DOCSLIB.ORG

The Postmodern Transformation of the Gothic in Angela Carter's Collection

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Postmodern Transformation of the Gothic in Angela Carter's Collection VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY EDUCATION ACADEMY LANGUAGE AND ART EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMME GROUP STANISLOVAS RIŠKA THE POSTMODERN TRANSFORMATION OF THE GOTHIC IN ANGELA CARTER’S COLLECTION OF STORIES THE BLOODY CHAMBER BA THESIS Academic advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daina Miniotaitė Vilnius, 2020 VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS ŠVIETIMO AKADEMIJA KALBINIO IR MENINIO UGDYMO PROGRAMŲ GRUPĖ Stanislovas Riška GOTIKINĖS LITERATŪROS POSTMODERNISTINĖ TRANSFORMACIJA ANGELOS CARTER APSAKYMŲ RINKINYJE KRUVINASIS KAMBARYS Bakalauro baigiamasis darbas Anglų filologijos studijų programa, valstybinis kodas 612X13008 Pedagogikos studijų kryptis Vadovas (-ė) Doc. dr. Daina Miniotaitė _______________ _____________ (Moksl. laipsnis, vardas, pavardė) (Parašas) (Data) Apginta_________________________ ______________ ____________ (Programų grupės vadovas) (Parašas) (Data) Vilnius, 2020 CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 INTRODUCTION 3 1. DEFINING THE GOTHIC 5 1.1. Historical relevance of early Gothic literature 5 1.2. The sublime and terror 6 1.3. Themes and features of early Gothic literature 7 2. THE GOTHIC AND ITS CHANGE 10 2.1. Mid XX century postmodernism 10 2.2. The Gothic and postmodernism. The Neo-Gothic 11 3. ANGELA CARTER’S WORKS AND INFLUENCE 12 3.1. The inclusion and shaping of feminist ideas in Gothic literature 12 3.2. Angela Carter’s writing – the Neo-Gothic romantic and postmodernist ideals 13 4. THE ANALYSIS OF ANGELA CARTER’S COLLECTION OF STORIES THE BLOODY CHAMBER 15 4.1. THE BLOODY CHAMBER 15 4.2. THE COURTSHIP OF MR LYON 19 4.3. THE TIGER’S BRIDE 22 4.4. THE LADY OF THE HOUSE OF LOVE 26 4.5. THE WEREWOLF 30 4.6. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES 32 4.7. WOLF-ALICE 34 CONCLUSIONS 38 SUMMARY IN LITHUANIAN 40 LIST OF REFERENCES 41 1 ABSTRACT The aim of the thesis “The Postmodern Transformation of the Gothic in Angela Carter’s Collection of Stories The Bloody Chamber” is to study the stories, chosen from Angela Carter’s collection of stories The Bloody Chamber and analyse their impact on the change of the modern Gothic by means of postmodernist deconstruction of established traditional fairy tale narratives and feminist criticism of the patriarchal system. The thesis analyses the overall development of the Gothic throughout history, its influences from past aesthetics such as the medieval era, and certain historic events, like the French Revolution, slavery in the United States, XX century postmodernist movement that formed the genre’s character and identity. In the collection of stories The Bloody Chamber Angela Carter discloses her views, which closely align to feminist philosophies, ideals, and criticisms of her contemporary mid-late XX century society, cultural ideas of the patriarchal system, authority and misogynistic views. 2 INTRODUCTION Angela Olive Carter (1940 - 1992) is a notable English literary author known for her works in the Gothic genre. Her writing style is recognised for its original approach to literary conventions and what was considered uncommon until the mid XX century. As a novelist of the postmodern Neo-Gothic movement, her works are difficult to categorise in a single rigid, established literary genre, category. Angela Carter’s novels and stories such as the ones contained in The Bloody Chamber (1979) contain various aspects and features of fantasy, science fiction, romance, drama and magical realism. Her style is considered widely recognised for its versatility and capability to maintain cohesion in the narratives. Angela Carter is established as a re-teller of classic, traditional tales. Her works, most notably the collection of stories The Bloody Chamber is an influential compilation which explores the latent themes and motifs of established XVII century and older stories such as Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and others. What additionally made her stand out from other novelists of the mid to late XX century was her position as a critic of hierarchical and patriarchal ideologies. Angela Carter took traditional tales and adapted them to her contemporary second wave feminist views of a changing western society, addressing and further developing ideas of gender equality and liberty of oneself that were to be found in the narratives. Angela Carter used the XX century Neo-Gothic as a means to explore and present her ideas, philosophies through means of horror. In its classic terms, the Gothic was a literary genre significant for its ability to portray and criticise issues of society and culture with the use of horror elements. Angela Carter used conventions of Gothic literature to deconstruct and criticise societal perceptions, making the stories more forthright and emotionally poignant. Since the Gothic is focused on the revival of past aesthetics and their progression, the