Cupid and Psyche Myth and Adaptation
1. What happens in the original myth by Apuleis?
2. How do you think Apuleis's version is a fairy tale?
3. How does Block's "Psyche's Dark Night" adapt the classical story?
4. How does the adaptation make use of humor?
5. Do you think either the classical version or the adaptation (or both) present a bleak view of relationships?
6. Do you think the adaptation by Block qualifies as a fairy tale? If not, is it is a satire? If so, how does it convey the idea of wonder and magic?
7. What do you think the last quote on p. 459 of the adaptation means (the one about her eyes): "They looked big and bright. They belonged to her and they could see." ?
Poe and Bernheimer's "Whitework"
1. Is the narrator of "Whitework" insane? How does this story work with the madness in Poe's story?
2. How is the narrator in Bernheimer's story fixated on the portrait? Is the young woman her? Is it the woman in Poe's story?
3. Do you think that Bernheimer is making a comment about women and gender in fairy tales (more generally)? Does it look at the issue of women in art?
4. Discuss the art in "Whitework"--not just the portrait but also the embroidery. Why is it significant?
5. What is the relationship between reading and madness/imagination? Why does the doctor advise the narrator not to read books in "Whitework"?
6. Who is the character bringing the narrator in Bernheimer's story the blueberry wine? Is he fictional? A nurse in the hospital? What do you think the relationship is between them?
7. Do you think Bernheimer's story has an overall message or lesson? Is it playfully looking at the idea of a "moral to the story"?