Reading Notes: Jataka Anthology
I liked that, in the story of the rabbit, the lion saved the day. Lions are often portrayed as the king of the jungle, but they are generally not merciful and kind. This one did not harm the rabbit even after learning of the chaos he'd caused.
The first turtle story is a great example of how foolish we are when we are afraid of something we don't understand. I'd like to rewrite this with something even more terrifying than a turtle. Maybe a spaceship or a foreign animal is discovered and the human race bands together to see what to do about such a horrifying thing.
The combination of turtle stories shows how an animal like a turtle can be displayed in a wise or foolish light. Humans are the same way. One person can be both smart and stupid at the same time. I could write a story of a human who is very intelligent and successful but sometimes does dumb things.
I enjoyed the characters in the crane story. One is cruel but smart while several others are foolish and hopeful. Another is intelligent and apprehensive. These would make interesting characters for another story, possibly with humans.
I loved that the wife in the monkey story was the cause of all the mischief. She had something she wanted and expected her husband to get it for her. I wonder how many malicious wives there have been to start drama in our history. I could write of a queen who orders her husband to take start a war for something she wants.
Three of the monkey stories are very similar, but the last was my favorite. A cruel father, brave and smart son, and humbled predator make for an interesting story.
The goblin story was my favorite of all of these. It would be so fun to turn this into a more detailed mystery/scary story. I think I could make this into a whole book. I'm not sure if I'll keep the town of goblins or just one. It might give more focus to the husband's reaction if it were just one couple. He'd slowly start to notice things that were "off" about his spouse.
Image Information: Turtle, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: Jataka Anthology, link to the online text.
The first turtle story is a great example of how foolish we are when we are afraid of something we don't understand. I'd like to rewrite this with something even more terrifying than a turtle. Maybe a spaceship or a foreign animal is discovered and the human race bands together to see what to do about such a horrifying thing.
The combination of turtle stories shows how an animal like a turtle can be displayed in a wise or foolish light. Humans are the same way. One person can be both smart and stupid at the same time. I could write a story of a human who is very intelligent and successful but sometimes does dumb things.
I enjoyed the characters in the crane story. One is cruel but smart while several others are foolish and hopeful. Another is intelligent and apprehensive. These would make interesting characters for another story, possibly with humans.
I loved that the wife in the monkey story was the cause of all the mischief. She had something she wanted and expected her husband to get it for her. I wonder how many malicious wives there have been to start drama in our history. I could write of a queen who orders her husband to take start a war for something she wants.
Three of the monkey stories are very similar, but the last was my favorite. A cruel father, brave and smart son, and humbled predator make for an interesting story.
The goblin story was my favorite of all of these. It would be so fun to turn this into a more detailed mystery/scary story. I think I could make this into a whole book. I'm not sure if I'll keep the town of goblins or just one. It might give more focus to the husband's reaction if it were just one couple. He'd slowly start to notice things that were "off" about his spouse.
Image Information: Turtle, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: Jataka Anthology, link to the online text.
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