research will focus on the identification of postmodern elements and their relation to the change of Gothic writing. The aim of the research is to study the elements of Gothic literature and analyse its postmodern transformation in Angela Carter’s collection of stories The Bloody Chamber with a focus on its impact on gender politics, human identity, and inner-duality. The collection of stories The Bloody Chamber contains in total ten stories, of which seven have been chosen for analysis. The seven stories - The Bloody Chamber, The Courtship of Mr Lyon, The Tiger’s Bride, The Lady of the House of Love, The Werewolf, The Company of Wolves, and Wolf-Alice have been chosen over the other stories because of their relevance to the topicality of Angela Carter’s focused themes of society’s view on gender, its duality, exploration of the inner-self. In order to achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: 3 • To analyse the Gothic movement as a whole and reveal its significance to the current state of literature. • To explore the concepts of human, gender identities and self-ness through postmodernist deconstruction. • To study and interpret Angela Carter’s feminist criticisms found in the collection of stories The Bloody Chamber and disclose their relevance in the change of Gothic literature. Data sources: Angela Carter’s collection of stories The Bloody Chamber. The qualitative method was used in the investigation: • Textual (content analysis) was used when analysing and interpreting Angela Carter’s collection of stories The Bloody Chamber. • Postmodernist deconstruction was used to interpret Angela Carter’s feminist ideas and society’s criticisms found in the collection of stories The Bloody Chamber. The following steps were carried out in the research: 1) Ideas and features of Gothic literature were analysed using internet sources or scientific literary articles. 2) Ideas and features of postmodernism were analysed using internet sources or scientific literary articles. 3) The collection of stories in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber was analysed and had its aspects of identity deconstruction and feminist criticisms identified. Relevance and significance of the research: The thesis will analyse Angela Carter’s collection of Stories The Bloody Chamber and have its concepts of feminist criticism accentuated. The thesis will contribute to university students further investigating, studying Angela Carter’s works, ideas and how they influenced the Gothic. The theoretical part introduces the literature review of Gothic literature, its main themes, stylistic aspects, influences and its impact through the use of horror. Additionally it will explore postmodernist ideas of identity transformation. The practical part of the research will analyse several chosen literary works from Angela Carter’s collection of stories The Bloody Chamber, interpret their aspects, themes and expand upon their significance in the change of the Gothic. The conclusions will sum up all the important information that was collected throughout the research. 4 1. DEFINING THE GOTHIC 1.1. Historical relevance of early Gothic literature In the late XVIII century Europe, the Gothic was part of the Romanticism era, which established emotions and authenticity as key components of artistic merit. The Gothic literary genre is believed to have originated in 1764 by the English author Horace Walpole, with his novel The Castle of Otranto, which combined aspects of infatuation with the past and a contemporary understanding of horror. The novel had brought the Gothic fiction genre into popularity inspiring authors of the late XVIII century such as Ann Radcliffe, Clara Reeve to the XXI century. Gothic and Romanticist literature were part of the revival movement of antique, past aesthetics. For Gothic literature, its particular point of focus is the medieval era, for the time period is associated with death and romance. The black plague throughout the mid XIV century caused a large amount of deaths, which lead to the era becoming associated with themes of decomposition, inevitability and despair. Nevertheless the idea of chivalry was overtly romanticised until the XIX century, which additionally led to the medieval age be attributed to times of romance and courtesy. Although the two aspects are constantly at odds with each other, the strange, unusual merge is what made it so appealing to Romanticism and the Gothic. The Gothic genre is no stranger to controversy, for its fundamental aim was to liberate the readers’ imagination and their views on traditional values, established politically correct ideas, opinions. What helped the Gothic in establishing its own identity in Romantic literature was its distinct writing and fascination with the extreme expressions of immorality, negativity and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Teaching Values Through Fables
