Story Lab: Parasocial Relationships

A short time ago, when I was in the middle of work, my client asked me if i knew Robert Pattinson. And guess what? I said yes, just only I watched the film series of Twilight, in which Robert Pattinson got the leading role of vampire Edward Cullen (OMG! I love him so much). Actually, I didn't have "real" relationship with him.

Parasocial Relationship

Dr. Jennifer Barnes referred this phenomenon as the parasocial relationship in her TED Talk video
"Imaginary Friends and Real-world Consequences: Parasocial Relationships". Parasocial relationship is the relationship that you form with someone you don't actually know by consuming media about that person.

She dressed two questions:

First, why do we care so much about fictional characters?

Second, what effects do the relationships we form with these characters have on us?

Jennifer also excerpt the definition of "Alief" from Gendler, 2008 that it is "an automatic, gut level, belief like attitude that may contradict an explicitly held belief."

The authors also pointed out the effects of these relationships, fictional griefs.

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales unit, Part B

The Language of Animals

This story is part of the Italian Popular Tales unit. Story source: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane (1885).

Dog's language

A young boy, who spent a long time in school, was sent back home because he appeared very intelligent and outstanding. The father was proud of him. However, the boy was ironic and sarcastic because he mastered as learning languages of animals. The father was disappointed and therefore ordered his servants to kill him. The servants released him and instead took the heart's dog to their master.

The boy wandered in the forest and encountered the treasurer of the prince. Because he could understand the dog language, the dog warned about the assassins would enter to the castle. He let the treasurer knew the assassins would come soon. Thus, the treasurer avoided the accident.

Then he moved to the city. There he heard the frog's confession, that because the princess threw a cross into a fountain, caused the frog croaked. The princess, in turned was sick because the noise from the frog. The king was thankful him because he had save the princess

Next, he came to Rome with three companions. When they rested under the oak, the block of bird sang a joyful song. The three companions asked why this happened. The young boy said that among them there would be a Pope. It turned out that he became the Pope. The Pope reminded about the sin that his father made, but he forgave his father. 

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales unit, Part A

The Fair Angiola

This story is part of the Italian Popular Tales unit. Story source: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane (1885).

Angiola and the Prince

Angiola was a first daughter of the women in the town, who lived near the old witch. Because of being captured of stealing the jujubes with grew in the witch's garden, she consented to gave the witch her first born, whether a daughter or a son, when the baby reached seven year olds. 

When Angiola was seven, she moved to the witch house. The witch loved Angiola like her daughter. She raised Angiola in the high tower with no door. Angiola grew up so beautiful with her hazel hair, long and smooth. The witch used her hair as a rope to pull her from the ground to the tower by calling

"Angiola, fair Angiola, let down your beautiful tresses and pull me up."

One day, a prince who hunted near the tower was curious about who could live in the tower. After he saw a witch was pull up to the towel, he intimated her voice and being pulled up. Seeing her beautiful and graceful, the prince felt in love with her and asked Angiola to be his wife. She agreed

After Angiola offered bribes for the chair, the table and every living things in the tower into silence, she ran away with the prince. Angiola also took three magic balls with her.

Knowing that Angiola was unfaithful on her, the witch ran after them, but she was prevented by three balls, with transformed into the great mountain of soap, great mountain with snails, and the mighty torrent. Filled with angry, the witch catched a spell to transform Angiola's face to a dog's face.

Angiola was so bitterly with the new appearance and could not saw the King and the Queen, she hid in the small house deep down in the forest. The price always came to see her whenever he had chance. A dog, that followed Angiola during the run, felt pity to Angiola. The dog turned back to the witch and begged her for the cure. Although the witch hated Angiola for being unfaithful, she gave the dog a flask of water to transform Angiola to her beautiful appearance.

Angiola and prince lived happily thereafter.

Week 13 Story: Alice in Neverland

The journey to Netherland

One day, Alice and her sister sat on the bank and enjoyed the comic book. Alice thought that book was very weird since it didn't contain any words in it, just plain drawing pictures. Alice imagined the scenes that the pictures left in her mind.

Suddenly, she saw a very pretty butterfly flying very close to her. Alice noticed that the butterfly was two size bigger than normal. Alice was so surprise as she saw that butterfly came closer to her and look at her wristwatch and murmured, "Uhmm, we still have a plenty of time." Alice didn't hear anything wrong, but who are "we"?  "Me and the butterfly", she thought.

She knew in the world of fairy tale, animals could talk like people, but this was the first time she heard a word from a butterfly. She wondered where the butterfly come from.

Following the butterfly, there came a door. The door with nothing attached on and imposingly stood in the middle of the forest. Alice looked for the butterfly but no sign to be found. 

The magic door

"She probably behind the door," said Alice.

Alice looked for the key, but only saw a perfume bottle with a tag "try me" on. Alice didn't hesitate to spray a bit a flower fragrant on her and pretty much enjoyed it. Suddenly, a pair of wings appeared from her back and the door opened. 

She stepped through the door bravely and the view in front of her was completely different, not in a forest but in the garden with colorful blooming flowers. There she found a butterfly. The butterfly seemed very happy to enjoy the nectar. All the sudden the butterfly flew up to the sky. Alice's wings also started to flap and her feet was off the ground. Alice flew into the air like a bird. The butterfly flew for a long, long time.

During the fly, Alice noticed there were many things floating around her. She tried the honey bottle in a floating table and it was very good. She saw a book, and a radio also. A raven flew passing her made she remembered about her dog at home. Who would feed him as she could not be back home? And she wondered when the fly would be done?

Alice looked up at the sky. She noticed the differences. The sky was hiding behind the wide circle, just like she was inside the giant well and tried to come back to the ground. Alice was right. It turned out that she was living in a space in the bottom of the giant well. As she touched the ground, Alice didn't hesitate to discover her new world.

"Welcome to Netherland," a welcome sign in the road side stated.

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Author's Notes: 

I simulated this story based on the original Wonderland: Down the Rabbit-Hole is part of the Alice in Wonderland unit from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

The original story told about Alice, who saw a Rabbit that was in hurry to go somewhere and she decided to follow the Rabbit. The Rabbit was in hurry as he took out the clock from his waistcoat pocket and run. With all the sudden, Alice fell onto a rabbit-hole, which pretty much like a tunnel. Along the fall, she saw a floating bookshelf, a map, and an empty bottle Orange Marmalade. Alice was pretty much enjoyed the "journey" until she threatened herself that the fall would never ended. Then she worried about her cat, if she wouldn't be back home. After a long fall, she finally touched the ground and she realized that she was in the middle of the hall. She bravely went forward and ended up being stuck in a locked room. She drank a bottle titled "Drink me" and her body shrinked into a tiny little girl. She then turned into a giant when she ate the cake named " Eat Me". Fearful of being transformed several time, Alice cried out loud.

I made my story all contract to the original using the leisure butterfly compare to the hurried Rabbit, a fly versus the fall. I found more interesting if Alice actively sought for her own adventure.

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part B.

Who Stole the Tarts?

The Court

This was the first time Alice attended the court, with the Queen and the King on their throne, but she knew every position in that court including the jury and the judge through her knowledge. The court was held to find the thief. Alice heard the Rabbit called out loud for the witnesses. 

The first one was Hatter, who brought his breakfast to the court (a cup of tea and bread). The king almost executed him because he couldn't answer the king's question but luckily he got released. The second witness was the Duchess's cook. Alice knew it was her because everyone sneezed at the same time while she walked in because she brought with her the pepper box. 

In the middle of the session, the Dormouse made a noise and therefore being suppress by the Queen causing confusion for everyone. During the court, Alice was growing back to her normal size but it wasn't that noticeable. Suddenly she heard the Rabbit called out the next witness, which was her, Alice.

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Wonderland: Who Stole the Tarts? is part of the Alice in Wonderland unit. Story source: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part A

Down the Rabbit- Hole

One day, Alice and her sister sat under the trees and enjoyed their reading. Alice saw a Rabbit that was in hurry to go somewhere. Alice was curious. She left her sister and follow the Rabbit. There would be some important event happened that caused the Rabbit rushed. He took out the clock from his waistcoat pocket and hurried look at it. 

With all the sudden, Alice fell onto a rabbit-hole, which pretty much like a tunnel. Along the fall, she saw a floating bookshelf, a map, and an empty bottle Orange Marmalade. Alice was pretty much enjoyed the "journey" until she threatened herself that the fall would never ended. Then she worried about her cat, if she wouldn't be back home. Who would feed her cat?

After a long fall, she finally touched the ground and she realized that she was in the middle of the hall. She bravely went forward and ended up being stuck in a locked room. She drank a bottle titled "Drink me" and her body shrinked into a tiny little girl. She then turned into a giant when she ate the cake named " Eat Me". Fearful of being transformed several time, Alice cried out loud.

......................................

Wonderland: Down the Rabbit-Hole is part of the Alice in Wonderland unit. 

Story source: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)

Giant Alice in Wonderland

EC: Wikipedia Trail

I wanted to explore the first man and women in the world. So I browsed on Wikipedia "Adam and Eve."  I was really surprise to know that in the Islamic version, Eve was the one unfaithful first. The I discovered that Adam and Eve's first children was Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer while his younger brother was a shepherd. Because his envy, Cain killed Abel. I wanted to discovered why Cain did that so I clicked on "murdering his brother". Then the article Fratricide appeared. This was the Latin word of "killing". It turned out the Cain and Abel was the first murder case in the history. There, I looking for "Mythology of Ancient Rome" as our course include many of legend from Roman.

The First Mourning (Adam and Eve mourn the death of Abel); oil on canvas 1888 painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau