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fandomhigh2005-11-14 10:14 pm
godinakilt.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-11-14 10:14 pm
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Celtic Literature and Civilisation Lesson 15
[[Sorry about disappearing over the weekend. Sudden attack of RL. It never rains but it pours, ne? I've set up a Class Info post in one of my more OCD moments. Tell me if something's funky about it.]]
As part of his ongoing quest to understand humans, Camulus is reading 'Please Don't Kill the Freshman' and frowning rather worriedly over it. He looks up when the class has filled and begins the lesson.
"Feasgar math, class. Just a few little housekeeping things.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
conathan and darkchylde_ have missed the last few dozen classes. If this keeps up, they will be assigned detention.
"Before we begin on the Ulster Cycle, I'll be telling you about some of the stories that we have looked at. While they are generally considered to exist in the form in which they were passed on, a caveat to remember is that these are first and foremost an oral tradition, stories that were told at banquets and around fires late at night. The content was thus extremely variable. Certain parts of the tale were exaggerated for certain audiences. Characters were added, dropped, or renamed. Many of the passages you probably curse as you read them are runs - long passages of mainly description or names that the storyteller could simply rhyme off without thinking, so he could think of what to say next.
"Another thing lost in many translations is the lyrical quality which would have made them much more easy on the eye and the ear." Camulus sighed. "Gaelic is such a beautiful language. It lends itself perfectly to assonance, to song, to conversation . . . truly the language of theGarden of Eden gods.
"The final point about these stories you should understand is who finally wrote them down. My people didn't write down their own stories. They had neither the need or the means. It was foreign Christian monks who committed them to paper. As such, numerous references to the Christian God and his son and their Jaffa, er, saints have insinuated themselves into the tales. As well, these were probably transcibed during a performance or recitation in a banquet hall. Not the optimum environment for dictation, leading to vague scenes, contradictions, or full stops as the scribe tired beforethe beer ran out the bard did.
"So, assignment for this week - due Friday - is to tell me one of the stories we have covered. It can be the same one you did your picture book on, but preferably a different one. It has to be an oral presentation. And you have to tell the story as if you were telling it to a group of friends or other people from your own culture, in a way that they would understand."
As part of his ongoing quest to understand humans, Camulus is reading 'Please Don't Kill the Freshman' and frowning rather worriedly over it. He looks up when the class has filled and begins the lesson.
"Feasgar math, class. Just a few little housekeeping things.
conathan and darkchylde_ have missed the last few "Before we begin on the Ulster Cycle, I'll be telling you about some of the stories that we have looked at. While they are generally considered to exist in the form in which they were passed on, a caveat to remember is that these are first and foremost an oral tradition, stories that were told at banquets and around fires late at night. The content was thus extremely variable. Certain parts of the tale were exaggerated for certain audiences. Characters were added, dropped, or renamed. Many of the passages you probably curse as you read them are runs - long passages of mainly description or names that the storyteller could simply rhyme off without thinking, so he could think of what to say next.
"Another thing lost in many translations is the lyrical quality which would have made them much more easy on the eye and the ear." Camulus sighed. "Gaelic is such a beautiful language. It lends itself perfectly to assonance, to song, to conversation . . . truly the language of the
"The final point about these stories you should understand is who finally wrote them down. My people didn't write down their own stories. They had neither the need or the means. It was foreign Christian monks who committed them to paper. As such, numerous references to the Christian God and his son and their Jaffa, er, saints have insinuated themselves into the tales. As well, these were probably transcibed during a performance or recitation in a banquet hall. Not the optimum environment for dictation, leading to vague scenes, contradictions, or full stops as the scribe tired before
"So, assignment for this week - due Friday - is to tell me one of the stories we have covered. It can be the same one you did your picture book on, but preferably a different one. It has to be an oral presentation. And you have to tell the story as if you were telling it to a group of friends or other people from your own culture, in a way that they would understand."
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[[Flippin' Americans, have to be all confusing with their November Thanksgivings. My brain is a bit fried from helping to organise Transgender Awareness Week. *waves small flag*]]
no subject