Received: from ATHENA-AS-WELL.MIT.EDU by po7.MIT.EDU (5.61/4.7) id AA00236; Fri, 6 May 94 15:11:24 EDT Received: from ftp.std.com by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA24112; Fri, 6 May 94 15:11:08 EDT Received: from world.std.com by ftp.std.com (8.6.8.1/Spike-8-1.0) id PAA01197; Fri, 6 May 1994 15:10:39 -0400 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA02628; Fri, 6 May 1994 15:08:32 -0400 Received: from hqrtmta1.doe.gov by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA02584; Fri, 6 May 1994 15:08:25 -0400 Received: by hqrtmta1.doe.gov (1.37.109.4/16.2) id AA12849; Fri, 6 May 94 15:08:17 -0400 From: HAROLD.FELD@hq.doe.gov Received: by hq.doe.gov via Worldtalk with X400 (2.3.0/1.45) id WT07920.131; Fri, 06 May 1994 15:08:16 EDT Date: 6 May 94 15:23:00 -0400 To: HAROLD.FELD@hq.doe.gov, sca@mc.lcs.mit.edu, storytellers@world.std.com, hamizrachi@aol.com Subject: More Storytelling.......(long) Message-Id: [being a continuation of the Dialog between Mar Yaakov HaMizrachi and his sister, Aura of Befudlement, on the subject of storytelling] Aura of Befudlement: I am glad to see you again, dear brother, for I heard yesterday that you had some business in the courts and could not come to continue our discussions of storytelling. Yaakov HaMizrachi: In truth I was, and a great victory did we have before the learned judge. AB: And did you use your storyteller's arts? YH: It was not I who made the presentation, for I merely helped in the preparing of briefs and researches into the legal texts. But, though you meant your words lightly, I will tell you that you speak truely. the lawyer uses the same arts as the storyteller, as does the orator and the politician. All have the same purpose, to convince another of the truth of the matter. AB: It seems to me, then, that a storyteller can follow many paths in life to success. YH: You speak with excellent wit. It should therefore be plain that storytelling is no idle thing, nor are storytellers to be triffled with and scorned like jongluers or actors. In Ireland, so I am told, the storytellers have status second only to the kings. All live in fear of them, for they may inflict most terrible satires on any who offend them. But, they are also courted by great lords, for through their efforts one may achieve immortality. AB: That is quite plain. After all, how do we know of Arthur and his knights, save that storytellers have sung his praises through the ages. But come! Let us return to the topic you mentioned before, that of the storyteller who grows too enamoured of his own arts and does not pay proper heed to his audience. THE TRAPS AND PITFALLS INTO WHICH STORYTELLERS MAY FALL, AND HOW THEY MAY BEST BE EVADED OR REPAIRED YH: I shall return once again to that analogy that has served me so well in this discourse, that of a young man who wishes to woo a lady. As you know, it is the fashion for men who would woo to write poems to their beloved, and to look greenly when she approach, to carry her picture in a locket, to sigh and swoon, and in otherwise make a great show on their affections. AB: Aye. every spring, it seems, a fainting plague takes the young men of the city. YH: No doubt you have observed some young men who become so wrapped up in their pantomime that they forget the object of their affection and continue to behave so even after they have attained their desire, or after a seemly time has passed when the maid has made it plain the suit is not welcome. Or, worse, that they so enjoy _being_ in love that they switch the object of their affection from one maid to the next, writing sonnets and romantic nonesense to a new woman every week. They look ridiculous to all save themselves, and are held up in the commedia and everywhere else as laughable. So too some storytellers take such deleight in their own telling that they shall tell the same tale over and over, well past when the company have grown tired of it. Also, they put far too much emphasis upon their words and gestures. AB: But how can a storyteller know when he is in danger of becoming such a laughingstock. YH: Take heed of your audience and regard them well. Do they shift uncomfortabley? When you begin your story, do they seem to groan, or to look at the ground or their neighbor? Also, as you tell your tale, you should keep careful eye upon them and so judge their mood. You must not become so involved in your tale that you forget the audience, or so involved in the audience that you forget your tale. Also, it helps to know more than one story. Time and again, at bardic circles, I have heard the same fellow or two stand and tell the same story, for the fourteenth time. The first time may be wonderous, the second splendid, but the tenth in quick succesion becomes wearisome. AB: Should you never repeat a story, then? YH: No, that is to go to far in the other extreme. Further, if you go to such great Faires as Pennsic or Estrella you may do well by moving from fire to fire. I have myself eaten and drunken well on one story and two songs at Pennsic, since it is new to the different company each time. Yet here I shall caution you of another danger. It may