I 5 ONCE UPON A TIME...

SSTORIES ANO STORYTELIERS. THE POWER OF

ST0RIES. YOU llAVE T0 P.|lltlttÎt?!. lT WAS A

0ARK AND ST0RMY NIGtlT. Wl-lAI'S lN A NAMI?

. BEI0MING A STORYTELIER. ROUND ROBINS .GITTING INSIDE A STORY . SI0RYTIME

TORIES ANDSTORYTELLERS

FÒr'most of lecorded histor¡people h:rve experienced lit-eraLure, histor y, and f'olk wis-clor¡ br tcìling,ancl listeningt<i storics. .\rchctvpal talesof h<'roes, ad'r'ersaries, and

.iotrrrrc:r,s into the ttnknowuhave entertaiìred anclinspir-ed peo¡rle in every cul-tul'c. and tlle rvr>nder of"Ouce Upotr a l'inrc" has

intrig.rrctl gcrìetations of chil-drcn. Thcr essence of therrurgic of st()r'ie\ att<l slot 1.tellirg is tliat thev ¿u'e a wav o1'

sllllirrg tlre pr', rlrlerrrs.clelights, rvondcrs :ind fèár-s ofr¡ur. lives rvith svrnpathetic lis-telìers. Eycfv<-l¡c cujovs lislen-illg to a goocl ston'. ancl mostpeo¡rll likc lcllirg st()l ies,

too, especizrllv il'thev h¿tve anir¡rpreciative a¡"rclicnce. Sonrepeople evelr be litrvc that r¡ort

calìllot turderstancì arì eventin your- life rurtil yorr can tell a

story about it. This chaptercan assist vor-r in reaching thattrnrlelstarr<lir re bv lrelping yorrto

I unclerstancl the value of'stories ancl stolytclling:

I slrlpt' )'()ur orvn expeli-errr:cs irrlo tlral stories:

I be rel¿rxecl arrd confìdentrvìrert yort lle slt:tt ittg slr¡t i<'s

rvith others;

I develop the tecl-rniqucs ofeffective storytclling; ancl

I enjoy listening to thc sto-lies yorrr cl¿rssnr¿Le:s tell.

6storylelling is on od of shoring,

ond boft the listener ond lhe teller hove purts

lo ploy in il. ll lokes both oü of lheir

loneliness.!

- Gioio Iimponelli

Storytelling is as old as the beginnings of language and as

immediate as yesterday. While there have been and still are cultures which do not have a writtenlanguage, there have been no cultures which have not been rich in stories. Sacred stories wereoriginally told in search of understanding, protection, or euchantment, and storytellers wereconsidered to be powerful members of the comrnunity. Some storytellers were revered becausethey were thought to have magic powers of knowle dge and of memorl'.

This traditional Hasidic folk tale holds a special messase about stories:

This folk tale illustrates the power of "story." In this case the knorvledge of the story shaped a

people's destiny, provided a source of spiritual power, and gave purpose to an individual life. Thispower is not lost in history; it emerges from the vital combination of teller and listener. Storiescan help yoz to

o give shape and meaning to your experiences;

o bring form and order to the chaos of the unknown;

a understand and empathize with the experience of others;

o distance yourself from your fears and problems, so that you can begin to cope with them; and

a express and experience ollr common humanity.

E POWER OF STORIES

Recentl¡ scholars, behavioural scientists, linguists, educators,anthropologists, poets, and ordinary men and women have rediscovered the power of story-telling-and across Canada and North America, we are seeing (and hearing) a Renaissance instorytelling as a livins art form.

Storytelling is sharing. The listener-the audience-must become an acti\/e participant. Weall have stories within us; we all are potentially powerful storytellers.

TITTEIN ONCI UPON A TI¡/\E

Whenever misfortune threotened the Jewish people, Robbi lsroel

Bool Shem Tov would reTreol t0 the fore$, light the fire, soy the

proyer, 0nd the misfortunes would be ovoided. ln the posing of

time, this toskfellto 0 second Robbiwho knew both fie ploce

in the forest ond the proyer but not how to light the fire. Never-

theles, the misfortune wos oilo¡ded. A third Robbi knew only

the ploce: lhe proyer ond the fire hod been forgotten. Burhis

loo wos enough ond the miforrune wos orloided. Finolly, The

tosk fell to Robbi lsroel of Rizhyn who knew neilher The ploce

n0r the fire n0r the proyer. All he could do wos lell the story.

