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Friday, June 24, 2011

Welcome to all Book Bloggers Hoppers-June 17 to June 20

Welcome to all Book  Blog Hoppers

"Hi, Please follow us so we can reach 500 followers
by our 2 year blogaverdsary-July 7-thanks
Charles-co-editor
Parajunkee's View  is once again kindly hosting the Follow Friday Book Blog Hop-Book Blog hops are a great way to meet new to you book bloggers and to keep our great community strong.  

I will happily follow back any one who follows my blog or my twitter feed-just leave a comment please


Every week Parajunkee proposes an interesting question-here is this weeks question


Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?


This is a question I am well prepared by my reading of short stories based on Irish fairy stories during Irish Short Story Week I.

 Much of the history and pain of the common Irish country people is wonderfully shown in "The Child Who Was Stolen by Fairies" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The story is short and beautifully told and you can read it if you want in just a few minutes so I will not say much of the plot.   The story is very Gothic, very atmospheric and very scary.    A mysterious carriage, more beautiful than anyone has ever seen,  is passing through the village.   When young Billie comes out to see it, a beautiful women beckons him into the carriage with an apple.    As the children look into the carriage the shadows a horribly ugly woman with face that would scare the devil sitting next to the beautiful woman.   Billy gets in the carriage.   His mother is driven to great despair as she fears Billie is lost forever.     Once and a while he seems to appear at the door to her hut, her other children say they have seen him briefly in the village.    Then he disappears for years.   One day the mother returns and sees him in her house for sure.   He is dressed in the worst rags,  is filthy dirty, and looks starved.   As the mother rushes to him, he disappears  never to be seen again.    I think this story is in part about how parents tried to cope with the starvation of their children in the great Irish famines of the 19th century in which millions died.    


Mel u

7 comments:

  1. Cory KJune 24, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Great choice! There are so many stories to choose from; this was quite the difficult question for me. I'd love if you checked out what I picked for this FF :D

    Btw, LOVE THE BLOG... I quickly became a NEW follower.

    Looking forward to hearing back from you,
    Cory @ Anti-Drug Reads

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  2. @parridhlanternJune 24, 2011 at 5:08 PM

    Not a single tale but a book load from a great writer - Italian Folk Tales by Italo Calvino.

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  3. @parridhlanternJune 24, 2011 at 5:11 PM

    Not a single tale but a book load from a great writer Italian Folk Tales by Italo Calvino.
    Ps. Am giving a book away as part of a bloghop, all invited.

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  4. dsJune 24, 2011 at 10:51 PM

    Excellent choice, mel. No one knows their faery folk like the Irish. Suspect your analysis is right on the mark.

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  5. SongJune 25, 2011 at 1:26 AM

    *shudders* These are the truly fae stories. I'm fascinated by them and terrified too!...I've mentioned something along similar lines.

    Your idea that these kind of stories were inspired by Irish suffering sounds interesting. I don't know much about Irish history...except that all thing fae sort of originated from around there...

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  6. testJune 25, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    i'm realizing that i'm not a huge fae story reader. wow, your recommendation seems scary!

    guiltlessreading.blogspot.com

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  7. Alison Can ReadJune 26, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    Hopping through. I've never heard of the Le Fanu book. It sounds very interesting.
    My Hop

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your comments help keep us going and do a lot to make the blog more interesting.thanks