    LESSON 10 Museum Connection: Family and Community Lesson Title: Teaching Values through Fables Purpose: In this lesson students will analyze two fables—one African, the other African American—in order to explain how fables are used to impart cultural values from one generation to the next. Applying what they have learned about the interaction of narrative elements in a fable, students will create a modern fable of their own. Grade Level and Content Area: Middle, Language Arts and Social Studies Time Frame: 3-5 class periods Correlation to State Social Studies Standards: PNW 7.2 Students understand how individuals, groups, and institutions sustain and influence cultures. Social Studies: Maryland College and Career Ready Standards 2.A.1.a (Grade 7) Apply understandings of the elements of culture to the studies of modern world regions, such as art, music, religion, government, social structure, education, values, beliefs and customs. 2.B.1.a (Grade 8) Describe the effects of cultural exchange and interactions among Europeans, Africans and Native Americans on the development of the United States. Correlation to State Reading and English Language Arts Maryland College and Career Ready Standards: 3.A.3.b (Grades 6 and 7) Analyze the conflict and the events of the plot. 3.A.3.b (Grade 8) Analyze the conflict and its role in advancing the plot. 3.A.3.e (Grades 6, 7, and 8) Analyze relationships between and among characters, setting, and events. 1.E.1.a (Grades 6, 7, and 8) Listen to critically, read, and discuss texts representing diversity in content, culture, authorship, and perspective, including areas such as race, gender, disability, religion, and socio-economic background.
    [Show full text]
  • Folklore and the Hebrew Bible: Interdisciplinary Engagement and New Directions
    humanities Article Folklore and the Hebrew Bible: Interdisciplinary Engagement and New Directions Susan Niditch Department of Religion, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA; [email protected] Received: 16 November 2017; Accepted: 1 January 2018; Published: 10 January 2018 Abstract: This essay explores the rich interactions between the fields of folklore and biblical studies over the course of the 20th century until the present. The essay argues for the continued relevance of folklore and related fields to an appreciation of ancient Israelite cultures and their artistic inventions. It concludes with several case studies that underscore the fruitful realizations that emerge from this sort of interdisciplinary humanistic work. Keywords: form-criticism; oral tradition; formula; morphology; typology; social context; performance 1. Introduction The fields of biblical studies and folklore studies have always shared much in terms of content and methodology. Readers of the Hebrew Bible encounter narratives about the exploits of heroes and the creation of the world, they find descriptions of ritual actions rich in symbolic media, saying forms akin to proverbs and riddles, and verbal repetitions of various kinds betokening formulaic and traditional styles of speech—a corpus richly suggestive of folklore. Biblicists’ interests in life settings, prosody, literary forms, reception, and redaction in many ways, moreover, parallel those of folklorists who emphasize performance contexts and cultural settings, the texture, content, and structures of various folk genres, the significance of these aspects of genre for an appreciation of message, and the importance of developments in stories and other media across time and place. The scholarly interrelationship between the study of the Hebrew Bible and folklore studies has a long, complicated history.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ghostmodern: Revisionist Haunting in Turn-Of-The-Century American Literature (1887-1910)
    THE GHOSTMODERN: REVISIONIST HAUNTING IN TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE (1887-1910) by MATH TRAFTON B.A., University of Colorado, 2003 B.S., University of Colorado, 2003 M.A., University of Colorado, 2005 M.A., University of Colorado, 2008 A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Comparative Literature 2013 This dissertation titled: The Ghostmodern: Revisionist Haunting in Turn-of-the-Century American Literature (1887-1910) written by Math Trafton has been approved for the Department of Comparative Literature Dr. Karen Jacobs, committee chair Dr. Mark Leiderman Dr. Eric White Dr. Sue Zemka Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii Trafton, Math (Ph.D., Comparative Literature) The Ghostmodern: Revisionist Haunting in Turn-of-the-Century American Literature (1887- 1910) Dissertation directed by Associate Professor Karen Jacobs This project attempts to identify and explain numerous significant transformations in the genre of the literary ghost story in the period roughly contemporary with the earliest emergence of literary Modernism. Through a detailed examination of the literary encounters with invisibility in pivotal American ghost stories from the end of the twentieth century, the project considers the rich literary trope of ghostly haunting according to its capacity to provoke an engagement with marginalized, liminal spaces. In traditional ghost stories, however, as ghosts are ultimately overcome and order is restored, normative structures resume, and such engagements are trivialized.
