Wednesday, April 7, 2010
An Oriental Tale
This story is different from most other stories we have read. There is no moral, no good vs. evil, no king or princess, no helpful animals or other magic objects, no wishes to be granted. The story does have some kind of magic, but still, it is not the same as in other fairy tales we have read. Another difference in this story is that there is really only one character and he is developed more than usual. We come to learn more detail about the saint and his specific actions and feelings. It also feels like this story does not have the same timelessness that other fairy tales have. And it has a more spiritual theme. However, I guess it is still considered a fairy tale because of the magic and the broken spell. I don't know...it just has a different feel - it's different than other fairy tales but not enough to name it something else.
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If I were asked to classify this tale in terms of genre (before having read it in a Fairy Tales anthology), I think my most immediate tendency would be to call it a legend. It seems like a tale carrying a traditional message- perhaps not as explicit as the lessons of fairy tales, but still a wise moral.
ReplyDeleteYou say the story focuses on the development of one character; this is certainly true in the sense that the naked saint plays the lone major role. Still, the story seems to be written less in an effort to entertain its audience, and more so in order to make its readers aware of a reality common to all that is easy to overlook on a daily basis. The passage of time is here dramatized, and we are pulled into the severe situation of the saint so that we may realize our own existence is very similar. In this way, I find the character of the naked saint more accessible and universal than any tale of a prince or princess who receives guidance by critters of an enchanted forest. Thus I disagree; I think this story is timeless, and, in fact, very real. Although it contains magic, this magic is merely nature. It is entirely mysterious; although we cannot understand it, we still cannot question it in quite the same way that we do talking birds and bunnies or witches living in gingerbread houses. There are so many parts of our being human that cannot be understood, and this tale merely represents that ambiguity and wonder.