Tell Me A Story . . .

Cara/Andrea here,

With all the new developments and buzz about e-books and e-reading, I’ve been thinking a lot about the written word. Which, for some odd reason, also got me thinking about books and the spoken word. I wasn’t one of those kids who went out for the school plays, so the occasional times that I do public readings from my novels, I’m more than a little nervous.

Gulp. Speak aloud? The sweat starts to trickle down my spine.

I always take pains to practice the selected passage aloud. The first attempt usually comes out as a croak. The second is a herky-jerky stumbling over the sentences. Finally, after countless tries, I’m usually able to get through it without too many embarrassing hitches.

For those who haven’t tried it, reading aloud is NOT easy. Oh, mumbling the words doesn’t take that much effort, but to capture the mood and the nuances of a story, to make each of the characters come alive, is a daunting challenge. At least it is for me. And it made me realize how, with CDs, DVDs, TV, i-pads, Kindles, Nooks, and the internet to keep ourselves amused, reading aloud—or storytelling—has become pretty much of a lost art these days.

Of course, that was not so in the Regency. We have only to look at the novels of our beloved Jane Austen to see countless examples of how the practice was woven into the fabric of everyday life. Fanny Price, like so many poor relations and paid companions, was expected to keep her aunt’s boredom at bay with the soothing sounds of the spoken word. The Bennet sisters had to sit through Mr. Collin’s pompous readings of religious texts. And then there were the solemn Sunday church sermons and passages from the Scriptures to remind people of their moral duties.

On a lighter note, we are constantly reminded of how one of the main sources of evening entertainment for a family was reading a novel together after the evening meal, with each family member taking a turn. Poetry was also popular—though I imagine not many parents allowed their daughters to recite Lord Byron’s Don Juan or The Corsair aloud!

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the oral tradition of storytelling has been an integral part of the human experience since the dawn of civilization. Starting with the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates from around 2000 BC and is considered one of the first works of literary fiction, we see the archetypal theme of “hero and a quest” take form. (Ha, you see, romance was at the root of our imagination even back then.) This continues with Beowulf and the classical Greek epic poems of  The Iliad and  The Odyssey. And the rise of Greek theatre, with its chorus, was another way of telling an oral story.

It’s interesting to note that during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church developed “mystery plays” to convey stories of the Bible and other morality tales to the masses, most of whom could not read or understand the Latin of Church services.

The Middle Ages also saw the rise of the troubadour tradition, which combined epic poetry and song. Guilem de Peitieu, 9th Duke of Aquitaine, is credited with inspiring the concept, and the French courts went on to develop the concept of Courtly Love, and their stories refined the notions of chivalrous behavior that have been passed down to this day. Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the tradition to England when she married Henry II. Her son, Richard the Lionhearted, was one of the most celebrated troubadours of his time, and was much admired for his artistic skills—as well as his prowess on the field of battle. During this time, we also see the rise of the Arthurian legends. (Love, honor, jealousy, sex, betrayal—the romance is heating up!)

Dante, Milton . . . I could go on and on, but let’s fast-forward to the present, where the idea of going and listening to someone read aloud seems something of an oddity, a quaint, old-fashioned throwback to the past. I suppose that audio books are the closest thing we have to a modern version of the oral tradition.

Which brings me full circle to my own experience. After coutless sessions of practicing until I’m blue in the face, I have come to two realizations: One—I made a wise career choice in steering away from the performing arts. Two—much as I want to like listening to stories, I much prefer to read them. I am one of those people who just doesn’t follow a narrative well by listening. It seems to go in one ear and out the other. My mind wanders . . . I forget what I have heard . . . a particular voice doesn’t mesh with my idea of the character. I need to see the printed words on a page, (yes, I still prefer books to e-readers) to go at my own pace, to hear my own voices for the characters.

I shall end my “story” by sharing a few quotes I came across while doing a bit of research for this piece—for me, they capture the essence of why we are captivated by stories, both written and oral:

The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. —Harold Goddard

There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories. —Ursula K. LeGuin

The universe is made of stories, not atoms. —Muriel Rukeyser

What about you? Do you enjoy listening to books or storytelling, or do you need to see the words on a page to get the full enjoyment out of a story?

Comments

[Helen]

Andrea/Cara
Very interesting post

I too prefer to read for myself although I have always loved reading aloud to my children and now my granchildren and used to help out at the local school by reading to the children. I think that you can make a story very interesting by the tone of your voice, but I don't think I would be comfortable reading to adults LOL

Have Fun
Helen

[Andrea Penrose]

Helen, my parents read to me all the time as a child (before I learned to read), and I loved it, so I thinks that's incredibly important at a young age to get the love of storytelling going. And yes, kids have fun with hearing different voices, and somehow readers are much less self-conscious. So again, that does help make a story come alive.

