Choose 4 or 5 myths, folk tales, or fairy tales and write a reflection on each of them, taking into consideration the symbolism of the stories. For your selection of myths, folk tales, and fairy tales, you may utilize this database, which is quite extensive: http://www.thrall.org/readyref/Myths_and_Legends.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., OR you may analyze myths and/or other stories included in our course readings this semester (or a combination of both).
In reflecting on the 4 or 5 stories you’ve chosen, you should think about the following: What themes are raised in these stories? How do you, personally, relate to each of them? In other words, what events in your life are mirrored, symbolically, in the myth, folk tale, or fairy tale? What insights, if any, does the story shed on your own life experiences?
One way of organizing your paper might be thematically: for example, you might choose one myth or narrative that centers around the theme of love and/or marriage, another that centers around the theme of death, another that emphasizes the stages of the Hero’s Journey, another that focuses on the interrelation of myth and memory, etc. You are, of course, free to select stories not in the database or in our course readings, but do make sure that they qualify as either myths, fairy tales, or folk tales. If you are hesitant about whether a given story qualities, email me the story and we can discuss whether it’s relevant to the assignment.