Here is the link to my Storybook Project: Feral Children
I thought it was about time that I got around to properly introducing myself. My name is Lauryn but most of my friends and family only refer to me as Laur. I am 21 years old and a junior in college (woohoo!). My hobbies include working out, playing with my puppy, singing, playing the piano and guitar, and playing soccer. For me, where I am is a huge testament to how far I’ve come. Life hasn’t always been so easy and I have not always known whether I would make it this far. I was a very healthy child. An extremely athletic competitive soccer player who was on the brink of breaking into the Olympic scene. No really…It was 2012 and I had just received my second invite to join the Junior Olympics Women’s Soccer League where I would have to move across the globe to Australia with my trainers and coach and begin a life away from everything I’d ever known. The first time I had politely declined, much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches. But now, I was 14 years old and already had ...
Wow! I am super interested to hear your re-tellings of stories about feral children. I agree that it's an incredibly fascinating topic and I can't wait to see which stories you recreate and how. The introduction gives a clear picture of what you're planning to write about. The Saints and Animals unit has a good handful of these stories, you may want to check it out if you need more inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am very curious to see how you incorporate real stories with the mythical ones. I have done a weird amount of research on feral children (curiosity and too much free time) and I know that many of the children considered to be feral (at least in recent years) are victims of really terrible abuse and neglect - is this something you plan to address in your storybook, or is your focus going to be on the more lighthearted folktales?
One little suggestion I might make is to change up your home page - you could add a picture, maybe, or just move the introduction to the home page.
Looking forward to reading more!
Hi Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI think your topic choice of feral children is genius. After reading the title of your storybook project, I thought that making your storybook might be challenging and perhaps there is limited sources regarding feral children. But after reading your introduction, I realized what you had obviously already known. There are plenty of myths and tales about feral children, many of which are well known. In fact, one of my favorite stories about ancient Rome, which I have heard numerous times, is about feral children. And your examples reminded me of so many more that I have overlooked. So props to you for thinking of such an interesting topic and I look forward to seeing how you relate the fictional and the factual in these stories. I also look forward to hopefully reading about feral children from a psychological angle. I will for sure revisit your site to read your next posts.
Hi Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept of your storybook. I think the idea of feral children is really interesting and I definitely don't know that many stories, fictional or factual, about the topic. When I first opened your storybook I thought the pictures you chose are really striking. They look intimidating and a little scary. I would say the picture on the far left is really blurry. I couldn't tell if that was intentional like in the middle picture or accidental from the uploading? I just thought that was kind of interesting. For your introduction, I thought you did a really good job of factually explaining what to expect from your storybook as the semester goes on. I was just wondering if that means your storybook will just be a collection of stories without a connecting narrator? That was a little unclear to me. I'm really intrigued to see what stories you discuss and can't wait to see your storybook evolve!
Hey, Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat, I really like the aesthetic that you've chosen to go with for your project. The banner photos of woods looks really sharp against the bold white header text and it gives everything an "Earthy" kind of feel that added to the whole feral vibe nicely. You've definitely got the visual element working for you with all the pictures of different historical feral children throughout the site.
Also, I was interested to read that "feral" doesn't always refer to a child that was raised by animals. I agree with you -- that was definitely the connotation that I had in my mind for the term.
As for the stories themselves, how are you planning to structure things? Will there be a single main character who goes about meeting/rescuing all of these famous feral children? Will the narrator be feral themselves? Will you even have a narrator at all -- is this going to be a collection of unrelated stories that are connected by theme?
I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop this. I can't wait to read some stories once you get them uploaded!
Hey, Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteWow, feral children! Such a fascinating subject and one which makes us questions how much is human nature and how much is social conditioning? I have heard of the story about Genie before in a psychology class and still find her story tragic and incomprehensible--that her own parents could do something like that to her and that she ended up in an institution just breaks my heart. Anyway, back to your storybook--I really like how you explain each image, though some of the photos were a little fuzzy (mainly on the home page). I also think your introduction is on point, making readers intrigued about the topic of feral children while also discussing the various meanings "feral child" can have. I also enjoyed how you noted that stories like Kamala and Amala span many different places, times, and cultures--something about children acting wild really seems to fascinate people! Some small things I noticed are just minor typos: "reaity" and "mythologocal" in the second sentence should be "reality" and "mythological" and "foruth" in the last photo description on the introduction page should be "fourth. Other than these little typos, great job and I am so excited to read what you will write on feral children!
Hello, Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI must say that your homepage is relatively straightforward! I understood what your Storybook was going to be about before even reading the introduction! I appreciate the background image you selected for the title – it is quite fitting! I also liked how you gave us several images of some feral children and the animals they grow up with. This is purely to sate my own curiosity, but why did you select the three images that you did in your homepage? I am familiar with several stories of feral children, and I must admit that more often than not, the wild animals they are raised by are wolves. I wonder why that is.