AND IT WAS SUFFITIENI.

Y

lndependent Aclivily

I Read the article below.

2 Record three of the most irnportant ideas about storytellingthat are offered in this article. Explain whether you agree ordisagree with each of these ideas, aud why.

3 Horv rnany stories do you know well enough to retell? Whichis your favourite? \¡\rhen is the last time you told a story tosorneorle else? Record yollr answers according to yoltr teacher'sinstructior-rs.

4 Bef'ore yoLrr lìext class, tell the Sufì story to someoue whodoes not know it.

audi(the o

ual o

The

me

0re

ts,

Ihe

the

both

both

good

Ìhe

I0nd

IlSbeg

hove

Ihe

tf

bird

oul,

'YOU HAVE T0 REI,IIEMBER

TllE STORIES'Petc McMcn'lin, funcouuet Sun, I)ec. 12, 19BJ

0nce upon 0 lime-on Fridoy evening, in foct-o lvomon wifi

the lyricol n0me 0f Gioio Iimponelli-which is 0 900d, honesl

Sicilion nome, pron0unced ioy-yoh-visited the Univenity of

B.C.

A New Yorker, the 47'yeor'old Timponelli hod come to UB[

to give o lwo-doy performonce on the enchonled subiect of

"Foiry Ioles: Their Meoning for Todoy."

We were 0w0re Thot mony ospecls 0f trodifionol living hod

scrombled bock to goin renewed fovour in our fosl'ond-loose

modern life-the nucleor fomily, for instonce, bobies, ond

gorter belts-but "the revivol of storytelling in North Americo,"

os the billing put iÎ, wos news to us. We hod no ideo.

Moreover, Timponelli is o "cenlrol figure" in thot revivol ond

brought with her her impressive credentiols: winner of two

Emmy Awords in educotionol television: oulhor, poet, teocher,

ond medievol scholor; not to menlion greot-gronddoughter of o

Sicilion sloryteller.

Ihe performonce wos in o covernous (oncrete omphitheotre

inoppropriote lo the lelling or heoring of foiry toles. lt wos

pocked wilh ocodemictype grown'ups; The only children there

were Two girls of obout eight, who were foying up post their

bedtime.

Iimponelli is o shoil womon with long block hoir tied bock in

o simple ponytoil. She hos o good, honesl Skilion nose, o terrific

roothy smile ond Ìwin dimples thot could engulf golf bolls.

She wore o floor-lenglh, highwoisted dres of royol purple

with o bodice of gold threod, ond the effect wos biblicol. "l

don't usuolly weor clothes so c0lourful," she soid, "but we're

neoring Advent, ond I thought it would be oppropriole."

Before storting, she slipped off her shoes ond wiggled her

toes on o smoll 0rientol corpel thot hod been loid down for her.

Ihe renewed interef in foiry toles, she soid, grows out of

new fudies of melophoric longuoge ond orchelypes, symbols

thot ore common to oll cultures. You thought [inderello mode o

greoÌ Disney movie? Well, there ore literolly hundreds of ver-

sions of Cinderello (ond Cinderlod) oround fie world, ond oco'

demks see femole initiolion rites in them, sibling rivolries, ond

more thon a few sexuol melophon.

Iimponelli used lerms like "psyche's iourney" ond "0edipol

complexes," ond she'd be tolking obout something you hod

reod in Mother Goose.

King Arthur's [omelot? You'd b/ush/

The ocodemia disposed of, she begon o performonce thot

kept o theotre of odults enthrolled for two houn. lt wos some'

thing lhor somehow went beyond mere octing ond wos o

reminder of how mogical o single humon voice con be. She

strolled bock ond forth before the oudience, flufiering her honds

like o bird, $riking o courtie/s bow, turning up o foot, bringing

texture 1o her $ories.

We sow leoves on o forest floor. We sow the brisiling ne*

dles of o hedgehog-mon ond heord him ploy bogpipes ot the lop

of o tree. We ofiended Sir Gowoin's wedding in [omelol to o

hog womon, ond it wos os if you could reoch out ond touch

them both. ll wos os stylized ond oncient os puppetry, ond oll

we needed wos o compfire.

TIVE ORAI INIIRPRETAlION

'Storytelling is on oct of shoring," Timponelli s0id, "0nd

both the listener ond the leller hove poils 1o ploy in it. lt lokes

both out of their lonelines. You hove to be lhere togelher for

good $orytelling."

lleret one of her shorl ones, o Sufi $ory:

Ihere wos o bird, he wos o coptured bird, put inlo o coge.

The bird soys to the mon who put him in the coge: "lf you let

me out, I will give you firee pieces of odvice. lf you ogree fiey

ore good odvice, you will set me free."

The mon ogrees. "Ihe fint piece of odvice," the bird soys,

"is, if you lose something, don'T gnosh your teeth. Accept it."

Ihe mon lhinks û is good odvice ond lets fie bird sit on top of

the coge.

"Ihe second piece of odvice is, the rood to truÌh is long buÏ

it begins wifi your senses. Trust them.' Ihe mon ogrees ogoin,

ond ollows rhe bird to fly to o neorby ilee, whereupon lhe bird

begins loughing. Ihe bird soys, "Fool! You lel me go, ond I

hove the bigge$ iewelin the world in my $omoch. I om going

to fly owoy now."

Gnoshing his teeth over his stupidity, the mon soys. "Woit!

Iell me the thìrd piece of odvice!"

And the bird soys: "Why should l? You hoven't listened to

the olher two. I told you to oaept your losses without gnoshing

your teeth, ond you're gnoshing your teefi. I lold you to fu$your senses, yet you believed me when I soid I hod the bþgest

iewel in the world in my $omoch. Do I look os if I would hove o

iewel in my $omoch? lf I told you lhe lhird piece of odvice, you

wouldn'l lislen to me onywoy," ond the bird flew off to the

mountoins.

After lhe leclure, one of fie two litle girls in the oudience

opprooched Iimponelli ond soid: "Are you selling topes? My

mofier wonls o lope of the lo$ one."

Timponelli soid: "N0, sweetie. I don'l hove ony of thot elec

lronic $uff. You hove to remember the $ories ond go find o

ploce to tellthem.Iellthem to your mother. Thol's the ideo."

T WAS A DARKAND STORMY NIGHT

All great storytellers know how important it is to "grab" theiraudiences with their very first line . Many a story opening is so well known that it brings to mindthe entire story-complete with its emotional impact-for anyone who hears or reads it. The rit-ual opening, "once upon a time," carries centuries of magical meanings in only four short words.

Group Activily

I Meet with a small group and read the "famous first lines" onthe next page. V\¡hen you have identified as many as you can onyour own, show those you don't know to parents, teachers, orfriends.

2 Prepare a similar list in your group, using titles which yourclassmates are likely to have encountered. Exchange lists withthe students in another group, and test your knowledge of thestories they lrave read.

3 Witn a partner, choose three of the "first lines" and recordyour comments about each of them.¡ What feelings or memories does this line bring to your

mind? Why?

TI¡IITN ONCI UPOl.l A TIMI

,

213

G

Y

o What makes this an effective or ineff'ective way to begin astory?

o What does this opening line tell you about the story that willfollow?

4 Brainstorm on your own, and then rejoin your group tocreate tlvo or three "should-be-famous" first lines to your own(as yet unwritten) "famous" novels.

Name-giving has traditionally been an act of power ancl ofmagic. In many creation stories, humans establish sovereignty over the animals by naming them.

In some West African cultures, babies do not receive their real names until their first birthdays,

when the family is sure that they will live and remain with them: a permanent name is a magical

gift,nottobegiven''*,.H;:T:.',certainnamesareimbuedwithfamilytraditionandpassed on from gener

TIVE ORAt INIIRPRIIATION

FAMOIJS FIRST LINES

o Once upon o time...

o Long, long ogo, in o goloxy for, for owoy. . .

o lt wos o dork ond stormy night.

o ln fie beginning God creoted the heoven ond the eorth.

o ln o hole in the ground there lived o hobbil.

o Ihe nighr thot Mox wore his wolf suil ond mode mischief of

one sort 0r onother, his mother colled him wild thing.

o Long 0g0 vvhen onimols ond humon beings were the

s0me...

o 0nce upon 0 time there wos o deor little girl who wos loved

by everyone who looked ol her, but most 0f oll by her

grondmother.

o 0ose by o greot fore$ dwelt 0 p00r wood{utter rllith his

wife ond hvo children.

