On the long ride to BC yesterday, I was able to finish Aschenputtel. (For German practice, I've been reading in a little bilingual edition of the Brothers Grimm.)
It's another rather gruesome story with a lot of mixed messages. Here's what I learned:
The advice of one's mother is worth heeding.
Fathers cannot be trusted to protect their children from abusers.
Sometimes the pretty ones are evil.
Sometimes you have to put with oppression, but nevertheless you must be on the lookout for a way out.
Prayerful grief at the graves of loved ones is dear to God.
Be modest in what you ask of other people, but bold in what you ask of Providence.
People sometimes make promises without any intention of keeping them.
Lentils are worth the trouble.
The natural world is on the side of the good.
Nice clothes matter for making a first impression, but after that not so much.
Playing 'hard to get' works.
Doing violence to yourself to fit in will backfire, and you will end up crippled and bloody.
Men prefer women with small feet.
"Men prefer women with small feet." LOL!
ReplyDelete"Lentils are worth the trouble." Could you explain that one, Brother Charles? We don't want to miss any insights!
The lentil bit is something of a stretch I guess, but the poor girl in the story has her lentils thrown into the ashes several times, and has to pick them out. I put it in because I happen to love lentils. I make them often. I once got a marriage proposal after I gave a woman some of my lentil soup, the basic style of which I got from my mother.
ReplyDeleteI love lentils, too, especially when fixed Indian style. I wouldn't say no if you posted your lentil soup recipe. It sounds like a winner!
ReplyDeleteThose Grimm stories...I read them as a kid, and boy they were quite different from the Disney versions! My teenagers were quite amazed when I had them look at the Grimm "Cinderella" story.
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