1] In his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King discusses Robinson’s collection of stories. King explains that while the stories are written in English, “the patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters come primarily from oral literature.” More than this, Robinson, he says “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats reader’s efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read aloud” and in so doing, “recreating at once the storyteller and the performance” (186). Read “Coyote Makes a Deal with King of England”, in Living by Stories. Read it silently, read it out loud, read it to a friend, and have a friend read it to you. See if you can discover how this oral syntax works to shape meaning for the story by shaping your reading and listening of the story. Write a blog about this reading/listening experience that provides references to both King’s article and Robinson’s  story.

In King’s “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King states that Robinson uses a unique form of literature called ‘interfusional’ in Robinson’s “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King Of England”. King defines interfusional literature as “that part of Native literature which is a blending of oral literature and written language” (p. 186).

Upon reading Robinson’s “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King of England,” it was immediately clear that the style of literature he chose to use was one I was not used to. He used short sentences, often with improper grammar, and repetition to encourage readers to read aloud instead of in their heads, thus, creating written oral literature. This is discussed in King’s article by stating that Robinson “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax, that defeats the readers’ efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read the stories out loud” (p. 186). In fact, while reading this story silently for the first time, I wondered if it would be easier and more fluid to read the story aloud. Robinson is efficient in overpowering the written literature with the feel and voice of oral literature, which is primarily why the story reads so differently than most of my previous literature experience.

King states this idea clearly in his article discussing interfusional literature, stating that “the stories in Robinson’s collection are told in English and written in English, but the patterns, metaphors, structures, as well as the themes and characters, come primarily from oral literature” (p. 186). I agree completely. From the experience of reading Robinson’s story both silently and aloud, I agree that this story feels oral, and although it is written, it doesn’t sound like written literature, even when reading silently. The story is written more conversationally than most literature, as it repeats ideas in different wording and sentences to emphasize impactful moments or words. The story’s voice is undeniable. Robinson has managed to have his voice heard clearly through pages of written work, which is a rare achievement, through his use of diction, grammar, and syntax.

King states that although Robinson’s story is written literature, it avoids the common losses of written literature that oral stories contain such as voice, gestures, music, and the interaction between storyteller and listener (p. 186). In my opinion, this is very much true, as written literature can lose a sense of the author or teller’s voice or version of the story and become lost in the interpretation of the reader. For certain stories, this is a costly loss, but for others, a gift. Some stories are written to be interpreted in a variety of ways, and this adds to the story’s meaning. However, some stories are told to convey a particular meaning, and the loss of voice and interaction between storyteller and listener could be detrimental to this particular meaning.

Works Cited

King, Thomas. “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial.” Unhomely States: Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism. Mississauga, ON: Broadview, 2004. 183- 190.

Robinson, Harry. “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King Of England.” Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. 64-85.