Week 3: Brainstorming Topics

 

Topic 1: Japanese Gods and Goddesses

I've always had an interest in mythology (why I took this class). Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology were all familiar to me growing up. These are the mythical deities that I was familiar with. However, I've never learned about the mythologies from other cultures. When I read a story about Susanoo a few weeks ago, I was struck by its similarity to many Western myths I was familiar with. But I was also curious as to the backstory of Susanoo and the rest of the pantheon that were briefly mentioned in the story. The Japanese pantheon seems to be divided between the "major kami" and the "minor kami." And I think it would be interesting to retell some of the stories of Izanagi and Izanami and their children.

Izanagi & Izanami: Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).  http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/japan-izanagi-and-izanami.html

Topic 2: Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales

I've read Wilde's more famous works - The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray - and I greatly enjoyed his writing style. He was dramatic, hilarious, and vivid in his descriptions of both events and people. His dialogue sparkled. I know I would enjoy reading his fairy tales and possibly retelling one. "The Star Child" and "The Selfish Giant" both caught my eye at first glance as stories I would like to retell.

House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde: http://freebookapalooza.blogspot.com/2016/03/wilde-house-of-pomegranates.html

Topic 3: Women Pirates

Ever since reading Peter Pan as a little girl, pirates have held a special place in my imagination. I think it would be super fun for me to read about female pirates and retell or maybe even come up with my own stories about these legendary gals. Rachel Wall seems like a very interesting character especially, given her religious background. There was more information about Anne Bonny, though, who had a very dramatic love life on top of her career in piracy. 

Wikipedia page about Anne Bonny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bonny

A painting of Anne Bonny. 
https://listsdiary.com/2017/04/08/10-female-pirates-you-should-know/

Topic 4: OU Ghost Stories

This topic hits close to home. My friend used to give the Ghost Tours at OU and I know I could ask her all about the stories that could be told. I would need to do a lot more research on this topic before I could write up a story about it, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard, especially being so close to the source!

An article about the ghosts in Ellison Hall: https://www.kgou.org/post/decades-old-ghosts-haunt-university-oklahoma-campus