fandomhigh | Literature, Class 3: Period 3, Thursday, January 22

"Good morning, class," Miss Bennet said, as she removed her gloves and scarf and stomped the snow from her boots. "It is quite good of you all to come here, considering the quite hazardous conditions outside."

Glancing around the room, she noticed the quite unexpected fireplace, and the mugs of hot cocoa. "It would seem that the island is attempting to apologize for the intrusion," she smiled. "Very well. Who am I to stand against the roaring warmth of a fire? Please fetch a mug for yourself and follow me."

When they were all comfortably seated in a semi-circle around the fireplace, she continued. "We had plans for another discussion entirely today, but perhaps now is a good time to speak of storytelling, instead. All literature has its roots in this ancient practice, where folk would gather around a fireplace and tell tales to one another. The constellations in the sky above were shapes suggested by mythology. Homer's tales of Troy were part of an oral tradition, extending back generations before anyone thought to put pen to paper and record them permanently. A good storyteller can keep his audience's attention. A good storyteller might also embellish, might tell the story differently each time, depending on the particular audience before him. Storytelling is more fluid than a tale set permanently on paper could ever hope to be."

"Therefore," she said, taking a sip of her cocoa, "I should like to discuss storytelling, today. How it differs from such structured things as novels, plays, and the television that seems so prevalent in this time-period. What forms of storytelling each of you are familiar with. Why it is that we turn to stories to make sense of events that happened. And then, if all of you are willing to participate, I believe I should like for us to try our hand at that noble art."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Quite cold indeed.

She's quite serious. Fetch a mug of cocoa, or another moddable warm drink provided by Fandom. Leave your desk. Find a spot on the floor near the fireplace. Isn't that much nicer?

(As you are moving to a new location here, some amount of commotion is expected. By which Miss Bennet means: conversation with your classmates will not earn you detention, in this thread, as it is not interrupting her lecture.)

Does your culture/world have a history of storytelling? What are some of the ways in which storytelling differs from the more rigid counterparts of literature and television? What traits should a good storyteller possess? How might you adjust a story, depending on the audience?

(Please feel free to ping one another in any chaotic sort of fashion.)

Edited 2009-01-22 19:34 (UTC)

"Here is how we shall progress," she smiled. "One of you will start the story. A character -- as specific or vague as you like -- will react to his setting, or to events that are progressing around him. You will share a few sentences of the character's plight, and then your part will end. Someone new will pick up the tale and take us through the next bit. Obviously, one cannot deny the reality set forth by a previous storyteller, and one should also strive to leave an interesting 'hook' for the next storyteller to build on. Who would like to start?"

(This one should be collapsey, but you can ping in as many times as you like. First person starts the story, next carries it further, and so on. Miss Bennet herself will probably contribute, here and there. Let's see where this thing goes?)

Perhaps you could tell her a story?

She would be delighted to hear any concerns you may have.

Snow, fireplaces, cocoa, I got inspired.

New OOC icon is from here (http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0409/PandP001_COV.jpg), which is the cover for -- seriously -- a Pride & Prejudice comic that Marvel is doing, in April.

cantjossme sent me the link.

Temari

Agnes Nitt

Agnes quickly moved to grab some cocoa and find a spot close to the fire. True, she was no stranger to cold, snowy winters, but she was ALSO no stranger to warm, cozy fires. Just because she COULD endure the cold didn't mean she HAD to.

"In my country, LOTS of people are gifted at storytelling," Agnes answered. "During the winter, there's little else to do at night. It's certainly a lot more interactive than literature -- you can't yell at a book to tell your favorite story, or throw a biscuit at it when it's too drunk to do it properly."

She smirked a little. "As for adjusting a story... I have a feeling the stories become much more... interesting when there aren't any women or children present, but I haven't any hard evidence."

Angela Montenegro

While she would rather still be warm in bed, hot chocolate by a fire was definitely a fair improvement over what she'd expected of having to be in class today.

She grabbed a mug and went to scope out a warm spot to sit.

"Once upon a time," Agnes began, "there was a peasant girl who lived in a village in the forest. And although she was perfectly content with her lot in life, and in no way needed to be rescued from anything, or married to a prince, or any such silly nonsense, she decided to head off on an adventure and see what strange and wonderful things the world had to offer."

Lee Adama

Lee grabbed the first hot cup of anything he could find and let his hands warm up on it.

Frak, it was cold outside. After making sure his hands weren't numb anymore, he started moving around, trying to find a spot as close as he could get to the fireplace without sitting in it.

Katina Choovanski

Katchoo kept hoping for Irish coffee, but she never got it, dammit. (Unless she added the, er, Irish herself, but not in class. She didn't feel like getting caught today.) So regular coffee it was, and a spot beside the fireplace where she could put her back up against the wall.

I'm sorry, "Bingleys Bring Bling to Britan!" might just be the Best. Headline. Ever.

Ronan Nolan

"There's a very strong oral tradition in Ireland," Ronan began. "It's how the oldest stories were passed down. It extends to modern wizardry, as well -- there's a lot of memorisation in the way that Irish wizards do things, moreso than a lot of other Earth-based wizardries. This comes out of the old druidic traditions, the oral histories, and how the knowledge of the world was passed on from druid to druid through storytelling."

Ronan took up the narrative next. "The girl," he spake, "whose name was Anna, left her village at the break of dawn, in hopes of reaching the edge of the forest by nightfall. Many brave men, traders and travelers, had lost their lives in the forest, she knew, when the dark-hunting creatures bared their teeth and unsheathed their claws. Still, though she had been walking all day, keeping to the path, barely stopping to break her fast or even take a sip of water from her waterskin, she found night falling around her, and bright eyes staring at her from the shadows."

Harper Finkle

Bender

Harper wasn't sure where the fireplace came from, but she had a big grin on her face as she picked up a mug of hot cocoa.

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Literature, Class 3: Period 3, Thursday, January 22

Sign In [LIT-3]

Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]

Discussion: The Art of Storytelling [LIT-3]

Activity: Our Very Own Story [LIT-3]

Speak to the TA [LIT-3]

Speak to Miss Bennet [LIT-3]

OOC [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]

Re: Discussion: The Art of Storytelling [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]

Re: Activity: Our Very Own Story [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]

Re: OOC [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Discussion: The Art of Storytelling [LIT-3]

Re: Activity: Our Very Own Story [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Sign In [LIT-3]

Re: Relocating to the Fireplace [LIT-3]