Week II
Readings
To Have a Soul
Throughout the works discussed in class, a common theme throughout was the Idea of the soul and how this connected to the mermaids journey in different pieces of literature.
In week 2, we looked at texts by three authors, Paracelsus, Todorov, and Zipes: each of them writing in a different century. Paracelsus argues that fantasy and reality are one; there is no marveling at mermaids and monsters—they are simply a fact of life. The world is not divided into mythical and factual, but, instead, into a complex hierarchy under God. Those who have or can obtain a soul are placed above those who cannot and thus are seen as less connected to God. Todorov’s theory is one that places the Fantastic in a light where it represents the unknown. His description of the literary fantastic as a sort of overlap between the natural and supernatural worlds defined by the hesitation of the main character (and by extension, the reader) in determining whether or not their experience was a dream was fascinating on multiple levels. When a reader is experiencing the Fantastic, as Todorov theorizes it, they can fully immerse themselves within the story. Zipes explains the origin of wonder tales in popular culture and the lack of clarity that appears to be present in them. He focuses on the act of storytelling as oral tradition being passed down through generations with no real authors. His text provides a heavy critique of the Grimm’s approach to fairy tales and complicates our knowledge and perspective of their motives for putting together their collections.
