The “Just So Stories” are about two children whose parents have left them in the care of their Uncle and maid. It is set in the 1900’s, “Uncle Ruddy” acts as a narrator, and he tells the children stories about animals and metamorphosis. It was naturalistic but fictional. It was aimed at children, delivering morals in an enjoyable form. The many forms used were similar to my performance, using repetition, narration, and chorus. The forms were appropriate to the audience that they were applicable to and were effective, providing entertainment and education simultaneously. The morals concealed within each story are similar to “The Grimm’s fairytales”. It was similar to Ashputtel, as she was also ‘left’ due to her mother’s death.
“The Grimm’s fairytales” were aimed at children and adults in narration form, though they also used repetition, and were told not only to provide entertainment but also to teach morals and instil hope into children. The families featured in each tale are mostly lower class, therefore showing that hard work and goodness prevail over evil. The endings are stereotypical but darkly comic, though often tragic. Physical theatre would be an effective representation.
“The Metamorphosis” is a novella set in the early 1900’s; it’s about Gregor Samsa, a young travelling salesman who financially supports his parents and younger sister. One morning he wakes up to realize that during the night he has been malformed into a "monstrous vermin" or insect. His family are horrified by him and refuse to interact with him.
This story is far more complicated than the children’s stories, as it is directed at adults and the underlying meaning is far more complicated. Gregor is much like anyone suffering from a disfiguring illness, and illustrates not only his physical abilities change but that he changes emotionally due to the reaction of others to his illness. His family all have to change as a result of Gregor’s metamorphosis. This play demonstrates the techniques that I used in my performance. It had robotic movements, repetition, simultaneity, narration and monologue. The physical theatre used was a strong representation of the now restricted life of Gregor, as an insect.
One main link is that they are all about families and how they are forced, and sometimes how they struggled, to survive. “Ashputtel” is treated as lower class, even though she is middle class, and most of “The Grimm’s fairytales” are lower class, and “The Metamorphosis” is working class, therefore both similar to the “Just So Stories” immensely as they are middle class. However, they are similar in the fact that all have underlying meanings, or morals. “The Metamorphosis” was similar to The “Just So Stories” as the children also metamorphosise into animals. All comparatives were written for children except “The Metamorphosis”, which addresses broader issues, but they are especially similar in form, all using narrating, and repetition and shown in physical theatre as this was the most effective.
