The Barber's Clever Wife

A Wonderful Story

The Importance of Lighting

The Story of Death

The Story of Princess Amaradevi

The Tale of the Oki Islands

The Monkey Bridegroom

The Mirror of Matsuyama: A Story of Old Japan

Questions That I Came Up With This Week:

1. We have now moved to stories set in Asia. What did you think of these stories compared to the other sections we have all ready explored?

I enjoyed these stories set in Asia because I don't read a lot of books with that setting. There were a few differences in the ideals of the people, but generally the stories were similar to others in the collection. I think even if you didn't know where the stories took place, there are clues in the stories themselves that would have easily narrowed it down.

2. What did you think of the stories? Did any of them stand out or bother you?

I think this section started to disappoint me. There were some stories that I did like, but when you think of the idea behind this book it is sad that women are not better represented. Several of these stories were told from a male point-of-view and were just barely criteria that would even fit this collection. This is obviously more a representation of how women are treated in Asia than anything else.

3. Between reading the stories and reading the notes included, do you find so far that these stories are good representations of women in literature or do you still think there is room to improve?
I have to admit that I am almost disappointed in this collection. There have been stories that I really enjoyed, but there have been more stories that have really bothered me. Some of the stories still rely on men to come to a satisfactory conclusion and some stories do not show women in a positive light at all. I feel like the authors felt like they had to come down to a very questionable level in order to showcase their strengths. If this is the best the world has to offer for empowering women stories, we had a long way to go.

4. In the notes for 'A Rani's Revenge', the editor quotes G.K. Chesterton: "Children are innocent and love justice; While most of us are wicked and prefer mercy." What do you think of this idea?
I thought this quote was interesting enough to mark down and then use in this question. I am not entirely sure I agree with it. I suppose it is all in how you look at it. I think it is brave, not wicked, to want mercy for people. It is not something that happens a lot in society, so when it does, it gives hope that people can forgive and move on. While children, I think they just want a story. They don't necessarily think in a way that they want justice, but they want the story to play out in such a way that it is interesting to listen to and read. I don't think it is necessarily a preference.

5. What did you think of the story 'The Barber's Clever Wife'?

This story really stuck out for me because the woman in it was so clever! She found a way to save the day over and over again. Then, we reach the end of the book and the HUSBAND is offered a lucrative position. It was a huge disappointment to read that after enjoying the story so much.

6. What are your thoughts on the resourcefulness of the character in 'The Importance of Lighting'? Was it a believable story?

I was rather surprised by this story. The original telling and thought process behind it was impressive. This is a story of a family that lives in poverty and is given the chance to have anything they want. The young heroine of the story knows that poverty exists in their household, so there is no point in asking for money because they will just lose it again. What she needs to do is drive poverty out of the house and welcome wealth in. The actual way she goes about doing this, by having her house be the only one with lights in the whole area, is a bit unbelievable, but the idea behind it was an interesting one and makes a lot of sense.

7. 'The Child of Death' was one of the stories in this collection that I had to pause after finishing because I wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. What did you think of the story?

I still think this story is strange! (I apologize for the typo in this question, Amy. I need to reread things before sending them along.) Anyway, I enjoyed the idea that if the dead has a purpose it can live on after death to serve that purpose. It is a bit creepy to think about, but interesting at the same time.

8. What did you think of the legend presented in 'The Tale of the Oki Islands'. Do you think this story is how Tokyo got its name?

I loved this story because I would like to think this was the creation story that lead to Tokyo having the name it has. A story about an empowering woman and possibly written by a woman. After some depressing stories, this gave me a bit of a hope about the lasting power of women's writing. I am not sure if it is true, but I'd like to think it was.

9. What do you hope from the rest of the stories in this section?

I am hoping for some fresh stories that are a bit more hopeful and don't rely on men. I'd like to think that is possible!

Be sure to check out Amy's blog for her answers to these questions!

Previous Weeks:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Short Story Saturday - Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan Part 2

One hundred great folk tales and fairy tales from all over the world about strong, smart, brave heroines. A definitive sourcebook of folktales and fairytales and the first of its kind to feature a variety of multicultural heroines. Dismayed by the predominance of male protagonists in her daughters' books, Kathleen Ragan set out to collect the stories of our forgotten heroines: courageous mothers, clever young girls, and warrior women who save villages from monsters, rule wisely over kingdoms, and outwit judges, kings, and tigers. Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines. In "The Mirror of Matsuyama," we see the power of a mother's love overcome even the silence imposed by death. In "Moremi and the Egunguns," a fearless girl faces messengers from the land of the dead. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters breaks new ground by reexamining our notions about heroism. This book will appeal to parents who want to foster positive role models for their children. An invaluable resource of multicultural heroines for any school library.

Today is the second part of my buddy read with Amy from Amy Reads of this short story collection. It was my turn to come up with the questions for the 12 stories that we read. You can read Amy's answers at her blog.