o The mole hod been lvorking very hord oll the morning,

spring{leoning his little home.

o lt wos o bright cold night In April, ond the clocks were strik'

ing fiirteen.

o The drought hod losted now for þn million yeon, ond the

reign 0f rhe lerrible lizords hod long since ended.

o lt wos fie be$ 0f times, il wos fie woßt 0f fimes. . .

o Now, I don't like school, which you mighl soy ls one 0f the

foctors thot got us involved with this old guy we nicknomed

the Pigmon.

o You don'Î know obouT me wilhouT you hove reod o book by

the nome oÍ lhe /,dventures of lom Sowye¡ but thol oin't

no molter. Thot book vvos mode by Mr. Mork Twoin, ond he

told the truth, moinly.

o When he wos neorly thirleen, my brother Jem got his orm

. ul it, the fint thing You'll Prob-

wos born, ond whot my lousY

my porents were occuPied ond

oll, before they hod me,0nd ollthot Dwid Copperfield kind

of crop, bul I don't feel like going into iÎ, if you wont t0

know the Íuth.

o Coll me lshmoel...

o lt wos the winter of our discontent...

o ln the yeor l8óó the whole moritime populotion of Europe

ond Americo rrvos excited by o mysterious ond inexplicoble

phenomenon.

.-

lndependent ncriviry

I Think for a ferv minutes about 1'9¡1¡ own Ìlallle.o Hon,clid yor-r receive it?o Hor,v clo you feel about it?o \44rat nicknames have )'ou acqlrilecl?o \{4rat narne (s) rvor-rld ),ou choose for 1,61¡¡."¡1-

2 Move ar-ound the classroorn, shar:ing olìe ol trvo of thesestories abouL yonr narne with several different classnates.

3 After shar:ing your stories, briefly recold one of your orvnstories in your jour-nal, ancl the lnost inter-esling stor),youheald from your classmates. Did y'our- classrnates have sornecorlìrrìor'ì feelir-rgs abor-rt their n¿rrnes? What surprised you themost about the stories you hearcl?Jot dorvn 1'onr- r-esponses ir-r

)'ottr jollrrlal.

ECOMING A STORYTELLER

Sharins personal memories is a good starting point for- story-tclling. Norv you ar-e ready to besin rnore formal practice in the art of the tale. Her-e, 1,our goalwill bc to share a story, not only with a grollp ofì s1'mpu¡1-t.tic and he lpful fiiends and classmates,but in such a way that you hold the attention of a larger, and perhaps trnfämiliar ¿rudience. With-out special e ff'ects of lighting, setting, or sound, you will weave with yoru voice, your eyes, andyor.rrwords the rnagical tapestry of sharecl rurdcrstanding that the storyteller has always tried tocreate with an audience. But belòre you begin, you will need to w¿rr-m Lrp that irnportant "instru-melìt'-your voice.

lndependent Activily

I Take a big breath, inhaling slowly, and silentll, counting as

you do so.

2 Exhale slowl¡ counting again. Make the rhythrn of yourinhaling and exhaling match. Airn for a colrnt of 8 to 10 at first,and gradually increase.

3 Place your hand olì yolrr abdornen. If you ar:e breathinscorrectly, your entire diaphragm should rise and fall.

4 Repeat the exercise, this tirne counting aloud as you exhale.

5 Do the exercise again, this time slrbstituting a sentence f'orthe counting, and repeating the words as you exhale. (Myname is...and I live in....) The aim is control.

TITTTTN ONCE UPON A TIMI 'ì.llt;¡

Group Activily

I Slowly, and with exaggerated movement of your mouth andface, repeat the vowels: A, E, I, O, U. Do this several times, untilyour facial muscles are warmed up or until you start laughing.

2 Repeat the exercise in unison with your class, as if warmingup for an orchestra rehearsal.

3 Repeat the exercise, adding emotions to your vowels: aqtrestioning '.A," a sad "E," a bewildered "I," an allgry "O," aconfused "U."

Pqrtner Activily

I Sit facing a partner, knees just touching.

2 Decide on a short dialogue, perhaps a question and answer.("I am going to the mall; will you help me pick our new jeans?""Sorry, I can't. I have to work after school.")

3 Repeat your dialogue to each other, with appropriateexpression and volume, in a conversational tone.

4 Move your chairs about 60 cm apart. Repeat yourconversation.

5 Move your chairs another 60 cm apart. Repeat yourconversation, still with appropriate inflection and expression.DO NOT SHOUT. Continue to move your chairs aparr inincrements, speaking your lines each time. Your goal should beto project your voice from opposite sides of the room so thatyolr are heard and understood without shouting.

UND ROBINS

Storytelling is often easier when you are part of a group. youdon't have to worry about remembering the whole story or keeping your energy ".t[" f"i a longperiod of time. And best of all, you're not alone.

The checklist on the next page and the round-robin activity which follows it can help you tobecome a more effective storvteller.

Group Aclivily

I In small groups, choose a well-known children's tale such as"Little Red Riding Hood," "The Three Little Pigs," or"Cinderella."

TIVE ORAt INTERPRETATION

I

2

3

2 Brainstorm to remember and to decide on the essentialelements and the order of narration.

3 In round-robin fashion, tell the story in your group. Onegroup member begins and breaks off at a leading point in thetale such as "and then..." or "so she said...." Each groupmember must tell a chunk of the story, so keep track of howmuch is left in the tale and how many group members have notyet spoken. As each group member ends his or her section witha leading, open-ended phrase, the next person immediatelypicks up the story.

4 \Â/hen you finish your story take a ferv moments to thinkabout how the process worked. What could you have done tomake the stor1, 5e¡n¿ better or be more entertaining? Think ofthose people who you especially liked listening to-what was

special about their voices? The tips in the list below may helpyou improve your storytelling technique.

I Choose o lole you en joy ln

most coses, you should feel

lree to odopf, to modìly, to

moke the story your own2 Keep your stories brief You

don't need to ìnclude oll the

detoils you use os you prepore

your lole But don't be too

brief: include some specific

ond colourlul detoils

3 lmcgine your story os o series

of scenes or pictures Don't

oftempt lo memorize; memo-

rizotìon con moke your deliv-

ery mechonicol, ond iI you for-

get o word you wlll be lost

Memorìze your opening ond

closìng, ond picture fie key

deloils in your mind's eye Your

story should vory slightly eoch

lime, but the essenliol ingredi

ents should be constont.

4 Remember thot storytelling is o

shored oclivily You ore not

persuoding or exploining

-olthough your slory moy

include elemenls of both per-

suosion or explonotion-butporticipoting in one of the old-

est forms of enlertoinment Be

conversotionol bul don't forget

lhe mogic

5 Adiust your lone ond poce cs

oppropriote throughout your

slory

6 Don't be cfroid of pouses

Often, o story needs o

pouse-o[ wonder, bewilder-

menl, relleclion- shored

beMeen teller ond oudience

7 Stond or sil closer to your oudi-

ence lhon you would ìn other

formol speech siluotìons A cìr-

cle or semi-circle orrongement

works well

8 Concenlrole ll is not eosy lo

tell stories well The storytellers

o[ old were honoured mem

bers of society, respecled for

their cro[t ond their knowledge Even the briefesl tole

demonds the full ottentìon of

lhe teller

9 Proctise, proctise, proctìse Tell

your slory lo yourself over ond

over, when brushing your

teeth, when wolking lo school,

iust betore going to sleep

I O Respect the trodilion of the

tole Mony toles-mosl Norlh

Americon myths for exom-

ple ore o living ond socred

porl of o culture Mony lìove

only recently been shored with

oulsiders lf you choose to tell

such o lole, leorn something ofthe slory's bockground ond

imporlonce

TITTEf il ONCI UPON A TIME

How To Tell Stories Effeclively und (omfortobly

m

Y

TTING INSIDE A STORY

In addition to passing on traditional myths and legends,

ancient storytellers were also the counterparts of our modern journalists, relaying informationon the events of the day. As they told stories of successful hunts, celebrations in neighbouring vil-lages, and so on, they used their intimate knowledge of the people and places involved to make

their stories come alive.

Although you will not always have first-hand knowledge of the characters in your stories,

assuming the role of a story character and exploring the story from his or her point of view can

help you to become more conhdent, and add flavour to your storytelling.

Group Activily

I In groups or as an entire class, choose a traditionalchildren's tale. You might use the same story as in the exerciseon the bottom ofpage 216.

2 Choose one character in the story. You will now become thatcharacter. (Be sure that every character in the tale has beenchosen by at least two group members.)