    [Show full text]
  • World Myths and Folktales: the Stories of Human Kind
    9/12/2016 Language Arts Ms. Muhlbaier Literary Significance Myths and folktales are the world’s oldest stories, passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. Stories have always played a significant role since the dawning of humankind. 1 9/12/2016 Literary Significance Myths and folktales remain vital to modern readers because they reveal common truths, patterns, and themes that are familiar to all ages and cultures. Myths explain the human experience: Who we are Where we came from What we believe in “…myths and folktales are in some ways even ‘truer’ than history.” -Joseph Campbell 2 9/12/2016 What is a Myth? An anonymous, traditional story that explains a belief, custom, or mysterious natural phenomenon. Functions of Myths: To explain the creation of the world and universe. To explain the human condition: how and why people were created, why they are flawed, why there is suffering in the world, why people must eventually die, and what happens to people after death. To explain natural phenomena—i.e. phases of the moon. 3 9/12/2016 Functions of Myths: To explain the nature of gods and goddesses and how these deities and human beings interact. To explain the meanings behind religious rituals, customs, and beliefs. To explain historical events. To teach moral lessons. Myths were created out of a human need to make sense of the universe and explain how the world and its inhabitants came to be. 4 9/12/2016 The Differences Between Myths and Folktales As myths were retold and retold over generations, they transformed.
    [Show full text]
  • Myths and Legends
    Name Class ( ) Myths and Legends A myth is a traditional story that explains the beliefs of a people about the natural and human world. The main characters in myths are usually gods or supernatural heroes. The stories are set in the distant past. The people who told these stories believed that they were true. A legend is a traditional story about the past. The main characters are usually kings or heroes. Some examples of well-known legends include the tales of Odysseus from Ancient Greece, Beowulf from the Norse lands and King Arthur from Old England. Like myths, legends were thought to be true. Mythology is a body of myths and legends from a particular region and culture. Some examples are Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Norse Mythology, Celtic Mythology and Chinese Mythology. Many cultures have creation myths, which explain how the world came to be. These stories are interesting to read and compare. Useful websites: http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/myths.htm An introduction to different myths and cultures around the world http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/mythmachine.htm A website where students can create their own myths http://mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm An interactive website with audio, visuals, texts and supporting materials, featuring 25 myths from various regions and cultures http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/ A large collection of myths and legends from Britain and other parts of the world Here is another useful resource for exploring myths: ‘Two Greek Myths’ in Teen Time Remix: Using Authentic Materials for Developing Secondary Students’ Listening Skills, English Language Education Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR, 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Myths & Legends
    Exploring Myths & Legends • Recommended childrenʹs books • Writing activities • Drawing, mask-making and other creative activities • Ideas for sharing childrenʹs stories and writing • Writing organizers and templates Myths & Legends Myths are stories told aloud that were passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. Myth is from the Greek word, “mythos” — which means “word of mouth” — oral stories shared from person to person. Myths have helped people from different cultures to make sense of the natural world, before scientific discoveries guided our understanding. Myths explained the reason for an erupting volcano, or thunder and lightning, or even night following day. Many myths feature gods, goddesses or humans with supernatural powers. Kids may be familiar with Zeus, the king of all gods in Greek mythology, who could throw lightning bolts from the sky down to Earth. Myths often include a lesson, suggesting how humans should act. A legend is a traditional story about a real place and time in the past. Legends are rooted in the truth, but have changed over time and retelling and taken on fictional elements. The heroes are human (not gods and goddesses) but they often have adventures that are larger-than-life. The tales of Odysseus from Ancient Greece and King Arthur from Medieval England are two examples of legends. Myths and legends can be found throughout the world. Many of these traditional stories feature similar subjects, but express the unique culture and history of the regions where they are from. There are flood myths from India, aboriginal legends from Australia, Taino creation stories from Puerto Rico, the legend of the Chinese zodiac, Norse myths, and many more.
