Extra Reading Notes: The Ballads of Robin Hood

Reading Notes

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(Robin Hood Character by Karem Beyit)

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The Golden Arrow

I find that I really enjoyed the ballad formatting of the Robin Hood tales. As noted by my frequent postings of them poems are becoming my favorite type of creative writing and I always am fascinated on how many ways there are to tell a story especially while creating a melody to the ballad itself. With poems I have just started to write in more intricate rhyme patterns and this ballad showed how rhyme patterns can be twisted to be melodies instead.

Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight

This ballad was interesting because of the writing itself rather than the framework. For me, rhymes create a sense of anticipation as the reader goes onto the next line but even so, the story itself wasted no time creating itself own sense of urgency with the climatic battle. This ballad felt like it had everything a great story should have: mystery, action, dialogue, charm all wrapped up into a plot with a natural flow. 

Robin Hood's Death

What I find funny about folklore in general is how many ending one story can cultivate over time. For me, I have never actually read literature concerning robin hood past children's story books. I have only read fairytales and watched movies about him but reading this different ending in ballad form was a treat! Being able to find a new ending in any familiar piece of work is always fascinating, so I can appreciate the values of the ballads by comparing it to the children's books and movies I have seen before.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

Reading Notes: Ashilman Part A

Reading Notes

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(Brothers Grimm's Wanderings by Killian Schönberger)

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Herr Korbes

All I could imagine with this fable is a tim burton short film with this story as the baseline. At first I assumed the story would be a charming and sweet story about helpful creatures but as I read on the story took a darker turn which is just as charming, only more dark than sweet. What would be funny is to maybe show how wicked Herr Korbes was to deserve such a wicked death? Or maybe make him the pillar of misfortune much like the Series of Unfortunate Events

Old Sultan

The story of Count Ugolino is a captivating one to say the least. For all intents and purposes, Ugolino was just a naive noble who paid for his foolishness in famine. Funnily Enough, I heard the story of Count Ugolino in an episode of a podcast called Lore; being slightly familiar with the piece allowed for a renewed pleasure in the reading for me. Instead of hearing a third party, Count Ugolino was able to describe his own demise which provided a fun, delicious (excuse the morbid pun) twist. 

Rumpelstiltskin 

The personification of Satan over time has evolved and twisted itself into a product of media culture. At first it was in the medium of books and novels, such as the bible and Dante's Inferno but with tv shows and movies the Devil has been shaped into a whole new beast of its own right. For me, it was intriguing to see and understand one of the first elaborate depictions of the Christian Satan. While every culture has their from of the Devil, Dante's Inferno's description is a thing of nightmares and maybe that is the key to his writing in general: to being people's sins and nightmares to the forefrront.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno Part B

Reading Notes

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(Paul Chenavard's Dante's Inferno)

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The Giants

For this particular part, what I really enjoyed was the formatting or rather the continuation of the step by step theme that the journey through the rungs of the inferno ignited. By walking through each of the giants with small excerpts for each the staircase quality of the plot was able to thrive on. Out of the five giants we meet I latched onto Nimod. Whether that is because of the authors note or just the writing I am unsure but I think I am also attracted to the curse laid upon him. To lose the ability to communicate is a fate I would wish upon no one and can be such a source of pain that I was entranced by his cameo in the piece.

Ugolino

The story of Count Ugolino is a captivating one to say the least. For all intents and purposes, Ugolino was just a naive noble who paid for his foolishness in famine. Funnily Enough, I heard the story of Count Ugolino in an episode of a podcast called Lore; being slightly familiar with the piece allowed for a renewed pleasure in the reading for me. Instead of hearing a third party, Count Ugolino was able to describe his own demise which provided a fun, delicious (excuse the morbid pun) twist. 

Satan

The personification of Satan over time has evolved and twisted itself into a product of media culture. At first it was in the medium of books and novels, such as the bible and Dante's Inferno but with tv shows and movies the Devil has been shaped into a whole new beast of its own right. For me, it was intriguing to see and understand one of the first elaborate depictions of the Christian Satan. While every culture has their from of the Devil, Dante's Inferno's description is a thing of nightmares and maybe that is the key to his writing in general: to being people's sins and nightmares to the forefrront.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno Part A

Reading Notes

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(Paul Chenavard's Dante's Inferno)

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Dante and Virgil

World building is such a timed honored craft and that can be seen in Dante's Inferno. Because the entire story is written from Dante's perspective, an effective replacement for the audience, the detail needs to be extremely descriptive for the reader to be swept up in the world. Simply the entrance into the dark woods alone sets up the entire eerie tone that the classic keeps in tact throughout the piece. I am not sure how I would work this into a story but it did teach me a lesson about how detail lets the piece survive on its own.

The Gate of Hell and Charon

This was an interesting part to read for me because when I think of Dante's Inferno I immediately skip to Dante exploring the rungs of hell. To actually read and understand the actual journey into hell provides a lot more insight into the character of Dante as well. For instance, Dante seems to act impulsively but has shame and guilt once the act is done. That is a very anxiety driven quality called being counter-phobic. This provides a good foundation for the behaviors and reactions Dante has throughout the piece. 

Limbo

Originally, I thought that limbo was a place for people who are still being judged (on whether to go to heaven or hell) were kept. But to account for the people who around before christianity is not only a smart move but a much needed one. As soon as I started reading I questioned what constituted a person being kept in hell and once that question was thought, a number of other questions followed in their footsteps. One of the marks of a great reading for me is when I have a question and it is promptly answered (unless there is mystery shrouded in such a question to provide aid to the plot). So accounting for those who were born before Christianity answers my question but also ties up any loopholes in the world.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Extra Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland Part B

Reading Notes

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(Alice in Wonderland with Cards by Jackie Bassett)
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The Mad Tea Party

This first part of one of my favorite portions of Alice in Wonderland marks the charm of two iconic characters: the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Probably more so than Alice herself, the Mad Hatter is a cultural icon and his charming nonsensical sense has a level of escapism that I think, no matter the age, all people tend to seek out. Adversely, you have the March Hare overly concerned with time keeping the groundedness of reality well and alive.  

The Mad Tea Party (Part II)

This portion of the Mad Tea Party is truly a lesson in what fun dialogue can bring to a story. More often than not, it is easier to just write out a story not concerning one's self with any dialogue just making the character come alive based solely on description. But the charm of dialogue is that by writing in the character's voice the cadence of the character's words can do more for character building than a two paragraph long description. This rings true for the Dormouse in this scene, no real character description but the dialogue is enough to hold it up. 

The Mad Tea Party (Part III)

This ending always struck me as a lovely unfinished piece. There is no real conclusion with the Dormouse and his additions to Alice's adventures but it does nothing to dull the charm of the stories. As a reader I am not sure what Carroll did to pull this off. Was it his diligent world-building that let me accept this as a proper ending? Was it the character already being introduced fleetingly? Just goes to showcase Lewis Carroll's genius in writing.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland Part A

Reading Notes

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(Alice in Wonderland with Cards by Jackie Bassett)
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Down the Rabbit Hole

As a child my father used to read me Through the Looking Glass to calm me after nightmares so I have collected multiple versions of that version of Alice's story but I have yet to read this book fully. The first chapter reminded me of why I love Lewis Carroll's writing so much. The prose and almost flirty cadence he creates that the reader just falls into is impeccable. 

Down the Rabbit Hole (Part II)

This portion has one of my favorite scenes in Alice in Wonderland: Alice and the 'Drink Me' Bottle. It stands out, not just for its icon status but because of its incredible sense of detail. Like the detail of what the drink tasted of, most authors probably would have left it at "a sickeningly sweet taste," but Carroll gave an entire mixture of familiar foods that let you experience each one as he listed them. One thing I can really take away from Carroll is his attention to detail. 

Down the Rabbit Hole (Part III)

To end Alice's trip down the rabbit hole, this part had the most action within the three parts. Although Alice fell down in the previous parts in this one she grows twice her size and must figure a way out and into wonderland. This part also has the fastest pace, which was a lesson in the flow a story must keep up. As I have been having a difficult time with active verbs, I particularly searched them out in this portion and was greeted with a highly active voice throughout. The use of active verbs created the urgency that the portion needed to keep interest.