I am not sure that I ever realized that I did not know the formal definition of feral children. I kind of just assumed that it referred to children that were left alone in the wild and/or raised by animals. I did not think that the term could also be applied that children who were neglected in domestic situations. I am looking forward to reading your first story!
Hey Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteGoing for such a unique storybook topic is really interesting. I would never have considered doing something like feral children, though since you've pointed it out, it does seem relatively common in folklore. You had me on board from your introduction, so I was interested to see what you would do in your first story.
It's definitely ambitious to translate a modern tale into a folklore-esque story, and I think you did pretty well in that task. It really felt like a story that would be passed in oral tradition, almost like a fable warning against evil parents such as this. The ending came somewhat suddenly, which is not unusual for these types of stories, but could still use some more elaboration. As well, a few spelling mistakes did somewhat affect my reading in the story - you might want to double check with spell check before publishing. Overall, I'm interested in seeing more of the stories you create in this topic!
Hey Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the first fixture of your storybook. Your first paragraph is an excellent hook. The way you set the scene and introduce Genie is rather suspenseful and great for peaking the readers interest. It worked on me. Personally, I thought it would have been really neat if you had taken a slightly different angle and told the story from Genie's mother's perspective. You were really close when you described what she was thinking on her way to get her welfare check, but I was wanting more. I wanted to know how this woman, who could neglect her own child so horrifically its impossible to imagine, thinks. I feel that if you had shown her thoughts you could have made her truly despised by the reader. This would have made for a story in which you hate the person telling the story, yet you can't stop reading. Anyway, just an idea. I still really enjoyed your story.
Hi Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteThis is an intriguing topic that I have never really put much thought to on my own. Even though I have watched the "Jungle Book" and "Tarzan," I did not think too deeply about the fact that they were feral children. I also learned from your storybook that neglected kids that do not end up learning even basic skills are also considered feral. The tale you told of Genie was sad to read. It is hard to imagine that people do things like this to their children that they should be responsible for. I wonder why her parents came to this evil ideology about kids. When looking at your storybook, I noticed that your tabs in the upper right corner for going to your Introduction and first story are out of order. I think it would help the flow of user interaction if you put the Introduction in sequential order, and then the other stories to the right in order. I would also suggest going back through and fixing grammatical and spelling errors. To get you started, "angery" should be changed to "angry." This is such an interesting idea, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you bring light to this tragic occurrence.
Hello, Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteLet me start off by saying that I really like your topic! I was intrigued when I first read your introduction, and I could not wait to read your first story! Your first story did not disappoint! I liked how you try to take a modern approach to a tragic case that occurred in the 1970s. I have heard about neglected children using a rocking motion to provide themselves comfort. Is that previous knowledge that you had and decided to include in the story, or did one of the stories you read include that bit of information?
If you wanted to make your story a little longer, you could include information about the father’s role in the neglect/abuse. I am also curious to know why the mother decided to have a child if her general attitude towards children is that they “are a waste of space”.
In any case, I am really looking forward to your next story!
Hey Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteYour story was really captivating and intense! I felt anxious that Genie would find a better situation from the very start of the story, and as it built up to her being taken from the home I became more and more hopeful for her. It is disturbing that these situations actually happen, but you made it very interesting to read about. My only question is how were the parents able to keep Genie a secret for so long?
It is hard for me to critique a story like yours because there were no glaring errors or omissions. If I had anything, I would say take some of the awesome adjectives and descriptions in the opening lines and use those later in the story as well.
Great Work!
Brady
Hi Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI am so incredibly intrigued by your topic. Feral children and cases of children who grew up with little to zero social interaction like genie have always been so interesting to me. You are so right, there are way more stories (fictional and true) than you would initially expect to find after a little bit of research.
I love how your introduction fully explains what feral children are, your opinion of the topic, and your intentions for the stories you plan on publishing. I think that including a real story like Genie in the mix of fictional like the jungle book and Tarzan is a really good idea because you are able to compare and contrast them more. I also like how you included multiple pictures of genie on her story as well as other examples on the home page.
The only thing I have to say is (although minor) the order of tabs in the top corner threw me off a little. the home and introduction are the two outside tabs, while Genie's story is in the middle. I feel like you should put the introduction before Genie's story, so the pages are more in chronological order. Other than that, awesome job! I can't wait to read more!
Hey Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you chose to include the myth of Romulus, Remus, and the she-wolf. Romulus is one of my favorite mythological figures in all of antiquity. An interesting note: the Latin word for she-wolf, "lupa," is also the word the Romans used for a prostitute. That detail can put an intriguing spin on the Roman's legendary formation mythology when you think about it. I like how you told the the story from Romulus' perspective. Also, I am glad you used a piece from the Rococo movement as your image. Its use of light and romantic human form give it a traditional mood not found in many modern pieces. I can't wait to see what your next story holds.