    [Show full text]
  • Myth and One-Dimensionality
    humanities Article Myth and One-Dimensionality William Hansen Department of Classical Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; [email protected] Received: 16 November 2017; Accepted: 11 December 2017; Published: 14 December 2017 Abstract: A striking difference between the folk-narrative genres of legend and folktale is how the human characters respond to supernatural, otherworldly, or uncanny beings such as ghosts, gods, dwarves, giants, trolls, talking animals, witches, and fairies. In legend the human actors respond with fear and awe, whereas in folktale they treat such beings as if they were ordinary and unremarkable. Since folktale humans treat all characters as belonging to a single realm, folklorists have described the world of the folktale as one-dimensional, in contrast to the two-dimensionality of the legend. The present investigation examines dimensionality in the third major genre of folk narrative: myth. Using the Greek and Hebrew myths of primordial paradise as sample narratives, the present essay finds—surprisingly—that the humans in these stories respond to the otherworldly one-dimensionally, as folktale characters do, and suggests an explanation for their behavior that is peculiar to the world of myth. Keywords: legend; folktale; myth; folk narrative; supernatural; ancient Greece; ancient Rome; Genesis; abstract style; one-dimensionality 1. The Otherworldly in Legend An extraordinary event is reported to have taken place in the Greek city of Amphipolis during the fourth century BC. In the house of a certain family a maidservant was passing by the door of the guestroom, which was partly open, and as she glanced in, she saw a young man and a young woman sitting next to each other.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Religion and the Tradition of Myth Mythos
    Greek Religion and The Tradition of Myth Mythos • Archaic Greek: a story, speech, utterance. • Essentially declarative in nature • Classical Greek: An unsubstantiated claim • Mythographos • Logographos • Logopoios Logos • An argument • A statement or story based on comparative evaluation or collection of data • The result of a process • A study • Bio-logy, Socio-logy, mytho-logy • Powell: • logos is defined by authorship, it has a known origin, • mythos is anonymous, it exists in a social milieu undefined by its origin Tradition • Orally transmitted through bards: • Aiodos • Ode • Mythode • Rhapsode • Stories are handed down generation to generation essentially intact… • But they are subject to change Modern Theories • Myths… “describe patterns of behaviour that serve as models for members of a society especially in times of crisis” (Powell, 2009: 3). • “Myth provides us with absolutes in the place of ephemeral values and with a comforting perception of the world that is necessary to make the insecurity and terror of existence bearable” (Morford et al., 5 citing Leszek Kolakowski, 1989: The Presence of Myth) Modern Definitions • “…Myth is defined as a complex of traditional tales in which significant human situations are united in fantastic combinations to form a polyvalent semiotic system which is used in multifarious ways to illuminate reality…” (Burkert 1985: 120). • “A traditional story with collective importance” (Powell, 2009: 2) A myth is… • A myth is any communally ratified narrative that serves to define or legitimate membership in the community, but which is not, and must not be, subject to examination. Indeed, any expression of doubt or skepticism identifies the miscreant as an alien.
    [Show full text]
  • Questing Feminism: Narrative Tensions and Magical Women in Modern Fantasy
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2018 Questing Feminism: Narrative Tensions and Magical Women in Modern Fantasy Kimberly Wickham University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Wickham, Kimberly, "Questing Feminism: Narrative Tensions and Magical Women in Modern Fantasy" (2018). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 716. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/716 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUESTING FEMINISM: NARRATIVE TENSIONS AND MAGICAL WOMEN IN MODERN FANTASY BY KIMBERLY WICKHAM A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2018 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF KIMBERLY WICKHAM APPROVED: Dissertation Committee: Major Professor Naomi Mandel Carolyn Betensky Robert Widell Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2018 Abstract Works of Epic Fantasy often have the reputation of being formulaic, conservative works that simply replicate the same tired story lines and characters over and over. This assumption prevents Epic Fantasy works from achieving wide critical acceptance resulting in an under-analyzed and under-appreciated genre of literature. While some early works do follow the same narrative path as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Epic Fantasy has long challenged and reworked these narratives and character tropes. That many works of Epic Fantasy choose replicate the patriarchal structures found in our world is disappointing, but it is not an inherent feature of the genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Irrational Paratext: Manipulated Paratext
