Reading Notes: Lang's European Fairy Tales, Part B

Wow, so Peter Bull was just really sad, if you care about animals. I can't believe that clerk got away with killing that couple's cow that they loved so much. Like, yeah, it was weird that they thought of the cow like a son and tried to have it taught how to speak, but still. They were just peasants, and they didn't know any better, and the clerk didn't face any consequences. At least the merchant went along with it, even if only for the money, so their hearts weren't broken. That story just sucked. I don't even want to rewrite it because thinking about it makes me sad.

I liked the Master and Pupil, but I don't know that I have any interest in rewriting it. I don't think there's anything I'm just burning to change, so I guess I'll leave it alone.

The Cottager and His Cat was also a cute little story. It could be interesting to rewrite it where the young man doesn't take heed of his dream, but I think I like this story too much to make it sad.

I thought Andras Baive was pretty cool, and it could be a really interesting story to tell from the perspective of the bailiff or a townsperson, maybe a little kid. Since Andras Baive was a legend, a kid in town presumably would have been really excited to watch him get into a contest with the bailiff. I haven't really written from a child's perspective before, so it would definitely be a challenge. I would start with the kid rambling about how amazing Andras Baive is and then have him be present for the bailiff's challenge and give him a first row seat to the action, with maybe a little hint that the bailiff isn't all that he seems.

Image: Cat.

Bibliography: Lang's European Fairy Tales, by Andrew Lang. Source.