3 In character, decide on your answers to the followingquestions, making mental notes or very brief written notes.o What is your full name? How do you feel about it?o What did you have for breakfast? Was it enough? Who made

it for you?o Are you married? Do you have children? What is your posi-

tion in your family?o What clothes are you wearing? Are they comfortable? new?

stylish?o Do you like your looks?o When did you last have a bath?o Who is your hero?o What do you like most about yourselL)o Are you ashamed of something? Do you have a guilty secret?

4 hr round-robin fashion, still in characte¡ using the firstperson, briefly tell the group something about yourself.

5 Arrange yourselves in groups of three, making sure that eachgroup member is a different character in the tale.

ó Tell the tale to your group from your perspective, still incharacte¡ r,rsing the first person. Don't spend too much timeon preparation here; the object is to hear the tale from several

points of view

TIVT ORAL INTERPRITATION

tr

TORYTIME

You are now ready to prepare a story for more formal telling.by reviewing the list of tips on page 217. Also bring to mind what you have learned about

opening lines, projecting your voice, and "becoming" the characters of your story.

Closs Activiiy

I Choose a tale, one of those already worked on in class oranother traditional tale. Use techniques such as thosedescribed in the previous activities to help yoLl too know your characters,o choose details, ando feel comfortable with emotions and emphasis.

2 tetl your story to your group. After you hear each story, givethe storyteller one positive comment and one suggestion forimprovement.

3 After each member of your group has told a story, shareyour feelings about the activity. \A/har was most diffìcult? Wheredid you have problems? What do you feel most pleased with?

4 Choose one storyteller from your group to tell his or herstory to the class.

5 As a class, discuss the activity. Which stories were mostengrossiug? Were the successes the result of the tale or thetelling? \{hat should be the focus of the next attempt?

f If TTEN ONCI UPOt'] A TIME

m

REFTECTIONS

Think back over the informat.ion vou were

given in this chapter and the activities inwhich you took part. Record your answers to

the following questiolls.

I One African gocl decreecl that no couplecotrlcl have children until each of them knew

and could tell at least one htrnclred stories'

Why might sttch a rule exist?

2 What stories have you enioyecl the most?

the least? What reasons call yoll offer for yourpreferences?

3 What stories were tolcl to you as a chilcl(ancl for what reasons)? What do l'ou thinkabout this now?

4 What sorts of stories do you wish had been

told to you as a chilcl?

5 What stories do you think you wotrld like toshare with yottr children if yott choose to have

a family?

EXTENSIONSI Storytelling as a central cultural activitl'seems to have cleclined in Europe ancl NorthAmerica as electricity has lengthened ourdays. Why do you tl-rink lor.rg, dark winterevenings were conducive to storytelling?(Some traclitional Inuit storytellers refused to

tell stories cluring the summer Arctic nights,

saying the spirits were never present in the

light.) What has replaced the storvteller inmany contemPorary lives? What has beengained? What has been lost? Write a shortessay supporting Your oPirlion.

2 Choose a therne, either within a smallgroup or as a class, and plar-r a progranì of stc¡

ries. Some possible thetnes are

o Mystery Storieso Stories of f.ove and RoYaltY

o Tales of Magico Trickster Storieso Tall Taleso Stories ofTravelo Tales with a Twist

ó Politicians, preachers, professors-all use

stories frequently in their professiot.ls. Wh,v do

you think this is so?

7 thint< of people vou know who tell a jokeor ¿ì story well. rv\¡hat makes their telling effec-

tive?

8 Do you ever irnagine a scenario in advance

of some coming event in your life-a jobinterview, asking someone to the schoolclance, rehearsing tellingyourself a story? waY ofpreparing to deal

9 Do you relive past events or conversationsin your mind? Are you telling yourself a story?

Are you ever temptecl to change the cletails, oreven [he otrtcome?

3 Many places in Canacla are now fortì'lnateenough to have several professional story-tellers-. lnvite a local storyteller to your school,

or find a program of storytellirlg in your com-

muniry altcl attend.

4 Indiviclually or in a small group' list five

story elements (for example: a hockey player,

a musical iustrutnerlt, a peanllt butter sand-

wich, the moon, ancl a dog named Mozart) '

Exchange lists with another student or groupand after two mintttes preparation time, tell a

tale including these elements.

