storytelling

I thoroughly enjoyed Walter Benjamin’s article on storytelling and was intrigued with his arguments and main points. His thoughts on the replacement of storytelling and experience with novels and information are insightful. I found myself agreeing with much of his article and wondering if I’ve ever even experienced real storytelling in my life. I feel like I’ve grown up on the novel and so I most likely have missed out on this wonderful experience of storytelling.

I appreciated the idea of a storyteller being able to counsel others and bring his experience to those listening to him and create this new sensation for them. Benjamin writes “The storyteller takes what he tells from experience—his own or that reported by others. And he in turn makes it the experience of those who are listening to his tale. The novelist has isolated himself. The birthplace of the novel is the solitary individual, who is no longer able to express himself by giving examples of his most important concerns, is himself uncounseled, and cannot counsel others.” I think that being in the presence of other people and enjoying the story with them is essential. I related this to reading a novel for a class. Although the reading itself usually takes place on one’s own, the discussion during class, with other students, is extremely beneficial. I find that when I discuss different aspects of a story with other people or when we are able to laugh and cry at different situations within that book, that I learn and grow from the novel itself. There is something about being in “community” (for lack of better word) that allows for a unique reading. Benjamin seems to want to convey this message here and say that the art of storytelling once encompassed these characteristics but readers no longer are interested.

Storytelling once was a way of telling news or events that took place. However, we now rely solely on information. Benjamin sees this as a downfall in our society: “Every morning brings us the news of the globe, and yet we are poor in noteworthy stories. This is because no event any longer comes to us without already being shot through with explanation. In other words, by now almost nothing that happens benefits storytelling; almost everything benefits information. Actually, it is half the art of storytelling to keep a story free from explanation as one reproduces it.” So often I listen or watch the news without even really thinking about the information they are telling me. I see the events happening around the world or across the country and I kind of yawn and nod my head. For me I think this is where storytelling could really bring life to these new stories. When someone is able to give a personal account or tell about some real life experience it makes the information personable and allows listeners or readers to connect to it. I think this is what Benjamin is trying to get at: we long for stories with meaning, with personality, with some sort of in depth experience that allows us to grow. At least I long for that. And maybe we lost it along with this storytelling art that Benjamin is talking about.

Is storytelling still around? And is it effective? And if so where does this leave the novel? These are just a few questions I have after reading this article…