10 Minute Biographies Chapter 8 (Absolute Beginner Book Club)

10 Minute Biographies Chapter Eight: Brothers Grimm

Start Date: 15th February (JST)

Previous Chapter: Chapter 7
Next Chapter: Chapter 9
Home Thread: Link


Schedule

We are reading at the pace of one page per day. If a sentence crosses two pages it is read as part of the first page.

Daily reading schedule

Page turns at midnight JST.

Date Page Last Line of Page
Feb 15th 111 Chapter title page
Feb 16th 112 ドイツの ハーナウと いう 町で 生まれました。
Feb 17th 113 ヤーコプと ウィルヘルムは、よく 勉強しました。
Feb 18th 114 おとぎ話に、心を ひかれるように なりました。
Feb 19th 115 でも、グリム兄弟は ちがいました。
Feb 20th 116 たくさんの お話を あつめたのです。
Feb 21st 117 二十六さいの ときの ことです。
Feb 22nd 118 話を 作りかえたりは しないから。」
Feb 23rd 119 などと、二人で 話しあいました。
Feb 24th 120 力を 合わせて、『子どもと
Feb 25th 121 楽しめる たからものに なったのです。
Feb 26th 122 End of chapter

Resources

These spreadsheets are put together by the bookclub to help other readers. Feel free to contribute but do read the vocab sheet guidance on the first page before adding any words.


Discussion Guidelines

Summary
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p. 111

グリム兄弟
Brothers Grimm
楽しい童話をたくさん集めた
They collected many enjoyable fairy tales

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Depends what you enjoy I suppose but I have always wondered whether their name is the origin of the English word ‘grim’ a quick internet search reveals that it isn’t but they were not good bedtime reading for little ones

Angela

3 Likes

For some of them a PG rating seems appropriate. But all depends on how a story is told to the children. And the good ones always win against the evil ones.

p. 112

『白雪姫』『ブレーメンの音楽隊』など、面白いお話がたくさん載っている『グリム童話集』。
Many interesting tales like “Princess Snow White” and “The Musicians of Bremen” are recorded in “Grimms’ fairy tales collection”.
この本は、ドイツのグリム兄弟が、昔から伝わるお話を集めて、まとめたものです。
The German brothers Grimm collected stories transmitted since long ago, and put them together in this book.
お兄さんのアーコブ・グリムと、一つ年下のウィルヘルム・グリム。この二人を、グリム兄弟と呼んでいます。
The older brother Jacob Grimm and the one year younger Wilhelm Grimm - these two are called the Brothers Grimm.
グリム兄弟は、二百三十年まで前、ドイツのハーナウという町で生まれました。
The Brothers Grimm were born 230 years ago in the German town of Hanau.

4 Likes

ヤーコプ :v:(more characters)

p. 113

二人がまだ子どものうちに、お父さんが亡くなって、家族はたちまち貧乏になってしまいました。
While the two were still children, their father died and the family all of a sudden became poor.
しかし、苦しい生活の中でも、ヤーコブとウィルヘルムは、よく勉強しました。
But though Jacob and Wilhelm were having a painful life, they studied hard.

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p. 114

そんな二人を見たおばさん(お母さんのお姉さん)が、自分の住む街に呼んで、高校や大学に行かせてくれました。
When their aunt (their mother’s older sister) saw them, she invited them to the city where she lived and sent them to high school and university.
二人は、助け合って一生懸命勉強しました。
They both helped each other and studied with all their might.
お金がないので、本を買うこともできず、借りてきた本を書き写したそうです。
Having no money, they couldn’t buy books, so they copied books they borrowed.
また、大学の先生の家に行って、昔の本をたくさん読ませてもらいました。
They also went to the university professor’s house, where they could read a lot of old books.
そして二人は、ドイツに古くから伝わるおとぎ話に心を惹かれるようになりました。
And they became fascinated by German fairy tales transmitted from long ago.

EDIT: I inserted the omitted 先生 between the 大学 and 家, and of course the aunt sent them to high school and university. Thanks @buburoi.

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I interpreted some passages a bit differently:

and let them go to high school and university

It is said that because they had no money, without being able to buy books, they copied borrowed books.

It’s 大学の先生の家.

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読ませて is in causative form which I understand to mean to let someone do something, or to make someone do something. So I wonder if it might be slightly more accurate to translate this as “where they were allowed to read a lot of old books”. Only a very subtle change in meaning though.

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p. 115

この頃、おとぎ話は、お母さんが子どもを寝かせるときに話す、ただの作り話で、それほど大切なものだとは、思われていませんでした。
In these days, fairy tales were just fictions told by mothers when they put their children to sleep, and they were not considered to be that important.
でも、グリム兄弟は違いました。
But the Brothers Grimm were different.

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Page 115

Summary

このころ、おとぎ話は、お母さんが 子供を 寝かせる ときに 話す、ただの 作り話で、それほど 大切な ものだとけは、思われていませんでした。

Around this time, the fairy tale was just a tale that a mother would tell when she puts a child to bed, and it did not carry any importance.

でも、グリムきょうだいは、探いました。
Still, brothers were researching

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さがい sounds very similar to さがす (探す)
Brothers were different because they thought fairy tales are important. But also they were researching … I think your version is correct, not mine.

It’s not さがい, but ちがい in the text.

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After 3 years of daily studies i still confuse ち, さ & ら!

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It’s always め and ぬ that catch me out…

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For me it is セ and サ.
And of course the fab four: シツンソ

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p. 116

「昔から話伝えられてきたおとぎ話は、みんなの宝物だよ。
“Fairy tales transmitted from long ago are everybody’s treasure.
おとぎ話には、子どもの心を育てる大切なものが、いっぱい詰まっているんだ。」
Fairy tales are full of important things that educate the children’s minds.”
「おとぎ話が、忘れられて消えてしまわないように、集めて書いておこう。」
“We will collect and write down the fairy tales, so that they will not be forgotten and disappear.”
二人は、古くから伝わる話を、いろいろな人に聞いて回ることにしました。
They decided to listen to the old transmitted tales told by various people.
そして、五年の月日をかけて、こつこつとたくさんのお話を集めたです。
So, they spent 5 years and steadily collected a large number of tales.

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page 116

Summary

昔話から話伝えられてきたおとぎ話は皆の宝物だよ。

The fairy tales that have been passed from generation to generation m are everyone’s treasure.

おとぎ話には、子供の心を育てる大切なものが、いっぱい詰っているんだ。

Fairy tales are packed with lots of important things that nurture a heart of a child.

おとぎ話が、忘れられて 消えて終わないように、集めて 書いて置こう。

Let’s collect and write so that the fairy tale will not be forgotten and disappear.

二人は、古くから 伝わる 話を色々な 人に聞いて回る ことにしました。

The two decided to listen to various people about the stories that have been passed down since ancient times.

そして、五年の月日をかけて、コツコツとたくさんのお話を集めたのです。

This way, over the course of five years, little by little they gathered a lot of stories.

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