Yes, I am alive

[rymenhild]

I have been neglectful about updating lately, and I may be even more neglectful in the near future. I'll be off to England on Monday morning, at which point I'll...probably fall off the face of the planet, or at least the face of this continent. Have a wonderful month, everyone. If there's anything you think I need to know, make sure to post it here or email it to me, as I probably won't be able to follow LJ during my trip.

Meanwhile, shati asked her readers to tell her about the stories that most resonate with them. I had a number of ideas, but I would say the narrative that I come back to the most often is the story of the fall of Arthur. The night before the battle with Mordred at Camlann, King Arthur dreams of the turning wheel of fortune. Fortune will take him and his kingdom down. Any dreams of the perfect Logres will be infinitely deferred. The grail is gone in any case, and Excalibur must return to the Lake, and all that can remain is the story and the memory.

Tell me about your favorite stories.

Comments

[jennaria.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite fairy tale, but it doesn't follow that it's my favorite theme: if I've discovered nothing else from my years of reading romance novels, it's that it's surprisingly difficult to turn BatB into a readable story. Beyond that, um. :flails:

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I forget the title, but it's a children's story about an animal who moves to town, and the other animals avoid him. He takes his grain to be milled, and there's a rainbow coming into the top of the mill. He calls up to the miller, who has him come up to the top of hte mill, where the miller is canning paint coming from teh rainbow. He gives it to the badger, with the comment that the paint is special. THe badger goes and does kind things with the paint, which produces magical effects relating to its color. Eventually tehre's just a little bit left of the different colors, and he leaves them with a very grumpy hedgehog, who has been unpleasant to him. He comes back to find that she's used them to make all sorts of pictures, and is finally happy.

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

I've always had a bit of a thing about Bluebeard, though I'm growing out of it. Partly this is due to the wonderful opera by Bartok, and partly due to my appalling taste in men (don't try to analyse demon lovers, run a mile instead!).

[silveraspen]

Because I am a touch lazy this morning, here's the list of fairy tales that came to mind from Shati's post:

"The Girl who Trod on a Loaf."
"Jorinda & Joringel."
"The Red Shoes."
"Allerleirauh."
"The Snow Queen."
"East of the Sun, West of the Moon."

And I left out "The Little Match-Girl," but it belongs there too. The stories that I often seem to be drawn to are those that speak of seeking and finding, usually in the face of overwhelming odds.

No, I don't suppose this surprises you.

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

My favorite stories? That's a difficult question, particularly considering that I just finished The Kindly Ones and it's sucking all other stories out of my head. I suppose the thing about The Kindly Ones is the stricture caused by nature and personality.

As you know, I've been gripped by Donkeyskin tales in the recent past -- it's tragic, it involves child abuse (which is a fact of life I am in constant need of processing), and... I can change the ending.

The other story I am drawn to is Annabel's story. Her story is always a matter of balancing: herself, what she wants, the world around her, her vision of life, etc. It's usually indicative of something, when she surfaces in my life. In this case, it's probably indicative of transition, and the need to preserve her vision of life in my own life.