Myth-Folklore Unit: Dante's Inferno

Overview. This journey though "Inferno" (Italian for "Hell") is part of Dante Alighieri's medieval epic poem, the "Divine Comedy." After Dante makes his way through Hell, he then travels to "Purgatorio" (Purgatory) and "Paradiso" (Paradise), and it is this happy conclusion in paradise that led Dante to label the epic a "comedy." The Inferno, however, is as far removed from Paradise as a place can be, and it is filled with sinners suffering torments which Dante describes in excruciating detail. In this selection of episodes (from Tony Kline's prose translation, Dante's Divine Comedy), you will see Dante encounter his Italian contemporaries, such as the adulterous lovers Paolo and Francesca, and he will also meet figures from ancient history, including his guide through hell: the Roman epic poet Virgil. While Dante's vision of hell is founded on Christian theology, it is populated with many figures from ancient mythology, and Dante's creative blending of Christian and Greco-Roman culture makes the Divine Comedy one of the most original and influential storytelling experiments in the history of world literature.

Language. This is a translation of Dante's Italian poem into modern English prose. Dante's story is dense and full of details, but the language itself should not prove difficult.

Story Length. This is one continuous story as Dante moves from one circle of hell to the next until his final encounter with Satan.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Dante's Inferno. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. If you would like to see an English verse translation that imitates Dante's poetic style, then see the Allen Mandelbaum translation which is available here: World of Dante: Inferno.

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READING A:

1. Dante and Virgil
2. The Gate of Hell and Charon
3. Limbo
4. Poets and Philosophers, Heroes and Heroines
5. Paolo and Francesca
6. Cerberus and Plutus
7. Fortune and Phlegyas
8. The Fallen Angels
9. The Furies and the Heretics

READING B:

1. The Minotaur and the Centaurs
2. The Harpies and Capaneus
3. The Old Man of Crete and Geryon
4. Descending on Geryon's Back
5. Jason and the Demons
6. Caiaphas
7. Ulysses and Diomede
8. The Giants
9. Ugolino
10. Satan

(Dante and Virgil, by Delacroix)

Myth-Folklore Unit: The Decameron by Boccaccio

Overview. Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron ("The Ten Days") is a lively experiment in storytelling: seven young women and three young men have fled from Florence during the time of the Black Death around the year 1350. Each person tells one story for ten days in a row, resulting in one hundred stories; you will read eight of those stories here. Boccaccio delighted in stories that satirized the lascivious behavior of outwardly pious monks, and three of the stories explore that theme. There are also four love stories, all of them very dramatic... and very tragic. There is also a wisdom tale, a story about the Sultan Saladin and a wise Jew who ponder the relative merits of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, a topic that was of great interest in medieval Europe as it remains so even now, almost seven hundred years later. This translation, which is by J. M. Rigg, has a free audiobook version available too!

Language. This is a modern English translation of Boccaccio which stays very close to Boccaccio in the style and sentence structure. It might feel a bit old-fashioned, but it is also very lively and should not be too difficult to read.

Story Length. This unit contains stories of varying lengths, with single-page stories, along with stories that are two, three, or four pages long.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Decameron.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. Melchisedech and Saladin
2. The Monk and His Abbot
3. The Monk and His Abbot (cont.)
4. The Adventures of Ferondo
5. The Adventures of Ferondo (cont.)
6. The Adventures of Ferondo (cont. again)
7. The Adventures of Ferondo (end)

READING B:

1. Dom Felice and Fra Puccio
2. Dom Felice and Fra Puccio (cont.)
3. The Pot of Basil
4. Simona and Pasquino
5. Girolamo and Salvestra
6. Girolamo and Salvestra (cont.)
7. Girolamo and Salvestra (end)
8. The Heart of Guillaume de Cabestaing

(The Decameron, Waterhouse)

Myth-Folklore Unit: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

Overview. The author of the French story collection known as The Heptameron is Margaret, Queen of Navarre, who was the sister Francis I, the King of France. From the time that her brother assumed the throne in 1515, Margaret was one of the most powerful women in France, as well as being a great patron of literature. In 1545, she commissioned a French translation of Boccaccio's Decameron, and that book inspired her own storytelling experiment in which travelers must halt their journey because of a washed-out bridge; to amuse themselves while they wait for the bridge to be repaired, they each tell one story a day, just as in Boccaccio's Decameron. The book was unfinished when Margaret died in 1547, so it contains only 72 stories (hence the title, Heptameron = "Seven Days"), and you will read twelve of those stories here. Unlike the folktales in Boccaccio, Margaret's stories here are more like urban legends — Renaissance urban legends — because they are all supposedly true, involving the romantic scandals of persons who are known to the storytellers... or so they claim!

Language This is a modern English translation, and it should not pose difficulties in reading.

Story Length. This unit consists of single-page stories and stories that are two pages long.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: The Heptameron.

