Storybook Brainstorming: Possible Styles

I have decided to Dante's Inferno, with a modern twist that Professor Gibbs suggested! I am going to include modern celebrities. I think this is such a fun idea, and one that would allow me to get really creative. I am already thinking of ideas to work with!

I will rewrite this Poets and Philosophers section, because this is a section where Dante uses famous people from his time period. So, this would allow me to change it and add characters of my own.

Paola and Francesca is another section that involves someone famous from his time period. I may rewrite this section completely, or I may do a modern spin on it by making the same story, but about modern people, like Kanye and Kim or something. I think this could be really fun!

Dante's guide rebuffs Malacoda and his friends

Source: Wikipedia

Some different style strategies I am thinking about are below.

Script - I could actually do this, while substituting the different characters for new, modern ones. I could write it like a play that tells the original story, but using my new characters and adding some new dialogue, in addition to some new props. 

Tabloid Gossip and Scandal -  While this one could be more difficult, I do think it has some potential. I could tell the story from a third person perspective, looking at all the characters from the view point of a paparazzi or something. I will have to give this more thought, but this is an idea that I think I could run with. 

Divine Observer - This could be really fun since my story is about the different layers of hell. I could pick a god, and tell the story from that god's point of view. This would allow me to get really creative about how they perceived different things, and would let me include some of the god's personality in addition to the personalities of the new characters that I made up. 

Minor Character as Storyteller - I could do another twist with this by telling the story from the point of view of one of the new characters that I brought into this story. Again, I think this would be a difficult style, but I also think it would be a lot of fun and something that I will consider. 

I am going to include the link to the different styles page, because I am not sold on any particular style yet, and will continue to brainstorm possible ideas.

Storytelling for Week 3: The Failed Heist

Authors Note: In Apuleius's story, the scene opens up to Lucius, who is a man turned into a donkey, in a bandit camp with a girl who got taken hostage by bandits from the night before. His story gives no details on how this came about. The bandits are all sad about their fallen friends, and lamenting about how the heist did not work out. So I felt like this gave me enough details to write a background story on how the heist happened. I knew from the few details in the story what I needed to include, and also what I needed to elaborate on. While I understand why Apuleius did not add this in his original fable, I thought that it would be fun to write and a good addition.

I chose the image because it had the donkey in it, who's perspective I wrote the story from. I thought it was a good image that helped to personify the donkey, and give the reader something to imagine as they read my story. In this image, he looks not willing to eat and work with the person, which is kind of how he is made out to be by the author.

~~~

As soon as the sun set, the bandits began to break camp and pack up their things. Lucius, the donkey, could feel the excitement in the air, for they knew that the potential for a huge payout was in front of them. He had seen them scouting the area for weeks, trying to find where the owners hide their valuables, and planning how the best way to approach would be. 

As they began to ride out, their large group of about twenty men grew silent, for stealth was absolutely necessary. Lucius was also a vital part, because they were going to use him to carry out the valuables. He really would've rather stayed at the camp, but he had no choice. As they approached the estate, they readied their weapons. They got to the back door of the house, and forced their way in. Lucius was wearing saddle bags on his back, so they brought him inside too. A few of the robbers immediately went upstairs to make sure that the guards were taken care of. The others began filling my saddle bags. 

Soon, a loud commotion from upstairs was heard. There was lots of yelling and then several guards came down. The robbers who had gone upstairs apparently had not done their job. Most of the robbers around Lucius immediately began to panic and drew their weapons. They engaged in battle with the guards while a few others began to explore other parts of the house in search of more loot. 

Screaming was soon heard as the robbers returned, one of them carrying a girl. "She tried to club me!" the robber yelled. Apparently she had been hiding and tried to strike the robber in order to defend her parents estate. He grabbed her because he could not bring himself to kill this girl. He threw her on the back of Lucius, in the process knocking off the saddle bags, and hit Lucius on the behind to make him move while more guards amassed in front of him. Soon he turned and ran, with a few others that survived the attack. The spoils had all be lost. It was an utter failure, all they had to show for the raid was a single girl. But, there was hope, for she had rich parents who would surely pay a ransom for her. 

Donkey from Apuleius's story

Source: UnTextbook

Bibliography: This story is based on Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche written by written by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline. Link

Week 3 Reading Diary Continued: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche written by Apuleius. 

Bird tells Venus that Cupid has taken Psyche as a lover, Venus is furious. Psyche is meanwhile praying to the Gods that they will bring back Cupid. Psyche is captured and brought back to Venus. Venus tortures her, then gives a giant pile of different seeds for her to sort. Ants sort them for her. She captures wool as her second task. An eagle fills the phial for the third task.

She collects the phial of beauty, but is actually sleep which attacks her whenever she opens it. Cupid rescues her, and tells her to take the phial to his mother, and he will take care of the rest. They are married, and the story ends, returning again to the donkey. Robbers decide to kill the donkey, for it has only brought them bad luck.

The donkey escapes and rescues the girl. The end of the story.

Venus chides Cupid

Source: UnTextbook

Week 3 Reading Diary: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche written by Apuleius. 

Story opens with Lucius as a Donkey. Old woman at first consoles her, then turns on her when the girl suggests suicide, saying that she will not have her young men's profit go to waste. Girl describes her dream, how she was snatched on her wedding night from her lover, and how her lover was then killed in his search for her. This is the dream that awoke her. Old woman begins to tell an old wives tale to divert the gils attention from this. 

People stopped worshiping Venus because this girl was so beautiful. Upsets Venus, so she summons Cupid. Tells Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with wretched man. Psyche's fate is transported away to a different place. In a huge mansion that is all hers, with invisible servants and cooks, all taking care of her.

Her new husband comes at night, lays with her then leaves. Forbids her to speak to others. Psyche convinces him to allow her to see her sisters. Her sisters are envious, plan to destroy her. Sisters are keeping secret from parents, have figured out that Psyche does not know what her husband looks like. Sisters convince Psyche to reveal her husband, and give her a plan on how to do so. 

Her husband is beautiful, and she accidentally pricks herself with his arrows, falling even deeper into love with him. Cupid leaves her, her sisters both commit suicide. 

Cupid and Psyche 

Source: UnTextbook