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fandomhigh2011-06-15 03:12 am
steel-not-glass.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2011-06-15 03:12 am
Entry tags:
Sex And Candy, Wednesday, Second Period
"Transformations are something that most of us here on Fandom know a little bit about," Cindy said wryly once class started. "Whether it turning into an animal for a few days or spending a weekend as someone entirely different--" and that was the closest she was going to get to talking about the other weekend, thanks much "--it seems to happen fairly often to people on this island. Of course, such transformations have their root in history and myth as well, dating long before the island was a school and fairy tales were written down."
She held up a stack of handouts for her TAs to pass outif they were there. It appeared to be a heavy reading day. "Greek mythology is full of such stories, most of them acting as an origin story of some kind. Either out of punishment or pity, a god turns a mortal into something new and that is how we end up with spiders, nightingales, laurel leaves and the like. Other times, it is used as trickery, to teach a mortal a lesson, or to hide improper activities from the eyes of other gods, as in the case of most of Zeus's transformations. Sometimes, it even happens accidentally, as is the case of Tiresias."
"But transformations extend beyond mythology--certainly beyond just Greek mythology; it's everywhere, especially the Celts--and into the realm of fairy tales as well. Often it is used as a punishment, The Frog Prince and Snow White and Rose Red being two such stories that use that trope. In yet other cases, people are transformed after their death, so that they can bring about the punishment of their murderers."
"As for transforming back, well, that gets trickier. As a punishment, the spell can either be broken by the actions of another, like the sister in The Six Swans or by learning the intended lesson and changing for the better, like the Beast in the story about the monster and the beautiful maiden. In some tales, only death can change the character back into the human form, like the fox in The Golden Bird, or the burning of the animal skin, as in Hans My Hedgehog."
Cindy leaned back on her desk and looked out at the students. "So, transformation has clearly been a concern even of people who don't live on the island. While most of them seem to be cases of involuntary transformations, under what circumstances could you see the choice being voluntary? Let's discuss."
She held up a stack of handouts for her TAs to pass out
"But transformations extend beyond mythology--certainly beyond just Greek mythology; it's everywhere, especially the Celts--and into the realm of fairy tales as well. Often it is used as a punishment, The Frog Prince and Snow White and Rose Red being two such stories that use that trope. In yet other cases, people are transformed after their death, so that they can bring about the punishment of their murderers."
"As for transforming back, well, that gets trickier. As a punishment, the spell can either be broken by the actions of another, like the sister in The Six Swans or by learning the intended lesson and changing for the better, like the Beast in the story about the monster and the beautiful maiden. In some tales, only death can change the character back into the human form, like the fox in The Golden Bird, or the burning of the animal skin, as in Hans My Hedgehog."
Cindy leaned back on her desk and looked out at the students. "So, transformation has clearly been a concern even of people who don't live on the island. While most of them seem to be cases of involuntary transformations, under what circumstances could you see the choice being voluntary? Let's discuss."
Re: Talk to the TAs