Stories Read This Week:

'"My Jon's Soul"'

'The Ghost at Fjelkinge'

'Little Red Cap'

'The Wood Maiden'
'The Child Who Was Poor and Good'
'The Pigeon's Bride'
'How the King Chose a Daughter-in Law'
'Marichka'
'Davit'
'Anait'
'The Fortune-Teller'
'The Tsaritsa Harpist'

1. What do you think the author of the story ' "My Jon's Soul" ' was trying to accomplish with this story?

This was an interesting story. It started off a bit strange. The main character was worried about the soul of her husband and whether or not he was going to be able to get into heaven. So, she takes it upon herself to go to heaven and make sure he will be able to get in. The idea behind it didn't really go with the whole 'empowering' image that these stories were trying for, but the conclusion did. She doesn't back down and she accomplishes her goal, so it all worked out in the end.

2. What did you think of 'The Ghost at Fjelkinge' in comparison with other ghost stories you have read?

This story actually reminded me of other stories that I have read. There were a couple aspects that were parts of other stories, at least in my mind. The being buried under the floor boards, for example, reminded me of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. Most people were too worried about the ghost to understand what was going on, but this one woman stayed until the end and accomplished what the ghost had been trying for all along.

3. How does the story 'Little Red Cap' compare to other versions of the popular story?

When I read the first part of the story, I was surprised this book was in the collection. It was the typical story and it really about a little girl not listening, getting eaten by a wolf, and then saved by a passing woodsmen. It was not until she included the last paragraph that I understood why it was in there. It changes the story.

4. What did you think of the comparison between 'Little Red Cap' and 'The Wood Maiden' in the note section? Which idea do you think stories should portray?

In the note section, the editor compares these two stories by saying that by not following the rules, Little Red Cap is punished. In The Wood Maiden, though, the daughter is rewarded for not doing what her mother tells her to do. I think both stories have merit. I always found Little Red to be about not talking to strangers and not straying off the path because it can be dangerous when you are a child. The other story, the daughter just dances and has fun. I am not sure the severity of the situation is really the same. I think you can read both of them and get two different ideas without leading children to do the wrong things.

5. Do you think the dependable happy ending of 'The Child Who Was Poor and Good' gives a positive message to those who read stories such as that?

Sometimes I prefer stories that don't have happy endings. I will be reading and hoping that the author will do something different. I read a lot and I need some variety, but rarely do we see that in books as much as I would want to. This story had that perfect ending, but I think it would give an unrealistic view of what is like in the 'real' world.

6. What did you take away from the story 'The Pigeon's Bride'?

This story didn't really seem all that different than other popular stories. It was basically a retelling of another story. The title is alluding me at the moment. The guy appears to the princess as a pigeon, but if she tells anyone the truth then he will no longer be able to visit her. So, she tells her parents and he stops visiting, so then she goes on a trek to find him and win him back. I was not crazy about this story, really...

7. How does the story 'How the King Chose a Daughter-in Law' compare to other popular stories you have read?

This story sort of reminded me of 'The Princess and the Pea'. I am not entirely sure why, but the whole time I read it I was thinking about this... Instead of a pea under a mattress, though, this young woman has to find her way out of a very elaborate maze. It was also not a princess that succeeds at this.

8. The editor compares the story 'Marichka' to 'Hamlet'. What did you think about this?

This was a story about revenge. A woman bides her time and kills someone. It started out similar to Hamlet, but it is different in the end.

9. What did you think of the male filter idea that the editor mentions about the story 'Davit'?

That's my biggest problem with the popular stories. Even when stories are written to make women seem empowering, it still falls back on the popular aspects of other stories and makes it less about the woman and more about the man.

10. Judging by the first part of the story 'Anait', did you think it was going to be an empowering story?

I think that Anait was an empowering character, but I am not sure if the story itself seemed that way. Once it was played out, though, it made a lot more sense.

11. What message does the story 'The Fortune-Teller' carry with it?

I don't think this story was the best example. It made this woman out as a con artist, which doesn't seem like a strong character to me. Yes, male characters are played out this way often in books, but I don't think women need to be showed the same way.

12. What was your impression of the overall story 'The Tsaritsa Harpist'?

I really liked this story. It was a story of a woman using her brain to come to the aid of her husband. She was not compromising herself by dressing up as a man. She was just doing what needed to be done. It is refreshing to read stories where women rescue men instead of the popular story of women being rescued by men.

And, a general question, this concludes the section of stories from Europe. What do you think these stories tell about the culture of this country and the stories that come from it?

I might seem very picky with my answers above, but I did enjoy this collection so far. I just wanted very different from the norm stories. A lot of these so far, though, read more like retellings. It makes sense because a lot of the original stories came from these areas, but I still was hopeful that this collection would blow my mind a bit.

