Reading Notes: Saints and Animals, Part B

The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall

From the title of this story, I was anticipating some sort of event that put Saint Gudwall in danger and a fish that would come and save him. It turns out that is basically what happens. Two men find a new place to live near the sea, secluded from the rest of society. The men lived in peace watching the sea every day. However, one day a storm came and the men's home was no longer safe because the harsh waves were given access to it. This part of the story was the most interesting to me because it depicted the sea as a living creature, describing it as having a rage and being cruel. The men were finally able to escape the sea, but were stranded with no one in sight to help. However, the fish noticed the men's helplessness and acted together to save them. So, each fish carried a single grain of sand until they had build a barrier in the sea blocking the harsh waves from the men. The barrier would last through every season so the men could live in continued peace. I liked this story because although I guessed the basic plotline, I thought that the men and the fish would have had an existing relationship before the storm. However, the fish acted selflessly in order to help the men because they saw the suffering the men had endured. If I were to recreate this story, I would consider switching the characters so that the animals were in trouble and the people were the ones that saved them.

[Fish. Image Information]

Saints: The Ballad of Saint Felix

What I liked most about this story was not the story itself, but the style in which it was written. It seems to be in a poetic format, using an older style of writing. The Saint in this story escapes Italy in order to escape his emperor's punishment of death. He runs away and eventually comes across a spider that keeps him safe by disguising a building to look abandoned. By hiding there, Saint Felix is able to escape death by the emperor and live safely for many months while the spider supplied him with food. If if were to retell this story, I would write it to be in the present day setting with easier to read sentences. Although I liked the style by which it was told, I'm sure many people nowadays would prefer to read a more 'modern' piece.

Bibliography:

Farwell, Abbie. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts. Link.

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