5 Choose any well-known story and tell itfrom the perspective of the villain or of a

minor character.

ó Have several people choose the same folktale. After incliviclual students have

researched, prepared, and presented versions

of the tale, compare the differences and the

similarities. Why have some elementsrernained constant while other details have

changed?

220 ilvt oRAL INTERPRtIÀfloN

7 -lhe "bedtirne stort'" is rvhat now lemains of'a practice that once w¿ìs a polverfr.rl ancl r'ìeces-

sar)' part Ol Orrr culture. Eallr "becltime sto-ries" were inteudccl to l>e elltcrtainrncnt, spiri-tual counsel, histor\', eclucat.iOn, rnt'th,.iour-nalisrn, a sotrrce of' ernotional comfort,and a celebl'ation of'a people's \/ahres. Jn yourgroup, list the bc'cltinre làr,our-ites that vourer¡rcmber. rv\¡hat ptrrposc (lo you thilrk tl-resc:

slr¡r'ics servt'': Alt' llrer'.jrrst errt('l'tainnrent:'\4/h¿rt becltirne stories rnight vou tcll vorrr chil-ch'ett if you ch<tcrse t<l haye a farnilr,?

8 Reacl and rcpor-t orì olle of the fbllowine.((ìonsult lvith 1,1¡1¡¡ teacher about the forrnatof'yout leprlrt.)o The stor\' "[.ittle Fable," inch"rdecl in the

Resourcc Chapter', is onlv tl7 w<¡r-cls long. Itsauthor, tr-anz Ka{ka, wAs one of tl're grcatinnovative rvriters of'this centur). He exper-inrentcd with nrany ver)' brief tales, ancl thisis the shortest t¡f thenr all. What does itsl¡r'eviß' contribute to the tone and effect ofthe tale? Find sorne other l>riel- tales bvKaflia and sh¿rre thenr \^,ith voul group.

o The (lrimnr Brothers, -facob ancl Wilhelnr,wele two of the rnost notable scholars ofEtrrope in the nineteerìth cerìturr'. Fincl outsomethirìg- abotrt thcir lives abotrt theircontlibtrtion to knorvleclge ancl to litera-ture.

o Certain e\ierìts or charactcr-s irl historY or ilìl.nyth seenì to irrspire manl tales. In Britishtladition, the talcs cf'Kinc Arthlrr ancl hislfurishts of [hc Rotuld Table ancl thc tales cll'Robin [{oorl ar-rd his Mcrrl' Men of Sher'-woocl Forest have appcalecl to storl'¡sils¡5for l.rtrrrdrccls of'1,ears. (lhoose one of'l{obin Hoocl's men ()r ()nc of'King Arthur'skniehts, ancl reacl arrcl report orì a taleaboul him.

o (ìontcnrpolarv writer, [,eon Garfield, in1985 pul>lishecl a highll'acclainred series oftales, S/¿¿¿l¿e,sltenre's .\loli¿.ç-his rnagiczrlletellinc in short story form of l2 ofShakespcare 's pla1,s. Reacl artd t-eP()rt otìone of tlrese stories.

a Anne (ìameron, a conteÌnporart'Canadianwritel in British Clolurnbia. has beenentrusted lrv a erotrp of Native Canaclianw()lncrì with a serics of porverftrl storieswhich trntil recenth/ were sharecl onlv withinitiatcs of seclet matriarchal socie ties orr\/ancorn,er Islancl. Slre has ptrblishecl thesctales in trvo books cntitled DaughLers of Coþ-

þer \Uorn,rLn ¡tcl l)zlrckt,'ror¿.ç. Rcad :rnd reporton s()lrìe of thenì.

o Literattrre schcll:rr', Richarcl Sales, l-ras writ-tcn of làill' tales in his recent book, .ÈÌ¿jrr

l'ales un.d ,'1l¿r-. Reacl what he has to sa1'

about a traditional talc and share voul-find-inss with v()rlr group.

o Acclairne cl psvchoannlvst, Bruno Bettel-heirn, has writtcn of' the l'easor-ìs lìrr theenclurins qtralities of tr-aditional tales in hislr<rcrk, 7 /¿¿ Lises of liru:ha.n,lmenL Reacl what hehas to sal' about one traditional tale andshare yotu' frnclings with r<rur gl'()up.

ilÍTrrN 0Ncr lJPoN A |l\lr.. 221