Fables

For next week - you will be given a quiz on the first 127 pages of Ruth Sawyer "The Way of the Storyteller." Be ready!

Tonight we began a few notes related to the reading assignment comparing the 3 stories:

Eros & Psyche
Beauty & The Beast
East of the Sun and West of the Moon

I presented the ideas of "spelling" and "combinatorics." When we spell a word (example "art" "rat" "tar") we work with a limited set of letters to create a limitless set of ideas. The 3 words referenced above are created from the same 3 letters arranged into different combinations. The art of spelling is the art of making the right combination of elements to create the "spell." In this sense, spelling is a magical act. The right combination yields the right spell. In the same way that different words are spelled with the same letters, different stories can be "spelled" with the same motifs.

We then discussed the 4 fables:
The Tortoise & Hare
The Goose With Golden Eggs
The Fox & Grapes
The Man, Boy & Donkey

We did an exercise with Tim and Ali looking out the door and telling us what they saw in the hallway. the hallway was always the same, but the tellings were very different. The way the storyteller "sees" the stories results in different tellings.

Concepts from Kieran Egan ("Teaching As Storytelling")
Binary Organization: setting up opposites in the creation of the story: slow v. fast, old v. young, proud v. humble, etc.

Affective Hook: involve the emotions and feelings in order to involve the mind: create a feeling for the the pride of the Hare or the greed of the farmer, the thirst of the fox, etc.. (We had a strong example in discussing the free pancakes at IHOP as a motivation for the man with the golden eggs!)

We played the game of "What is it?" with a marking pen.

Discussion: Syntax of Surprise = Huh? Ah!

Hula Night

Last Tuesday we had class in Holly Library with Julie Alstchul, Hula Instructor.

We learned some of the basic steps and a portion of the hula dance that tells the creation story. We noticed how many of the gestures were similar to American Sign Language ("tree" for example) and otherwise were easy to understand: "earth" "fire" "stars" etc.

Some general qualities to look for as we invoke "the spirit of hula" in our storytelling:

Let the body have a voice.
Involve the entire body in the gesture, head-to-toe.
Use rhythm and continuity.
Be "rooted" to the earth.

For next week:

Read and learn the 4 fables in Coles:
The Hare & The Tortoise pg 177
The Fox & The Grapes pg 178
The Goose With The Godlen Eggs pg 178
The Man, The Boy and The Donkey pg 179

Day 4

Next week class will be conducted by guest storyteller/instructor, Gwenda LedBetter. In 1961 Gwenda LedBetter began work as a professional storyteller in Asheville, North Carolina. She worked as storyteller-in-residence for the public library and on local television as 'the story lady.' She has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival many times. In 2007, she was awarded the Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network.

For class with Gwenda, please read the following stories from Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World:

Beauty and the Beast, page 8

Eros and Psyche, page 180

East of the Sun and West of the Moon, page 287

Class Notes for Tuesday, Feb. 2 "Ground Hog Day"
In class last night, we learned some basic string figures. The story of Cat's Cradles which goes along with the string game plus a couple of string "catches."

We also listened to most (not all) of the storytelling recording "Groundhogology" by Doug Elliot. For more on Doug, go to his website: www.dougelliott.com. To find a recording of Groundhogology and other recordings and books by Doug go to: http://www.dougelliott.com/products.html

As we go on into fairy tales, consider the following:

1. Pattern recognition. We use stories to think with and to create understanding by recognizing relationships among the stories we know and the experiences we face. The more stories you know, the more patterns in stories you will begin to recognize.

2. Patterns from the environment. In our consideration of the origins of narrative and the influences on our earliest ancestors, we discussed the notion that the contact with, experience of, and attention to the natural surroundings greatly influenced narrative thinking. In the processes of the environment we find the basic shapes of stories: caterpillar metamorphosis, seasonal cycles, and so on.

3. Patterns from the self. As we explore fairy tales, takes this consideration of the patterns in nature and extend it to include the patterns within - patterns from your own outer and inner life.

4. Spelling. Magic requires spelling. To release a "spell" you must put the right elements into the right relationship. This is what we do with letters. An example from class was to rearrange the 3 letters, T, R, A. From them we get: "Tar" "Rat" "Art" three radically different ideas ("spells") are created by the arrangement of the same elements. Storytelling requires an ability to "spell" with the patterns (motifs, tropes) that make up our stories.

String Figures

Here are some links for tonight's class:

International String Figure Association

Some Youtube clips:
Navajo String Figures:


String Figure Story:


String Figure Jack: