week 9 reading notes: african tales from congo - part a

 "Another Vanishing Wife" link to story

• Mavungu is a woman's son that didn't grow up to be conventionally handsome; he was "miserable-looking," "mean-looking,"and "dwarfish." He eventually leaves town because his mother treated him badly compared to his handsome brother. He wanders through the woods and ends up finding a beautiful wife for himself; she helps him become handsome and powerful. His people invite him to town and want to learn how he found happiness with his wife, but his wife warns him not to go or if he does, not to tell them how they met and not to eat their food. Mavungu later does the opposite and finds that his wife has left him.
• Mavungu: foolish, naive
• Mavungu's wife: mysterious, magical, knowledgable. 
• is transformed from a leaf of a fuba tree
• what is a fuba tree? 
• why do the leaves turn into people?
• is the fuba tree magical, too?
• maybe tell a story from her perspective
• give her a name 

Picture of a giant tree in the woods. Web Source

"The Jealous Wife" link to story

• A husband of two wives and their sons has to leave for work and makes his wives promise that they will take care of their children and they won't be harmed. The elder wife is jealous of the younger wife's son because he is smarter than her own child, so she plots to kill the younger wife's son. When it's time, she accidentally kills her own child and ends up running away with her dead child. The husband comes back to a missing wife and child and goes to seek them. He and his friends encounter the elder wife trying to bring her dead child back to life. They end up poisoning her with Casca for her crime. 
• Maybe retell this story in a modern setting 
• Instead of having two wives, the husband will have an ex-wife and a current wife. One gets jealous of the other. One might plot to kill the other's child or tries to banish the child instead. 

Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett