Reading notes: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales Part A

You thought I was done with Jataka Tales? Of course not! I am having a blast reading these for one reason or another and you can bet I'll continue for most all of the remaining readings! One thing will be different for these notes though. I will still take more thorough notes on two or three of the tales that I have something to say, but I am going to try to be much more positive than I have been in the past. I have been rather critical of these stories thus far and no more!

The Little Gildmaster:
What a great story to start talking positively about! This little tale is wonderfully reminiscent of a kind of Tom Sawyer type of childhood bliss where you can make it through the world on wit alone. It was very entertaining to read as I grew up reading Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and I can only image it was a favorite of children everywhere.
One thing I really liked about the way the story was told is that it made an effort to be clever. I could easily see some tellings of this children's story passing up on the cleverness because of the intended audience. It did a very good job of making the audience feel as if they were in on the clever ruse at the right times and on the outside for the wrong times.

The Guilty Dogs:
This story is wonderful. I think the set up may be one of a my favorites so far. The "bad guy" is so clearly established, because who wouldn't hate a dog killer. Especially as a child, those being told this story knew who to hate. That being said the "villain" is redeemed by the end of the story. It teaches children forgiveness and to not blindly pass judgement. This is a great tale.
I've noticed with the stories in this book, unlike the previous Jataka tale book I read, there is less of a reverent tone towards the King or the rich. Both the stories I am writing about do this where the poor man is lifted upon them. This makes me think these stories were written by and for a poorer class than the other ones. I have no proof of this, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

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