Circle of Friends Book Club meeting summary for September 2017
Sept 13, 2017
At the September meeting, individual members presented a variety of folk tales from cultures around the world. Some of these tales were short enough to be read aloud to the group, while others were summarized and then discussed. Members had been asked to read a folk tale with two questions in mind: what in the tale is representative of the individual culture it represents, and what aspect(s) represent universal humanity? The variety of cultures the folk tales represented, as well as their stories made for an interesting and lively discussion.
The folk tales discussed were: Dividing the Cheese (African), Tsuru no Ongaeshi (Japanese), What the Preacher’s Talking About (African-American), Thor’s Hammer (Scandinavian), The Fools of Chelm and the Stupid Carp (Jewish), and Erlkonig (German). Discussion initially focused on individual stories and their elements, as well as the way each illustrated universal human tendencies and life histories. There were also elements clearly illustrative of the individual cultures the folk tales represented, such as dialects, cultural rituals, and individual myths and legends. As the discussion evolved, participants became aware of commonalities in the various folk tales and their cultures as well. For example, humor was a common feature, as well as characters used to illustrate human qualities, both desirable and not. Thank you to all of the participants who made this one of our most informative and enjoyable meetings!