Reading Options

After reading through the Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook units online, it was very difficult for me to pick three for my reading options because so many of them sounded interesting and unique.

For the Week 2 reading, the title of the Cupid and Psyche Unit really caught my attention. I am always intrigued by a good love story and with Cupid being the god of love, I felt like it was bound to be an exciting read. When I read the overview, I saw the tale described as similar to "Beauty and the Beast", which is one of my favorite movies and stories as well as a musical I have been in. That, and the reference to one of my favorite authors (C.S. Lewis), solidified my interest in the tale. I glanced through the "chapters", read the first few, and I am already hooked on this story. I look forward to watching the story unfold!

(Cupid and Psyche. Illustration by Spencer Stanhope.)

 

The The Monkey King Unit caught my eye because initially, the title sounded fun and silly. However, when I selected the unit, I realized that it was an intense story of a miraculously gifted monkey king who trains both as a warrior and a magician and then rebels against heaven, causing Buddha to become involved. This piqued my interest both of my brothers and my father are passionate about Martial Arts and I imagined everything they have learned and studied through the years when picture the Monkey King's training. It has been exciting and entertaining to see my family become so passionate about Asian culture and I have found myself really enjoying it, so naturally I was drawn to the Asian Mythology unit. After glancing through it, I liked the writing style and tone and I feel confident that it is a piece I will enjoy later this semester.

(The Monkey King. Wikimedia Commons.)

 

The final unit I browsed and was interested in was Dante's Inferno Unit. I have actually always been interested in reading Dante's Inferno, so I was excited when I saw that this was an option in Week 13-14's literary works. I am a little nervous that this piece might be more challenging, especially of its reputation, but the topic and overview are fascinating to me and I love Italian cultures and influences. I am interested in the Purgatory and Paradise and intrigued to see how the Christian theology of hell is integrated with characters and influences from ancient mythology.

 (Dante's Inferno. Illustration by Bartolomeo Di Fruosino.)