Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Reading Notes: The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace, Part B

  • Story starts off with a standard description of the female protagonist 
    • "...and the great mother of the Jewish people, was the most beautiful woman who ever lived" 
  • Description gradually becomes incredibly detailed and utliizes superb adjectives
    • "Everybody who saw her marveled at the dazzling radiance of her countenance; they stood spellbound before the glorious light that shone in her eyes and the wondrous clearness of her complexion" 
  • Story took an odd twist - the husband  hides his wife in a big box out of fear
  • Abraham does his best to make sure no one finds his wife, especially not the pharaoh. He still fails. 
  • God actually answers Sarah's prayer and sends what appears to be a spirit to subdue the Pharaoh
  • "Sarah was so angry when she heard this insult that she flashed a signal with her eyes to the spirit..." 
    • what signal?
  • The spirit seems to have a playful personality as it continually harasses the Pharaoh 
  • How did Abraham's magic jewel "restore the Pharaoh to health"? 
  • Story ends by referencing an event that everyone knows happened in another book, the Bible.
The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace. Source: Gertrude Landa.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Jewish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

No comments:

Post a Comment