Day 12

Absent: Tyler

Pellowski's definition (World of Storytelling, pg 18)

"the entire context of a moment when oral narration of stories in verse and/or prose, is performed or led by one person before a live audience; the narration may be spoken, chanted, or sung, with or without musical, pictorial, and/or other accompaniment, and may be learned from oral, printed or mechanically recorded sources; one of its purposes must be that of entertainment or delight and it must have at least a small element of spontaneity in the performance."

Discussion of "elements of storytelling performance." Here is a short list:

• Audience: presence and interactivity. Can be conversational or ritualized ("ho?"/"hey!").
• Authenticity and Spontaneity of performance.
• Spelling and weaving: "Rhapsode" stitch + song. Combinatorics. Repertory. "Body of Text." Flow and Consistency.
  
• Minimalism/Simplicity. Low tech.
• Lyricism/Vocal skill and variety. Consider that the pleasure of speech is in the combined effects of voice and word.
• Didacticism: Common Ground yielding Meaning.
• Affective Hook: involving the emotions.

More general effects:

• Communication of Experience
• Conflict
• Entertainment/Delight.

We finished with an interesting discussion of cultural and intellectual boundaries in storytelling. Consider: whenever you hear a story, regardless of its origin, it becomes a story from your life.