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All reading notes are based off of excerpts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Extra Reading Notes: British Fairy Tales (Emerson) Part A

Extra Reading Notes

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(The first of the five photographs shows Frances Griffiths with the alleged fairies By Elsie Wright)

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The Fairies of Caragonan
What I really found interesting and appriecated the most from this short story is the format and flow. Rather than the story itself, I was more intrigued by the three act, almost play like format. In addition, the actual flow of the story was very different from American fairy tales because instead of starting at the beginning (when/why the hunter got sick in the first place) it started with his cure by the fairies then went back to tell his tale.

The Fairies of Caragonan (Part II)
The continuation of the previous story provided a nice, bow-wrapped ending to a fairly peculiar fairytale. From other mythologies that involve fairies, I have known fairies to be more trickster, selfish characters yet in this telling they willing helped a hunter save his ill-fated life. Admittedly, I was kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop as read on. If I were to rewrite this story I would definitely add the trickster element.

Three Short Stories of Fairies 
I loved how with this Emerson story was a collection of three seemingly connected stories. Oddly enough, after each story I found myself wanting more and got that answered with the next story even though they are not originally connected. As for the first story when the blacksmith ended up with the money, I immediately wanted there to be a fable about the importance of cherishing money and in the next story a farmer gained a lesson in just that.

The Old Man and the Fairies
This second collection of short stories was more of what I am used to when I think of fairies. I think of the fairies having conditions for any riches they give out and holding true to them. The theme of conditional riches is deeply seeded in many different folklores but I feel as though the most impactful are usually those of the trickster variety, like Anansi, Loki and the fairies of this story.

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All reading notes are based off of stories from Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories by Peter H. Emerson (1894).

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales Part A

Reading Notes

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(Native American Totem Poles by Getty Images)

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Splinter-Foot Girl (Part I)
      With this story, rather than focusing on the flow/plot of the story I tried to focus on the characters themselves. This required me to read the story twice but it lead to some really interesting thoughts and ideas about animal characters. Maybe I could anthropomorphize more of those animal characters to create a more dynamic story.

Splinter-Foot Girl (Part II)
     This was an interesting development to the Splinter-Foot Girl story because instead of losing the stepmother won this round. By building a contraption to fake a strange birthing, the stepmother was able to have the young wife killed. More and more her villainous tendencies are reminding me that of the salem witch trials; it could be an interesting mix or take on this "fairytale."

Splinter-Foot Girl (Final Part)
     I loved how with this part it focused on a different member of the family, the loved dog and his undying love for the young wife's abandoned children. I liked how this one reflect the first story and was set up more like a journey than a tale of one instance. Very fable like in its framework but also fairytale like in its verse.

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All reading notes are based off of stories from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales Part B

Reading Notes

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(A Wishram woman in festive bridal raiment, 1911)

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The True Bride
      With this story, I found myself attaching some western fairytales to certain characters. For the stepmother, I immediately thought of Cinderella's stepmother; simultaneously the daughter's first venture out to pick berries initially reminded me of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." I could rewrite this story as a western fairytale? 

The True Bride (Part II)
     This was an interesting development to the True Bride story because instead of losing the stepmother won this round. By building a contraption to fake a strange birthing, the stepmother was able to have the young wife killed. More and more her villainous tendencies are reminding me that of the salem witch trials; it could be an interesting mix or take on this "fairytale."

The True Bride (Part III)
     I loved how with this part it focused on a different member of the family, the loved dog and his undying love for the young wife's abandoned children. I liked how this one reflect the first story and was set up more like a journey than a tale of one instance. Very fable like in its framework but also fairytale like in its verse.

The True Bride (Final Part)
    This last part had all the makings for a happy ending to this tale. It taught me how to properly wrap up a story because it tied up every question the tale had presented. We found out how the dog is the true hero, all the villains were punished, and the young wife and husband came back together once again with their two boys.

