Something New - Month Four

[smallhobbit]

A few new things this month:

Firstly, story_works Take A Leap Challenge for this month was a new perspective, which I wrote about here.

Plus, we've been out and about this month, visiting new places: Dewstow Gardens, Chepstow Castle and Batsford Arboretum.

Three FutureLearn courses:
Introduction to Intercultural Studies: The Branding of Culture by the University of Leeds.  This was slightly more interesting than the other two I've done in this series.  Amongst other things it looked at how brands are promoted differently depending on where in the world they are, and also the branding of a nation for tourist and other purposes, showing how selective this is.

European Empires: An Introduction 1400-1522 by University of Newcastle, Australia.  Like others of their courses, this was the first three weeks of a formal twelve week university course.  It gave a good basis to the growth of European empires.  For me the first week was the most interesting, looking at how the European states started looking further afield, and how initial exploration came about.  The other two weeks concentrated on the beginnings of the Portuguese and Spanish empires, which were of less personal interest, but nevertheless gave me new information.

Fairy Tales: Meaning, Message and Morals by University of Newcastle, Australia.  Again the first three weeks of the course.  It looked at the original written telling of Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and Bluebeard.  I enjoyed learning about the tales, and the morals at the time, which in some cases differ quite a lot from the stories we now know.  There was also some interesting discussion in the comments.  Our assignment was to briefly rewrite the story of Bluebeard, bringing it up to date if we wished:
---

I know, he’s not much to look at, and he appears to have a bit of a dodgy past, but he’s rich, and, after all, what’s a girl supposed to do?  Marry him, and have a share of his wealth, that’s what this girl did.  And throw a massive party when he was away, which, I might add, he said was okay.  He’d given me all his keys, and told me there was only one I shouldn’t use, but he told me in such detail that I could tell he really wanted me to find out what it was the key to.

Which, if I’m honest, wasn’t quite what I’d expected.

Of course, he knows what I’ve done, probably got secret CCTV.  And now he’s going to kill me, just like his other wives.  So he grabs his sword from the wall, and I grab a rapier.  I’m faster than him, and a better fencer (didn’t I tell you I fenced for my university) and I drive the point into his heart.  It was clearly self-defence, as the fate of the previous wives will attest, and I am now a very rich widow.


 

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I like your re-writing of Bluebeard! Glad your education is marching along!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - it was fun putting a new twist on the story.

[aome]

Love the modern Bluebeard story! And those courses sound really interesting, especially the cultural branding. My husband likes to talk about when Chevrolet made a car called the "Nova" in the 1970s which, inexplicably, did not sell well in Mexico or among American Hispanics. The reason? "No va" in Spanish means "It doesn't go." :P

[smallhobbit]

Thank you :)

We had the Vauxhall Nova a decade later, which equally didn't sell in Spain!

[adafrog]

Love the little ficlet.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[romanajo123]

Your courses sound fascinating!!

[smallhobbit]

They are - I always find I learn new things, no matter what they are.

[margaret_r]

That was a fun take on Bluebeard! You really are clever:)This batch of courses sounds really interesting and worthwhile.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

The courses were very interesting.

[clarasteam]

*applauds* I like your take on Bluebeard - university fencing skills FTW!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - I felt it needed suitable updating!

Appropriate icon - we looked at Grimms' Red Riding Cap, but mostly Perrault's stories.

[rusty_armour]

All of those FutureLearn courses sound really interesting. It seems like you were able to get something from all of them.

I really like your retelling of Bluebeard. It's great to see the last wife as the hero rather than the damsel in distress. I like your use of modern language and perspective. Your story is clever and has a nice dose of humour. :-)

[smallhobbit]

They were - I've definitely learnt some new things.

I'm delighted you liked the retelling - it was about time the woman got to save herself.

[luthienberen]

The courses sound very interesting! I especially liked the idea of the fairy tale one and how brands are marketed differently (one great way to learn about another culture).

I am unfamiliar with the tale of Bluebeard (I skipped most pirate tales growing up...oops), but still enjoyed your retelling! Must read the original now to ha.

[smallhobbit]

The fairy tale one was very interesting - seeing how the stories have changed over the centuries to fit in with different cultures.

Bluebeard isn't a pirate - the fact he has a blue beard is supposed to indicate something about his nature.

[luthienberen]

Ah...thanks for the correction! I assumed (never a good thing!) so glad to know better.

From what you describe the fairy tale one is indeed illuminating and fascinating. Rewriting a tale is a nice way to continue the tradition 😀

[luthienberen]

Eep just read the tale on Wikipedia. Ugh. Like your version even better!

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it's not a pleasant tale!