    IRRATIONAL PARATEXT: MANIPULATED PARATEXT IN THE GOTHIC POSTMODERN NOVELS HOUSE OF LEAVES, THE ADVENTURESS, AND THE THREE INCESTUOUS SISTERS A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English in the University of Canterbury by Nicole Marie Howard University of Canterbury 2014 2 Contents Illustrations 3 Acknowledgements 4 Abstract 5 Introduction 6 (i) Terminologies 17 (ii) Contexts 20 (iii) The Chapters 29 Chapter One: Genre 34 (i) Ghostliness 37 (ii) Monstrosity 54 Chapter Two: Authorship 68 (i) Niffenegger: Feminine Authorship 71 (ii) Danielewski: The Author as Text 82 Chapter Three: Reader/Viewer 96 (i) The Gaze 99 (ii) Text World Theory and Epistolary Gothic 112 Conclusion 128 Works Cited 134 3 Illustrations Figure 1. Alison Gibbons. Illustration in Multimodality, Cognition, and 116 Experimental Literature pg. 70 4 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervision team, Nicholas Wright and Anna Smith, for their advice, support, and patience; my parents, Annemarie Butler and Steven Howard, for being just generally amazing; and my partner, Chris, for his unfaltering belief in me. 5 Abstract Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves and Audrey Niffenegger’s two visual novels The Three Incestuous Sisters and The Adventuress all contain examples of manipulated paratext— paratexts being the devices involved in the presentation of the text such as titles, author names, font, introductions, illustrations, appendices, advertising, and interviews. The emphasis these authors place on these usually inconspicuous devices is an expression of the irrational themes contained within these texts. The irrational is an underlying theme of the Gothic genre and through examining the use of manipulated paratexts this thesis demonstrates how these texts make use of the irrational Gothic elements that are present within the postmodern.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales
    © Copyright, Princeton University Press. No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means without prior written permission of the publisher. INTRODUCTION Give me a copper coin and you’ll hear a golden tale! — Roman storyteller’s street cry1 I begin with three instances of storytelling. One hot day Socrates and a companion Phaidros sought relief from the sun by strolling alongside the cool stream of the Ilissos outside the walls of Athens. The place brought to Phaidros’s mind an event from the distant past. “Tell me, Socrates,” he said, “wasn’t it from somewhere around here that Boreas is said to have carried off Oreithyia?” He was thinking of the myth according to which the Athenian king’s daughter was playing on the banks of the stream when suddenly the god of the north wind snatched her up and carried her off to his cold kingdom. “Yes, that’s what they say.” “Was it from here, then?” “No,” Socrates replied, “the spot is actually some distance downstream. There is an altar of Boreas there.” Phaidros asked if Socrates believed the story was true. Socrates replied that although clever men might explain the story away, he did not care to waste time on such speculations and was content to accept the usual beliefs (Plato Phaedrus 229a– 230b; cf. Finkelberg 2014). On a different occasion, a group of persons was traveling and partying together aboard a ship. One of the men, Eumolpus, made a comment on the unfaithfulness of women, adding that he had in mind not women in the old tragedies and legends but a woman of their own day.
    [Show full text]
  • Oral Tradition, 7/2 (1992): 197-230
    Oral Tradition, 7/2 (1992): 197-230 Narrative Proverbs in the African Novel Emmanuel Obiechina I. The Interplay of Orality and Literacy in African Literature To begin with a theoretical question, what happens to the development of literature when a relatively new cultural system based on the written word is superimposed upon an ancient oral traditional culture? The first discovery is that the oral culture does not immediately disappear by the mere fact of its being in contact with writing, nor does the literature of the oral society disappear because of the introduction of written literature.1 Rather, a synthesis takes place in which characteristics of the oral culture survive and are absorbed, assimilated, extended, and even reorganized within a new cultural experience. Also, vital aspects of the oral literature are absorbed into an emerging written literature of greatly invigorated forms infused with vernacular energy through metaphors, images and symbols, more complex plots, and diversified structures of meaning. Such a happy synthesis is possible insofar as certain conditions are present at the meeting point of the oral and written traditions, including the extent to which the synthesizing artist, that is the storyteller or poet, is well rooted in the oral rhetorical forms or narrative traditions, the extent of the familiarity the artist assumes the audience to have with the oral rhetorical or narrative conventions, the extent to which the artist expects the audience to be composed of readers or listeners, and the extent of the artist’s skill in controlling the literary form, in the sense of being capable of 1 The relationship of orality and literacy is discussed in all its complex ramifications by Walter Ong (1982), who observes that “writing from the beginning did not reduce orality but enhanced it” (9).
    [Show full text]