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All reading notes are based off of stories from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

Reading Notes: Stories from the Congo Part A

Reading Notes

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(women of the Congo, 1885)
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How The Wives Restored Their Husband To Life

      This story was really intriguing because it reminded me of one of the stories I read earlier in the semester, I believe it was one of the Twenty Two Goblins riddles. I also appreciated how each woman's name was foreshadowing in what their role would be in the story. It makes me want to utilize this technique in one of my storybook updates or in a later retelling.  

How Gazelle Got Married

       Funnily enough, the same thematic framework in this story reminded me of "How the Lizard Nods Its Head Up and Down" from the West African (Ghana) stories. This seems to be a well popular lesson in African culture, it is interesting to compare what is emphasized in both pieces. This story also made me laugh because the forgetfulness of both the dog and Nsassi, it could be fun to play with in a retelling. 

The Vanishing Wife

       A charming part of this story was how Buite, although he would hate to cut off the fishes' heads, always ran after the wife's boys to make sure the deed was done before they reached the beautiful house. It was as if he already had sensed that this task was the one thing that kept the oasis alive. It also made me think more in terms of when you have got something to prove, it seems as though when you are trying so hard to impress someone you, like Buite, end up doing worse because of it.

Another Vanishing Wife

        Following the trend of these stories reminding me of other stories, this one, while many parallels were noticed between this and the last reading, it mostly reminded me of Cupid and Psyche. How Mavungu went to see and entertain his wicked family was almost mirrored to when Psyche's sisters came to visit Psyche in her palace in heaven. Trusting your family, only to be betrayed by them is a really interesting idea.

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All reading notes are based off of stories from Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).

Reading Notes: West African Folk Tales Part A

Reading Notes

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("Along came a Spider" by Tekelili)

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How We Got the Name "Spider Tales"

      This short story provided an understanding of what the basis of Anansi is. He is conceited, clever, willful and admirable. By wanting all stories to be about him, he shows how conceited he can be but simultaneously he showcases his willfulness and cunning to actually pull off the three impossible tasks the King gives to him. Thus making the reader admire the skill it took to complete such tasks. 

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race 

       Being a fan of the Neil Gaiman book "American Gods", I am familiar, to an extent, with the story of Anansi. Reading this story makes me want to go and pick up the "Anansi Boys" book so I can dive even further into this folklore. This story really iterates the almost competing like quality Anansi and Kweku Tsin have to their relationship. I could see this being translated into a son surpassing his father in the corporate world.

Anansi and Nothing 

       By showcasing the negative side of Anansi's lust for possessions, this story brings out the truth about most trickster gods: they are willful, almost to a fault. This story also has one of my favorite qualities of folktales, the explanation of why we have certain things, phrases, traditions today. Maybe I could switch what the lesson is concerning Nothing?

Thunder and Anansi

        I loved this story because although in the previous story we saw how Anansi could get away with hurtful tricks, in this story Anansi was punished for his selfishness. It also took things the reader learned from each of the previous stories as foundation blocks for the twist at the end to have such an impact. This could be a fun play retelling?

Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down

        All of the stories thus far have left me with a memory of reading stories about Loki of the Norse folklore. Trickster gods have a fun way of utilizing their cleverness to get what they want but then they get so consumed by their desires that humanity and good faith fall out their line of sight. I am still thinking of a way to retell this story but it is my favorite thus far. 

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All reading notes are based off of stories from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Reading Notes: Egyptian Myth and Legend Part B

Reading Notes

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(Ancient Egyptian Painting Ägyptischer Maler um 1400 v. Chr.)

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The Two Brothers: Part One

      This first portion of the story of two brothers was interesting because of how helpful writing style can be to express a character. Bata is a loyal, caring, sacrificing brother/"son" to Apnu. The consistent repetition of his daily life only helps express his nature. Maybe I switch his characterization to be more menacing but the keep the repetition to see what twists that would create? 

