0n (08 Oct 06) George Pope wrote to Cindy Haglund...

 GP> On (06 Oct 06) Cindy Haglund wrote to George Pope...
 CH>  GP> You've heard the original shaggy dog tale, that gave the name to
 CH> the
 CH>  GP> genre?
 GP>  CH>
 CH>   I am not sure. I may have read the joke without knowing the term
 CH>   applied to it. Care to tell?

 GP> Okay, there were 33 knights out on a quest when a horrible storm
 GP> arose, so they ducked into an inn/tavern and were put up for the
 GP> night. . .

 They walked?

 GP> By night 3, the storm still hadn't broke and they needed to get on
 GP> their mission, so they spoke to the innkeeper and asked if he could
 GP> provide
 GP> them horses, so they could get to their destination more quickly, in
 GP> spite of the storm and the darkness of that night.

 Obsession on the number '3'.


 GP> The first knight was furnished with a horse and he rode off. . .


 Aren't all knights usually suppose with horses from the get go?

 GP> Each knight in turn was given a horse and away he went, until the last
 GP> knight, who was a shrimp of a guy. . .

 GP> The innkeeper said, "sorry, we don't have any more horses, and,
 GP> besides, even if I did, they'd be too big for you. . . "

Ah....

 GP> Suddenly an old English sheepdog wanders in and the littlest knight
 GP> asks the proprieter if he could put a blanket on the dog and let him
 GP> use it...

 GP> The proprieter says, "I'm sorry, but I wouldn't send a knight out on a
 GP> dog like this!"

 AH :)

 GP> So,that's basically it, except the ideal is to describe EACH AND EVERY
 GP> knight's being equipped and riding off in great detail, to extend the
 GP> story and make it really repetitive. . .

 I see... Somehow the monk story was better though.. I mean there was
something about it you know? Something different about it. I don't see
why IT would be a 'shagg dog story'.. I saw it as how the monks really
didn't know the answer either, but saying 'you have to be a monk' was
a good way to get more monks into the Brother hood.. :) and the
staying power was enjoying the mystery...

Cindy


... May the force be with you.

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