be that you tell a story so often that you yourself cannot bear to hear it again. In that case, give it rest, for if you cannot tell a story with the same enthusiasm as before, the audience shall hear the boredom in your voice and will likewise find the tale tiresome. AB: It seems then a very good thing to have a large repetoire. YH: Indeed it is. In this way, also , you shall have stories for every occassion- bawdy tales for revellers, solemn tales for high occassions, romances for the ladies, and so forth. AB: Can you really keep track of so many stories in your head? YH: Alas for our generation! Of old, it is said that the Skols of the Norsmen could recite all the lineages of their kings and sing the praises of their ancestors. Our sages of old, may their memory be as a blessing, could recite the whole of the Talmud by heart. Yet we cannot recall more than a handful of stories! So does man ever decline. Yet it is still possible to recall several different stories if one takes proper precautions. AB: And what are these? YH: When you ready yourself to go to some bardic gathering or faire, take the trouble to refresh your memory and practice again those tales you wish to tell. Even if you are confident you can recall it, practice again at least once before you plan to tell it. If someone requests a story from you, consider for a moment if all the details and segues are fresh in your mind. It is no shame to tell someone who has requested a tale 'Alas, I fear I do not recall that one as well as I might, I shall surely tell it to you on the morrow.' This shall not hurt your reputation, and may well draw the fellow back with friends to hear the tale. Whereas, if you began and then discovered in the middle that you could not recall some crucial plot twist, or rembered it after it needed to go into the story, then you would look absurd and find yourself as the fool who plunged into the well to catch the moon. AB: Is it such a horrible thing, then, to forget a part of the story? YH: Only if you do not know how to recover from your error. Too often have a seen a novice tale-teller with promise lift the audience to great heights with his talents only to send them crashing down again by stopping suddenly and saying: 'Oh, I forgot to mention, the knight had a magic sword.' For the interuption plays havoc with the illusion you have created and the audience must be coaxed back again to the pleasant dream in which you had enraptured them. This work is far harder than it was before, like trying to put back to bed a friend you awakened by making a loud noise. The awakened sleeper is grumpy, and blames you for rousing him from his pleasant state. Worse, the storyteller frequently loses the rythm of the tale himself, and loses some measure of confidence. These two things, the frustration of the audience and the nervousness of the storyteller, with its concominant loss of skill, wreak havoc with the tale and make a succesful conclusion difficult indeed. AB: Is there no way, then to recover from such a mistake? YH: On the contrary, if you listen to what I say now, you will be able to recover from any such mistake of memory so easily that none shall detect it. Recall that the audience _does_ _not_ _know_ _the_ _tale_. Only you, the storyteller, know the tale. Even if the audience be familiar with the plot, there are as many variations as there are storytellers. Further, even if you yourself have told the story to this same audience aforetime, they will not remember every detail. And, even if they do, they will think nothing of it. AB: All this is true, but how does it help in this case? YH: When you tell the tale and reach the part wherein you remember some forgotten and crucial detail, keep calm. Do not panic, which is the precursor of defeat. Instead, work the detail into the story as if it were meant to come at just such a point. Let us return to our example of the hapless storyteller. Rather than saying: 'I forgot to say he had a magic sword that could cut through armor,' let him say: 'But unbeknownst to this villain, our hero had secured a magic sword from a djinn many years ago. This very weapon, which could pierce any armor, now came into our hero's hand...' AB: I see the cleverness of your device. Even if a part of the tale has been omitted, it can be thus added as if it were meant to belong. YH: Exactly. Many such devices and variations exist. The words 'meanwhile' or 'unbekownst to our hero/villain, and 'for it was not known that' are your freinds and allies. Even if the audience suspects, they will forgive you, if the story continues to flow smoothly. Afterwards, the clever among them may call you out on it. In which case smile and do not deny it, but rather let them think themselves clever. It shall not diminsh you fame or honor to have a reputation for having recovered well in a difficult spot. AB: Wise advice, but I must ask: what if you cannot remember the ending? YH: Pray that God will inspire you. And speaking of prayer, the time draws nigh when I must return home to prepare for the Sabbath. AB: Peace be with you then. Perhaps, if God is kind, we may resume this discourse later.