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.
To answer this question my husband and I read the story multiple times; to ourselves silently and out loud to each other. And while the story “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King of England” is written, it maintains a very oral construction. King indicates in his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” that the oral nature of this story encourages reading aloud, yet I would suggest that it necessitates a verbal reading.
Through the exercise of reading and listening to this story my husband and I realized that we tended to listen to the story more like a song than an account of events. And much like reading the lyrics to a song, reading this story silently did not have the same effect as listening to it aloud. I found that reading the story silently was difficult. I kept looking for a straightforward presentation of the facts and purpose. However, listening to the story aloud I was able to stop focusing on the words and structure of the story, and I found myself absorbed in the feelings the story created. In listening to the story aloud I was not only able to grasp the purpose much better, but I was also able to appreciate the melody of the story.
Because this story is written more how one might speak rather than write, it preserves its spoken character. And I found the story was not just preserving its oral construction, but also preserving its voice; the voice of Harry Robinson. The voice of Robinson is very distinct and clear throughout the story, and an oral reading allows him to tell the story through others. The “oral syntax,” as King calls it, not only creates the storytelling experience, but it also reanimates the storyteller himself.
The conversational tone and structure of the writing create a storytelling experience that requires the reader hear the story aloud to truly hear the story. Through the exercise of reading and listening to this story I have come to the conclusion that this type of “oral syntax” – which is rare in conventional written storytelling – shapes the meaning of the story by creating a much more personal relationship between the storyteller, the reader and story. I think that comparing the experience of stories with this type of “oral syntax” to the experience of a conventional written story is like comparing a dream to a movie.
Works Cited
King, Thomas. “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial.” Unhomely States: Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism. Peterbough, ON: Broadview, 2004. 183- 190. Web.
Robinson, Harry. Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. Print.
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for your blog post! I wrote on the same topic and found that my experience was very similar- I didn’t really feel that I fully understood the story until I read it aloud. I found that visually, the sentence structure did not allow for me to silently read through in a smooth manner. Reading it aloud gave me a sense of how the story was actually told by Harry Robinson and made me appreciate the importance of oral storytelling. I would love for you to elaborate on your final sentence, “I think that comparing the experience of stories with this type of “oral syntax” to the experience of a conventional written story is like comparing a dream to a movie.” Do you mean that a dream is convoluted, and a movie is easier to remember and understand? I’m so curious!
Thanks
-Jenny Bachynski
Hey Jenny,
Thanks for the comment! I like what you said about a dream being more convoluted and a movie being easier understand… but when I said that I was thinking more along the lines of the experience of each, at least for me.
I find that dreams are so personal, and while I am dream I am very involved – though my dreams might be hazy, unclear or even hard to remember, I experience them in a very intimate way – much like how I experienced this story when read aloud.
Conversely, while watching a movie I usually feel slightly more removed. I am interested and invested in the story, but I am little more reserved. I find this is similar to the experiences I have had while reading more conventionally written stories.
So, that is what I meant when I said it was like comparing a dream to a movie. It was kind of a last minute thought that I added in… I probably should have explained it a little. Hope this explanation didn’t disappoint :p
Thank again for the comment 🙂
Wickwire deserves a lot of credit for how she put together Harry Robinson’s “Living By Stories, A Journey of Landscape and Memory.” First of all I admire any one willing to work so hard on a task–her appreciation and passion is clear in this work. I understand she recorded most of her sessions with Robinson and then put them in “poetic form” (21). She heard the stories and tried to write them as authentically to the oral language as possible. Her extensive efforts are understood when she says:
By now I had assembled a representative sample of stories for the book. I had hoped
that Harry would assist with this, but he declined: “That’s really up to you”…Don’t have
to ask me about it. I wrote the some of it or I mention on tape and you do the rest of
the work” (21).
I appreciate the time Wickmore took writing this. I can hear Robinson speaking. Reading this slightly reminds me of The Odyssey because I found I had to often read it aloud to interpret it.
Hey Kimberly!
I completely agree, Wickwire definitely deserves a lot of credit for her work! For some reason it wasn’t until I read your comment that I actually considered just how much work transcribing these stories must have been. I agree that her passion and appreciation for the stories is so apparent while reading – the care she takes to get the words and structure just right is amazing. Her use of oral syntax does an awesome job of allowing the reader to enjoy the oral storytelling experience.
Thanks so much for the comment!
Hi hannah,
I liked reading your post and you were very insightful about the different ways in which we read a story.
I agree that reading this story silently was difficult as it was meant to be spoken and performed. I think Robinson’s stories are meant to be an experience rather than a silent venture.
You stated that “the conversational tone and structure of the writing create a storytelling experience that requires the reader hear the story aloud to truly hear the story.” I completely agree with this. When I read the story silently, I only deciphered jargon, but when read out loud everything made sense. Oral syntax is very important and the author emphasizes this.
Cheers,
Chloe Lee
Hey Chloe!
I agree that oral syntax is very important for this story, and that the editor did a wonderful job of emphasizing that.
Thanks for the comment.
Hi Hannah,
You commented on feeling the story better while reading it aloud. I think that’s definitely accurate for oral literature, but what about honing in on particular senses that are doing the feeling? Do you think hearing the story aloud helps you see it? Taste it? Smell it? I imagine it takes on a bit of the dramatic in that it’s now your own performance: you’re feeling your own voice as well as the original storyteller’s.
Thanks for the read.
Hi Michael, sorry for the delay in response- my little one has been a bit sick!
I definitely found that hearing the story helped my see and imagine it. When I was reading it silently to myself I got very caught up on the text and structure etc. But when my husband read it to me I was able to just listen to the story and create my own visuals to go along with it, and this gave me a better sense of the mood and emotion of the story. So I was able to experience it better and my emotions and reactions were much more involved.
Yes I do agree there is more dramatic affect when “feeling your own voice as well as the original storyteller’s.”
Thanks so much for the comment!