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READING A:

1. The Boatwoman and the Monks
2. The Lady from Milan and Her Lover
3. The Lady from Milan and Her Lover (cont.)
4. A Villager, His Wife, and the Priest
5. The Virgin with Child
6. The Virgin with Child (cont.)
7. The Monks and the Butcher
8. The President of Grenoble's Revenge
9. The President of Grenoble's Revenge (cont.)

READING B:

1. The Haunted House
2. Brother and Brother-in-Law
3. Brother and Brother-in-Law (cont.)
4. The Spanish Widow
5. The Woman and the Chanter
6. The Woman and the Chanter (cont.)
7. Secrets Revealed
8. Woman on Her Death-Bed

(Heptameron book cover)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Kalevala

Overview. This unit contains episodes from the Kalevala, an epic poem of the Finnish people which was compiled in the 19th century by Elias Lonnrot based on the oral poetry he collected from traditional epic singers in Finland and Lapland. The selections that you will read here focus on the exploits of the "first man," Väinämöinen, who is a culture hero and wizard. You will read about Väinämöinen's competition with the young man Joukahainen, his tragic love for Joukahainen's sister Aino, and also his role in the forging of the magical Sampo. The Kalevala singers used a trochaic tetrameter form, and the English translation follows the Finnish meter and style, allowing you to experience the use of "oral formulaic composition" in the songs. There is an audiobook version available, and I would strongly recommend that you listen to at least part of the story read out loud in order to get a sense of the dense and complex repetitions that this oral formulaic style of poetry relies on: the effect can be very powerful!

Language. This is translation of the Finnish epic poem into English verse that closely imitates the style of the Finnish original which is strongly oral epic verse. It's quite different from the sort of poetry you might have read in English class before, so take a look and see what you think: it is highly rhythmic and full of repetitions, as is typical of oral poetry.

Story Length. This is a continuous story, narrating Väinämöinen's adventures in a series of episodes where one episode leads to the next.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Kalevala. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. Joukahainen and Väinämöinen
2. Joukahainen and Väinämöinen (cont.)
3. Joukahainen and Väinämöinen (cont. again)
4. Joukahainen and Väinämöinen (end)
5. Väinämöinen and Aino
6. Väinämöinen and Aino (cont.)
7. Väinämöinen and Aino (end)
8. Väinämöinen Goes Fishing
9. Väinämöinen Goes Fishing (cont.)

READING B:

1. Joukahainen's Revenge
2. Joukahainen's Revenge (cont.)
3. Väinämöinen and the Mistress of Pohjola
4. Väinämöinen and the Mistress of Pohjola (cont.)
5. Väinämöinen and the Mistress of Pohjola (end)
6. Forging the Sampo
7. Forging the Sampo (cont.)
8. Forging the Sampo (end)

(Aino, by A. Gallen-Kallela)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Overview. There are four different Grimm units to choose from, each taken a different English-language version. This selection (from Dan Ashliman's Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales) features both familiar and unfamiliar stories, although I am guessing these are mostly less familiar stories. If you want to read the Grimm versions of Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, or The Elves and the Shoemaker, you will find those stories here, and you will also find some other fabulous stories: there is the mysterious murder mystery in The Singing Bone, along with lots of animal stories, including some great animal tricksters (Cat and Mouse in Partnership, The Hare and the Hedgehog), plus a classic fairy-tale story, The Seven Ravens. Finally, there is some Bible-based folklore here, with the story of Eve's Unequal Children, which is about the life of Adam and Eve after they are expelled from Paradise.

Language. This is a contemporary English prose translation of the Brothers Grimm, so it should not pose any real difficulties.

Story Length. The stories in this unit are all single-page stories.

Choosing Between Units. There are four different Grimm units: the Ashliman and LibriVox units contain shorter, less familiar stories (and the LibriVox one has audio recordings), while the Crane and Hunt units contain longer, more familiar stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Grimm (Ashliman). Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. There is a Grimm Index page for all the fables in the four Grimm units in this course, and you can use this link to see the four different Grimm units listed on a single page.

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READING A:

1. Cat and Mouse in Partnership
2. The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids
3. The Seven Ravens
4. Little Red Cap
5. The Singing Bone
6. The Elves
7. Herr Korbes
8. Old Sultan
9. Rumpelstiltskin

READING B:

1. The Fox and the Cat
2. The Little Lamb and the Little Fish
3. Simeli Mountain
4. Lazy Heinz
5. The Duration of Life
6. Death's Messengers
7. Eve's Unequal Children
8. The Gifts of the Little People
9. The Hare and the Hedgehog
10. The Peasant and the Devil

(The Seven Ravens, by H. Vogel)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Brothers Grimm (Crane)

Overview. There are four different Grimm units taken from four different English-language sources. This selection (from Lucy and Walter Crane's Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm) features longer stories, like the famous tales of Cinderella (called Aschenputtel in German) and Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves. There are also two other classic fairy-tale type stories: The Six Swans, the tale of a woman who is on a quest to free her brothers who have been turned into swans, and King Thrushbeard, the story of a proud princess who thinks she is too good for all the men who are seeking her hand in marriage. In the "not safe for children" category is the horrifying tale of The Robber Bridegroom, and also for grown-up audiences is the hilarious story The Fisherman and His Wife, along with the humorous tale of The Three Spinsters.

