Week 9 - Reading Notes Part A

(Image drawn by Hendrik Hondius I)

The Chinese fables I read for the first reading assignment were quite Machiavellian in nature if I had to give them a quality. For instance, the story of why the cat and the dog are enemies includes themes of personal promotion and selfishness that can so easily be seen as incorrect in the Chinese culture itself. Cultural stories are often seen as ways we can interpret the values a culture desires, but I believe they also illustrate the traits they detest. The cat and dog are enemies because the cat did not wait for the dog to receive credit for retrieving the ring. This brings in more questions of how certain animals are viewed in the culture. Through all the stories we see that animals are given highly intelligent personalities with the ability to process emotion and thought. It is evident that the Chinese culture values intelligence and honor with self, but also a level of self-preservation that the other stories we have read do not include.

Bibliography: The Chinese Fairy Tale Book is by R. Wilhem and can be found on the MythFolklore Blog.