We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/). The Story Crossroads theme for this year is Dual Natures in Folktales Around the World – opposites, contradictions & paradoxes.
DIAMONDS-
From French Fairy Tale – by Charles Perrault…yet….
First of all, you are probably upset that we claimed “Folktales Around the World” and yesterday we had a myth and today is a fairy tale. We may need to rethink using the word “folktales” in future blog challenges. Meanwhile, we said “Charles Perrault…yet…” because the story of “Diamonds and Toads” is repeated many times around the word. In that case, wouldn’t it be a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault (this specific version) but also be a folktale that probably inspired Perrault to write his version as a fairy tale anyway? And…doesn’t this also count as a dual feature going along with “Dual Natures”?
About Charles Perrault. He proves that anyone can be a fairy tale writer. He actually was a tax collector and a lawyer. But do we talk about that these days? Not really. Or rarely. And, on top of that, he was 70 years old when he first wrote a fairy tale.
This Perrault story is appropriate today because we celebrated a 10-week one-hour program with Story Crossroads for Creative Aging. We worked with older adults and were floored by their performances. We are featuring some of them at our upcoming Summit & Festival. So, any one of us, no matter our age or background, could create stories to last well into the eternities.
What is so fascinating? What dualities have surfaced?
As if Charles Perrault is not already fascinating, there’s more! Yes, now this sounds like an infomercial.
We have two sisters who must fill a large jug of water two times a day. Not one time. Not three times. According to Perrault, two times. It’s probably because the walk to and from the fountain takes so long that any more than twice would mean less time for any other chores. These two sisters are opposites in that one is kind and one is not-so-kind. Downright rude and nasty. Yet, if we were to think of ourselves, we are not always kind. We are not always rude. We are both and battle it out all the time. So, day by day, would it be a “Diamond” day or a “Toad” day? Hmmm.
50-word-or-less summary:
Two sisters – one kind, one rude. Kind one fills water jug. Long walk! Woman thirsty. Kind one gives water. Woman-really fairy! Reward – diamonds fall from mouth. Mother sends rude sister. Old woman (fairy) thirsty. Rude! Punishment – toads fall. Kind one gets prince. Rude one chased into woods.
Finding the Story:
Information about Charles Perrault as well as Stories – found here
Diamonds and Toads (that used to be known as “The Fairies”) – found here
Shares facts and the Story from Literature Wiki – found here
Could have shared so many other resources, but stuck with three!
Please share in the comments…or anything on your mind. While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings.
As for our past A to Z Challenges…
While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has been “dual” in our offerings of our hybrid summit & festival on May 9-12, 2022 – yes, in-person and virtual – and would be honored for you to join us. Explore the schedule and register here: http://www.storycrossroads.org/Festival
Thanks to funding from National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; Western States Arts Federation; Utah Division of Arts and Museums/Utah Legislature; Utah Humanities; Youth, Educators, Storytellers (YES); City of Murray; Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) of Salt Lake County; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Clever Octopus, and 80+ businesses and individuals.