Language. This is a contemporary English prose translation of the Brothers Grimm, so it should not pose any real difficulties.

Story Length. This unit contains longer stories that are either two, three or four pages in length.

Choosing Between Units. There are four different Grimm units: the Ashliman and LibriVox units contain shorter, less familiar stories (and the LibriVox one has audio recordings), while the Crane and Hunt units contain longer, more familiar stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Brothers Grimm (Crane). Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. There is a Grimm Index page for all the fables in the four Grimm units in this course, and you can use this link to see the four different Grimm units listed on a single page.

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READING A:

1. The Fisherman and His Wife
2. The Fisherman and His Wife (cont.)
3. The Fisherman and His Wife (cont. again)
4. The Fisherman and His Wife (end)
5. Aschenputtel
6. Aschenputtel (cont.)
7. Aschenputtel (end)
8. The Robber Bridegroom
9. The Robber Bridegroom (cont.)

READING B:

1. The Six Swans
2. The Six Swans (cont.)
3. The Six Swans (end)
4. King Thrushbeard
5. King Thrushbeard (cont.)
6. The Three Spinsters
7. Snow-White
8. Snow-White (cont.)
9. Snow-White (cont. again)
10. Snow-White (end)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Brothers Grimm (Hunt)

Overview. There are four different Grimm units taken from four different English-language sources. This selection (from Margaret Hunt's Household Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm) features some longer stories, including some very famous ones, such as Hansel and Grethel and the story of the two sisters Snow-White and Rose-Red. There are also other classic fairy tales like Allerleirauh, which is about a Cinderella-like heroine, and Bearskin, the marvelous tale of a man who makes a bizarre bargain with the Devil involving a bearskin and fabulous wealth. You will also find stories here about unusual heroes, like little Thumbling who, true to his name, is no bigger than your thumb, or Hans the Hedgehog, one of my favorite Grimm characters of all time: Hans is half-hedgehog and half-boy, plays the bagpipes, and is a seriously dangerous character!

Language. This is a contemporary English prose translation of the Brothers Grimm, so it should not pose any real difficulties.

Story Length. This unit consists of longer stories that are two, three or four pages in length.

Choosing Between Units. There are four different Grimm units: the Ashliman and LibriVox units contain shorter, less familiar stories (and the LibriVox one has audio recordings), while the Crane and Hunt units contain longer, more familiar stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Brothers Grimm (Hunt). Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. There is a Grimm Index page for all the fables in the four Grimm units in this course, and you can use this link to see the four different Grimm units listed on a single page.

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READING A:

1. Hansel and Grethel
2. Hansel and Grethel (cont.)
3. Hansel and Grethel (cont. again)
4. Hansel and Grethel (end)
5. Thumbling
6. Thumbling (cont.)
7. Thumbling (end)
8. Allerleirauh
9. Allerleirauh (cont.)
10. Allerleirauh (end)

READING B:

1. Bearskin
2. Bearskin (cont.)
3. Hans the Hedgehog
4. Hans the Hedgehog (cont.)
5. Hans the Hedgehog (end)
6. Snow-White and Rose-Red
7. Snow-White and Rose-Red (cont.)
8. Snow-White and Rose-Red (end)

(Hansel and Grethel)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Grimm (LibriVox)

Overview. There are four different Grimm units taken from four different English-language sources. This selection is the one that has free audio recordings from LibriVox (Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm) for all of the stories. You will find some familiar stories here such as The Frog Prince and Rapunzel, along with Sleeping Beauty (called "Briar Rose" in this version), plus the marvelous Musicians of Bremen. There some classic fairy tales here too, such as the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, plus several comical tales, like the story of The Straw, The Coal, and the Bean who set out on a journey together, or The Mouse, The Bird and The Sausage who decide to set up house together as roommates. There are also animal tales featuring the trickster fox, as well as the story of the valiant willow-wrens and their tiny insect allies who fight a war against the bear and his animal army. The fox plays a role in that story too, but he is "outfoxed" by the birds and insects this time!

Language. This is a contemporary English prose translation of the Brothers Grimm, so it should not pose any real difficulties.

Story Length. This unit consists of single-page stories.

Choosing Between Units. There are four different Grimm units: the Ashliman and LibriVox units contain shorter, less familiar stories (and the LibriVox one has audio recordings), while the Crane and Hunt units contain longer, more familiar stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Grimm (Librivox). Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. There is a Grimm Index page for all the fables in the four Grimm units in this course, and you can use this link to see the four different Grimm units listed on a single page.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. The Frog Prince
2. Rapunzel
3. The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
4. The Mouse, The Bird, and The Sausage
5. The Travelling Musicians
6. Clever Elsie
7. Briar Rose

READING B:

1. The Queen Bee
2. The Twelve Huntsmen
3. Jorinda and Jorindel
4. The Fox and the Horse
5. The Twelve Dancing Princesses
6. The Turnip
7. The Willow-Wren and the Bear

(illustration by R. Anning Bell)