Mandatory Theme Month October: “Grimm”

Welcome to Tea ‘n History with your hostess, Felicia Angel.

 

So recently, a show was started called “Grimm”, dealing with the idea that the stories of old, especially those associated with the Brothers Grimm, are real and a part of the real world, even today. Those who fight against the evil beings are known as Grimms, which are as much the bogeyman in the world of monsters as they are to us. The show itself is interesting, for having only the pilot, and offers enough suspense and fear to work.

 

The story behind the Brothers and their work is just as interesting as the show. During their lives, the influence of the Napoleonic era created a movement known as Romanticism. Yes, I know, considering the tales the two brothers found, things don’t seem that romantic, but the movement itself was one that comes up during the pendulum that history is. Because the Napoleonic Era and much of the various revolutions at the time were based on reason and science, the push back was to invoke emotions and symbolism into the new area, and the rise of Nationalism after the expansion of France into areas like Italy, Spain, and Germany that we have today and that wasn’t really around during this time.

The idea of nationalism rose at the time from a shared history or language, but was often fought by others, including a Pope, who felt threatened in some way or by those who didn’t want to give up the rule over various people. However, the push by Napoleon into the regions and his men’s talk of French Nationalism, which was to mean those nations who were “free” of kings and queens and like France, often had a different reaction, especially among the German and Spanish, who bonded of shared languages and the “us vs. them” mentality.

So with the fall of Napoleon and the rise of what is called the Age of Metternich, romanticism built and the idea of nationalism also came up. One, Gottfried von Herder, built up the idea of German nationalism, feeling that each nation had a patter of growth as well as specific cultural markers and artifacts that made up the nation. He also didn’t feel this was only in Germany – every nation had their own set of these and to create a nation, one needed to understand the shared culture or to create “modern artifacts”.

So why is von Herder important in the tale of the Brothers Grimm? Well, mostly that his idea was to send out his students to gather the tales, ballads, stories and folklore of their people, and the two Grimms were his most famous students.

Granted, even they “Disneyfied” their story, as the first-edition version of Rapunzel has a very different way of the witch learned about the Prince then the second-edition (hint: first edition involves PREGNANCY as a way of finding out the prince was in with Rapunzel). But beyond that, they were able to save and record a great deal of stories and folktales that have been passed on from generation to generation and which are…well, the old version of “Red Riding Hood” is a bit freakier then even the newer, cleaner, safe version we tell our kids.

So for Halloween, pull out the original text (if you can find it) and scare the kids and perhaps yourself with original tales of horror and morals from the Brothers Grimm.

Mandatory Theme Month October: The Twilight Zone

Welcome to Tea ‘n History, with your hostess, Felicia Angel.

 

One of the classics from old television is a show created by Rod Sterling that, without fail, will air for 24 hours on Syfy (I hate that new name so much…). Showing a variety of actors that I swear early TV just recycled, and with a great number of stories that could be anywhere from whimsical to philosophical to downright creepy, we have a spark that has yet to be recreated.

Yes, it was “The Twilight Zone”.

 

If you haven’t seen any episodes…wait for October 31st to roll around and turn your television to Syfy (seriously, why the name change? WHY? it’s so stupid!)…or search the internet. The show is known for being either very cliche or starting that cliche, and is also good to watch for a variety of reasons, the big one for me being story-writing. The stories are all original and interesting, some being placed on certain holidays and a bit cheesy (such as one for Christmas, when a failed Store Santa gains the ability to pull whatever’s wanted or needed from a rather crummy sack) but at times they can also be scary or even turn the most mundane things into intense television. The show lasted for years, gaining one attempted rival in the form of “The Outer Limits”, as well as spawning two attempted relaunches and a few books and even a comic.

 

But the original series is considered solid gold, and everyone has their favorite episode or even an episode they’ve never seen but have an idea of the twist ending. Yes, you can watch one a ton of times, but they never seem to get old, and often are just awesome to watch for the nostalgia value or to notice something you never did before. Even when you get one that you’ve never seen before, the whole of it can be great to watch. Not all are the best things in the world, but enough are iconic enough and have great stories that you’ll never get bored.

If you want a good point to head for, I highly suggest Cinemassacre’s Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes and even watch the show when it marathons on…that…channel. Many have some of the same up there, and those are often the ones that stay with us.

 

Why so little on the show? Because, while some are up there for the “spoiled to death” category (“It’s a cookbook!”), it also falls under the same point of watching it because, even knowing the end, the tension they build is great, and the deeper implications can be just as fun. Many actors have a variety of episodes, including a young William Shatner, but with each story different enough that sometimes it’s only by voice or name that you can tell who’s who.  The stories can be anything from the macabre to the hilarious, and it’s really dependent on what you see. Everyone will have something to watch in the show, and something to be inspired by.