Short Story Saturday - Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan

One hundred great folk tales and fairy tales from all over the world about strong, smart, brave heroines. A definitive sourcebook of folktales and fairytales and the first of its kind to feature a variety of multicultural heroines. Dismayed by the predominance of male protagonists in her daughters' books, Kathleen Ragan set out to collect the stories of our forgotten heroines: courageous mothers, clever young girls, and warrior women who save villages from monsters, rule wisely over kingdoms, and outwit judges, kings, and tigers. Gathered from around the world, from regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, from North and South American Indian cultures and New World settlers, from Asia and the Middle East, these 100 folktales celebrate strong female heroines. In "The Mirror of Matsuyama," we see the power of a mother's love overcome even the silence imposed by death. In "Moremi and the Egunguns," a fearless girl faces messengers from the land of the dead. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters is for all women who are searching to define who they are, to redefine the world and shape their collective sensibility. It is for men who want to know more about what it means to be a woman. It is for our daughters and our sons, so that they can learn to value all kinds of courage, courage in battle and the courage of love. It is for all of us to help build a more just vision of woman. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters breaks new ground by reexamining our notions about heroism. This book will appeal to parents who want to foster positive role models for their children. An invaluable resource of multicultural heroines for any school library.

Finally, today is the first post for my buddy read with Amy from Amy Reads. I have been very slack, but hopefully we are on track now!

Stories Read This Week:

'The Stolen Bairn and the Sidh'

'The Three Sisters and Their Husbands, Three Brothers'

'The Corpse Watchers'

'The Crookened Back'

'The Horned Women'

'Whuppity Stoorie'

'Molly Whuppie'

'The Treasure of Downhouse'

'The Hand of Glory'

'Tamlane'

'The Night Troll'

'The Grateful Elfwoman'

general / introduction

1. In the introduction Ragan talks about how little truly feminist fairy tales exist in popular culture - would you agree with this? Can you think of a fairy tale that you loved as a child with a strong female lead?

When I was a kid I never really thought about male or female. I just read for the sake of reading. She starts off talking about how Dr. Seuss is very male-dominated. I didn't notice that as an adult. (In my defense, I don't have children to read all these things to.) When I got a bit older, though, I started to really not like the popular stories. I started to get annoyed with the women in them and how they were often 'too stupid to function'. I really cannot think of anything when I was younger that really showed empowering women. It was only later when I started concentrating on branching out that I found empowering stories.

2. What do you think of the layout of the book and the way the stories are divided by country?

I think that dividing it by country is an interesting idea. It means that when it is over you can compare the stories that come out of each country and see the similarities and differences. I have to admit, though, that part of the reason this book has been sitting on my TBR pile as long as it has is the formating. I wasn't crazy about the small text, but having read the first few stories I have found it is not as bad as I was anticipating.

3. Do you like the fact that each story ends with a short note from the author?

When I read the first couple I was not entirely sure what to make of them. I didn't really understand their purpose. Once you get going, though, they are rather interesting. They make you think of things that you might not have originally picked up from the reading of the actual story.

about the stories

4. The stories we looked at this week were all set in Europe, I found many of them seemed moderately familiar. I found it surprising how so many of them were similar to tales that are more popular only here the female character is the one saving the day. Would you agree? Do you think this is a trend that will continue?

I enjoyed that the stories were familiar, but different at the same time. It was refreshing to tweak a few details and have a story that was a bit more empowering. The men still play a role and the stories are not always one-sided, but they show a side of stories that you don't see very often. I am hoping the stories will continue to be a bit familiar, but I am also hoping for entire originality, too.

5. Did you have a favorite from the first twelve that we read? If so, why did you like that one?

I enjoyed all of the stories that we read this time around. My favourite, though, was probably 'Tamlane'. I really like retellings of the 'Tam Lin' story, so I was happy to see one included in this collection. It was not that much different than the popular story, but it was still a worthy addition to the collection.

6. The stories celebrate a number of characteristics beyond the traditional Disney ones of selflessness, modesty, beauty, etc. At first I found it hard to really see the heroine as such because of this fact, but it is one of the things I'm liking best about the collection so far - do you have a favorite characteristic from one of the stories?

I think it is refreshing that there are different characteristics to these stories rather than the norm. I enjoy that the women in these stories seem normal. They are not necessarily any different than other women. They are just trying to survive and doing what it takes for that to happen. Or, not even surviving, just using their brains. I also enjoyed that they are written as smart women instead of the typical damsel in distress.

7. I found Molly Whuppie interesting because as she goes back again and again to the giants house she basically says that he lives in Spain. Do you think this was done specifically because the two countries weren't getting along and it was seen as a more dangerous place?

I thought the fact she kept mentioning Spain was a bit random. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it because it didn't seem to have any purpose. I have to admit I never considered it was because there were problems between England and Spain, but when you mention it that makes sense.

Short Story Saturday - A New Project

A definitive sourcebook of folk tales and fairy tales and the first of its kind to feature a variety of multicultural heroines, this book of 100 stories celebrates strong female heroines across time and space.

I bought this book on a whim quite a while ago, but just never got around to reading it. When it turned out that both Amy and I owned it, we decided that we should divide it up into sections and read it together. We were going to start today, but I sort of lost track of time. So, instead we are introducing the new project. I am really excited about this collection overall, so I look forward to exploring all the different stories included.

As it stands right now, we will read 12 stories for next Saturday. Then, we will answer questions on our blogs about the stories. It is essentially the same idea as my current read-along with Carl of the Charles de Lint collection. Hopefully you will join us as we explore stories of women from all over the world.