Not that I need to compare Vietnamese folktales to the British/German folktales that I grew up with, but it’s hard, when reading stories about princesses and adventures, not to compare. And I have to say the Vietnamese stories did away with a lot of the magic (with the exception of a talking turtle) in favour of hard hitting moral lessons that announce themselves as moral lesson (behave!). Not in an Edward Gorey kind of way, more in a… hmm… ‘don’t be promiscuous.’
I liked the folktales because they are short and I’m falling behind on my reading list (in large part because I’m ‘stuck’ on the Satanic Verses, a book that will not give itself over to me easily), which I know is not a good reason to like a book, but there you have it. It’s April in 10-10-12 and I’m admitting to enjoying something for its brevity. Take me as I am.
Literary Vice 