The Two Brothers: Part Two 

      Animals were a big part of this section of the story. From the cattle that Bata looked after, taking the initiative to protect him from his brother to the crocodiles the brothers came across. A storytelling idea I had earlier in the semester was retelling the story all from the different animals' perspectives, I could possibly use that idea for this story.  

The Two Brothers: Part Three 

     This, more than anything, was just a fascinating look into the beliefs of Egyptian myths and legends. The idea that Bata soul lived on while Apnu mourned him for almost four years and he was able to become a bull rather than a man is something to possibly play off of. 

The Two Brothers: Part Four 

     This portion did a good job of bringing the entire story to close. But what was most interesting about the ending is what became of Apnu's wife after she betrayed and drove a wedge between the two brothers. She just kind of flew out of the palace and nothing became of her but I would like to explore what happened to her. 

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All reading notes based of off Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: Egyptian Myth and Legend Part A

Reading Notes

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(The Great Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza)
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Creation

       What I really liked about this portion was how the creation of the gods happened. Because each god rose from the elements to become a god of each element. This also reminds me of the show, Avatar the last air-bender, which had a really unique way of personifying each of the four main elements. 

The Secret Name of Ra 

       This portion utilized the tool of mystery, which kept me engaged throughout the entire piece. I have yet to try and turn any of my retellings into mystery maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to do such. I could even turn it into a horror mystery, a favorite genre of mine. 

Ra and Hathor

       Dialogue was a big proponent of this particular story. It got me thinking about how important characterization is for dialogue to work well. So for a retelling I thought I'd change the structure of the writing into a play which is all dialogue with only stage direction to fill in the gaps. 

The Sun's Journey

        The battle within this short story had a really interesting structure with the division set up. Granted that is simply just a part of the story but the repetition of such made for a really compelling reading. Also the many different animals, both real and mythological, helped further the impact of each battling technique the gods used. I think animals have a great power to intensify any story, especially in this case. 

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All reading notes based of off Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

        

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

Reading Notes
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Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

(the goblin in the tree)

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The Three Lovers

    This story/riddle was interesting because it, much like its title, kept with the rule of threes. There were three men, who did three different tasks, and ultimately fought over the tasks to reclaim their beloved Coral. Maybe I could retell this story using a different writing style rule? Also it might be interesting to explore the king's answer to a greater extent.

Brave, Wise, Clever

    What I would want to elaborate more on the most in this story is the meeting of son and the brave man as well as the mother and the wise man. I feel as though the clever man's first meeting with the father was the only one that properly described why he could be seen as a clever man. While with the other two men it was a short sentence and that's it. 

The Girl, Her Husband and Her Brother

   Maybe if I were to further explore the reasoning behind her husband's and brother's willingness to take their own lives I could find a different motivation in the story? The idea that the head is the most important member of the body is a good life lesson that could be spun into a childhood fable.

Food, Women, Cotton

   The specialist in cotton was the most intriguing character in this story by far. As noticed by the king, it is only the specialist in cotton that could have not known beforehand and thus is the most clever. More than that though, it is baffling on how a singular piece of hair could make a mark on his skin. For some unknown reason, this reminded me of a jinni, an arab deity (probably because of the burning of the mark into the skin). Maybe I could work in a way to combine the two?

The Four Scientific Suitors

   I feel like this story in particular would benefit the most from a gender-swap. Especially when you consider the king's answer being one of hyper-masculinity, that only the science that had a decent amount of manhood in it could be considered worthy of Grace. 

The Three Delicate Wives

    One thing I found interesting throughout all of these riddles is the obvious names each of the characters is given. If the son is meant to be braver than the rest, his name is Brave. If the daughter was born beneath the moon, her name is Crescent. I am unsure of how to shape this into a writing style that I could form a whole story about but it is at least an fun idea to play with when retelling each story. 

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All reading notes based off of Twenty-Two Goblins, translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses Part A

Reading Notes

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(Thesus and Minotaur in the Labyrinth)

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• Reading the original version of the classic story of Icarus was fascinating because I had only heard of the part concerning Icarus himself and not all that lead up to his being trapped on the island, desperate to find a way out. An interesting spin on the story of Icarus could be to bring the situation to the 21st century and add a sci-fi element?
• Philemon and Baucis at first seems like a throw away story about an old village couple but the second part of the story showcases how loyalty and love to the gods can make commoners gods themselves. I could retell this story as a tall tale the current villagers, years after Philemon and Baucis' death, tell to their kids? 
• An interesting thing to note is that the each of the stories come from a different storyteller which leads to a different tone, wording etc for each of the pieces. Maybe find a way to incorporate the idea of multiple storytellers into my own retelling? 
• To be full of spite towards the gods, especially Ceres, the goddess of harvest, reminds of a teen rebelling against authority. Possibly use this train of thought to run with a different more comical approach to the first part of the story?
• Maybe utilizing the dying nymph within Ceres' oak tree as a different perspective could showcase the commoners silliness by seeing it through the gods' eyes?
• A fun note to possibly play with is that Fate does not allow Ceres and Famine to ever meet.... What would become of such a meeting and how could I use this to retell a story?
• Famine's description reminds me of the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse, To compare the two would be a good twist to a classical story?
• Quite a gruesome ending to the story of Erysichthon, very Hannibal-esque? Could be a scary campfire story? 

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All Notes are based off of Ovid's Metamorphoses III as translated in English by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche Part B

Reading Notes

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Cupid and Psyche, Part B 

(Venus Chides Cupid, by Giordano) 

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Retelling Ideas

• While this is not an idea for a retelling, I found the author's note above to be quite informative and helpful in understanding Venus' emotions when handling Cupid's betrayal. Even though most would understand falling in love, the actual goddess of love herself had a tormented love life, which lead to reactive emotions whenever she was challenged in any way. So to have her own son lay with the very mortal woman who caused Venus' worshippers to leave their post in order to worship a common woman was an ultimate act of betrayal. 
• Also it is quite interesting to learn the Roman names of the Greek gods and goddesses I am so familiar with.
• Possibly writing the story from the goddess, Juno's (Hera), perspective could prove to be interesting as she is seen as the mother of the gods and goddesses perhaps she knew of the story all along and thought of it as a lesson for her children?
• A comparison to Cinderella can be found in the tasks Venus' calls upon Psyche to do, maybe tell Psyche as a fairytale much like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast?
• Retell the story from all the animals that have appeared in the story, switching point of view to and from each animal to keep the flow of the story? 
• A funny portion of the story can be seen in Jove's (Zeus) listing of all the ways Cupid has betrayed him whilst Cupid begs for his help. Even though Zeus grants his wishes, perhaps keeping with this theme I retell the story starting with all the wrongs first? 
• Maybe tell the story as a bedtime story for Cupid and Psyche's daughter, Pleasure?

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All reading notes based off of Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche 

as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche Part A

Reading Notes

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Cupid and Psyche, Part A 

(Psyche Honored by the People, Giordano)

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Retelling Ideas

• the intended audience for this story is the girl whose been kidnapped, would changing the audience change the way the story should be retold?
• Psyche was the youngest of three sisters, retelling the story from a jealous sister would change the tone of the story? (Note: I wrote this before I read how the sisters wept for the youngest daughter and abandoned their lovely homes to seek her out once again. I was going to change this note to showcase how loving the sister's were until I came to the portion entitled "The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters, so I guess I predicted correctly!) 
• Or rather tell the story from the goddess, Venus', point of view: "who does this common mortal think she is?"
• Really intriguing to hear the traditional, more crass version of Cupid, rather than the love wielding cherub today's people would commonly think of. 
• the dread of the wedding reminded me of Persephone and Hades, possibly comparing the stories would be a fun retelling? Maybe act as though Persephone, Psyche and Belle (Beauty and the Beast) are speaking of their husbands in private?  
• Cupid was adamant about Psyche never seeing him as he was of divine power, what if we were to switch such and have Venus embrace Psyche having her seduce Cupid as training of sorts?
• Rather than change the point of view or characters placement in the tale, why not change the location to base it in reality? Maybe in a California high school or the Joseon dynasty? 

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All reading notes based off of Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche 

as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).