When I clicked on your storybook I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised by the stories you had. The modernized story about Genie reminded me of something you see on the news. There have actually been discoveries just like this with children being neglected to the point of being almost feral. I think you did a good job making it believable. I would have loved to see how the cops ended up called though. My assumption is the the desk-lady called them when the mother went to pick up her welfare check, but it'd be nice to see that happen in the story rather than have us assume. I also think you could have added more descriptions to the scene in which the cops find Genie in the room, it could be made a lot more dramatic as a big reveal to the outside world.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteI am a really big fan of mythology (duh, I'm in this class), and Roman mythology especially is something that has always interested me a lot, so it's really cool to get to read about it again! I really like how you told this story from the perspective of Romulus, which is an interesting and cool creative choice. I really love how you used imagery to build your world and make it really inviting and interesting to read, which was already easy because of how great the source story was. I also really liked how you utilized the website to create a really cool theme that adds another layer to the world you built! Great job, and keep it up! Can't wait to read more!
Hi Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteI really like your subject about feral children. Giving the various definiotns often seen in society in the beginning was a good introduction to the storybook. I didn't know what even feral children was, but now I am definitely interested. Also, I did not know how prevalent these stories are throughout history.
I love how you jumped right into the first story. THe descriptions really engages the reader emotionally with Genie. This story is very similar to many of the news stories I have heard. One thing I would change would be to make the story more specific. Next, I wonder if Genie would have been better if she was rescued at a younger age.
I love the second story! It a common story that we all know, but I liked the spin you put on it by telling it from the child's perspective. There were some grammatical errors in your story, so make sure to read it over before you publish. Other than that, I really like the changes you made to each. Can't wait to read more.
They there Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I was just blown back by the organization of your Myth and Folklore Project. I think that you did a really great job this the layout of your website, really making it easy for the readers and users of the website to navigate throughout your awesome stories. The homepage you have utilized is a really great first impression for your readers. The background image you used was really interesting, and really did a great job at drawing the readers in before they have even started reading the story. Now on to the stories themselves. I think that you did a really great job at getting the readers attention right off the bat and drawing them in even further throughout the stories progression. I can tell that you put a lot of effort into this story just based of the detail of the story. These were really great stories and I can not wait to read more!
Hi Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your story. I thought it was very interesting how your inspiration for this story was the tale of Romulus and Remus. I really enjoyed how you chose to focus on a specific event in their lives. How did you choose to focus on the rescue and temporary raising by the She-Wolf? Your story was very creative and unlike any store I had read thus far. I thought you made the story very personal which added a lot to the piece. I like the idea of telling the story from the perspective of a child because a child has such an innocent and light hearted view of the world. Overall, I really enjoyed your story. It was a fun read. There is not a specific correction I would give you, but I would love to see this story developed more. Such as telling another story about the two brothers from their perspective.
Hello, Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteI glad to say that I am back for more! I still cannot believe how intriguing I find your Storybook topic choice to be! I am going to start my commentary on your second chapter since I read your first one the last time I visited.
When I first began reading, I was honestly skeptical that an infant of that age could actually recall that many details about his time with his wolf mother. I appreciate how you addressed that topic in your author’s note. I actually think that it was a good choice to have him recall more because now the reader can sympathize with him and understand what he was thinking. I also thought it was pretty neat how you had the wolf mother embrace certain actions that are unique to humans for the most part – like when she wiped their tears with her paw.
Overall, you are doing an amazing job with your Storybook!
Hey Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop in from myth-folkore class. I really enjoyed reading your storybook and I must say you are a very talented writer. I think that your layout is also awesome. I think the images you used in your banner and also in the stories really lets the reader get in the mood for the stories. I also think the organization of your site makes it very to read and all just works well together. I have a lot of sympathy for Genie, that story was very well written but it was certainly sad to think about. I have never written a story like that, but I think I may attempt to write a story with a tone similar to this. Typically, I write about happy things but there is definitely another side to storytelling that I may have to try. Great job thus far and I hope you have a great rest of the semester!
Hi Lauryn!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'm from the Epics of India course, so nice to meet you! I would just like to express how much I enjoyed your stories! Your introduction was a great way to set the tone and gave the reader a good background knowledge. I actually remember reading about the girl you called "Genie." I follow this page called Creephub on Instagram and I believe that they featured her a few different times. Her story is tragic. I'm a Letters and Religious Studies dual major and so I have had plenty of exposure to the Romulus and Remus story. I enjoyed the fact that you made wrote it in the perspective of Romulus and how you had him have a memory of what had happened to him and Remus. Did you know that some believe that the She-Wolf was actually a concubine who nursed them because of the term "she-wolf" itself. Your third story was also really good, but I haven't had much exposure to The Jungle Book. Overall, great job!