But as soon as I could read, I had my nose buried in a book and preferred to get my stories that way—ˆ guess my brain was already heard-wired that way, LOL

[wendy p]

I have to have the book in my hands and read every word myself. I had bought my aunt some books on tapes (she lost her sight and cannot read), but she didn't really like them because she missed 'reading' the words herself and giving voices to the characters on the pages. I can totally understand because I prefer to read than to be read to.

[Andrea Penrose]

Wendy, I really agree that the voices you create in your head are a huge part of the story's magic. I tried listening to an audio book a while back of a book I had already read and loved—and I found it a really annoying experience. All the characters just sounded wrong to me, and it really pulled me out of the story.

[Susan/DC]

As Helen notes, the last bastion of reading aloud in this country is reading to children. Few things in life are more pleasurable than having a 3 year old in your lap while you read to him/her from a treasured book.

I clearly remember that the last book I read aloud to my oldest son was Robin McKinley's "Beauty" (the original version). He was old enough to read it himself, but we enjoyed the time together at the end of the day, sharing a magical world -- and this book was quite magical. My husband would call upstairs "it's his bedtime" and I would respond "just let me finish the chapter". Three chapters later, the lights would finally go out. That book still has a special place in my heart, both because it was such a lovely retelling of the fairy tale and also because of the memories of my not-quite-grown son that I associate with it.

[Andrea Penrose]

Susan, thank you for sharing such a lovely story! I know my mother's obvious love of books helped shape my lifelong love of reading. I still consider it one of the best gifts (among many!) that I got from her.

[Patricia Rice]

You are acquiring all sorts of comments out there in Facebook land!

I have never been able to listen to people read. Perhaps it's a childhood lesson--my parents never read to me so I taught myself. By the time I reached first grade, I could finish the entire Dick and Jane library while some other poor student attempted to read the first page. It would make me insane waiting for him/her to get on with the story. I twitched restlessly through the rest of the grades requiring outloud reading and when I reached the point where teachers read the text aloud, I gave up, tuned out, and started reading my homework and later, fiction, behind the covers of the text the teacher was reading. I would not have fared well in Regency times!

[Andrea Penrose]

LOL, Pat. I really am not a good listener either. Twitchy is the word, and then I start daydreaming while someone else drones on. I would have been severely scolded as a regency miss (for a lot of other bad habits too—I would have been a dreadful hoyden, wearing my brother's breeches and boots, riding astride, etc.)

[Lyn S]

I cannot stand being read to. I read so fast, I am not sure if I have read a book or seen a movie. I am a little sprite hidden in a corner and see everything going on in the story. Being read to is a good predictor of doing well in school. Family literacy programs have teamed up with quilt guilds to make reading quilts to snuggle with while being read to. I did read aloud to my children. The worst was Charlotte's Web. I cried so hard when she died that I scared my 4 yr old son who tried hard to comfort me. I thought my teaching career would be over before it started when I had to read it to my second graders. I did get through without sobbing. I have even read to my eighth graders and they liked it. Read aloud is very valuable, but I guess it is more annoying to very fluent readers who would rather do it themselves. Thanks for writing stories I love reading to my self.

[LouisaCornell]

I was never a fan of audio books. I have always loved holding the book in my hands and allowing the author's words to spin a wonderful tapestry of love and laughter, danger and sorrow and HEA in my head.

However, I do have CD's of Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer and I must say the man has a real gift for reading Regency tales!

I've never had a problem with reading or speaking in public, but I have been singing in front of people since I was three so I may be a bit desensitized to the nervous aspects of it. That isn't to say I don't get a crippling case of nerves just before I go on. I sang with a baritone for a number of years who was sick as a dog backstage until the orchestra struck the first notes of the overture. After that he was fine. I much prefer opera to any other form of theatre when it comes to performing. The music is always there to hold your hand, to wrap you in the world of the story and to lift you above the clouds of the mundane into the divine.

[theo]

I love to read aloud but am a lot like Pat. I am also a self-taught reader and have no patience for people who stumble over the story.

That said, I did find that I love listening to audio books provided I've already read the book. If I haven't, I'm ansty and unable to concentrate on the words. But if I've already read the book and the narrator is good, oh, then the book can really come alive.

It's a fine line though.

[Andrea Penrose]

Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer? I might be convinced to listen, Louisa!

I'm very impressed with your singing abilities (having no musical talent whatsoever) I wish I could sing opera, which is so beautiful, But there's no way . . .

I would imagine that yes, performing would make public speaking easier. It's funny how some people never get over the terrible nerves, no matter how often they do something. I've gotten more comfortable in front of an audience, though the butterflies are always there.

[Andrea Penrose]

Theo, I tried listening to an Elizabeth Peters book that I adore, and it just really bothered me to hear someone else give my beloved Amelia and Emerson and family voices--even though I heard Peters say she loved the narrator (who has done a lot of her books)

So I'll stick to reading books!

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, Lyn, I had trouble with Charlotte's Web—I found it very disturbing when i read it as a child (to myself)

I love the idea of reading quilts! How lovely. I do think it's important to read to children—early experience of how wonderful books can be does stick with a child.

And thank you so much for your nice words to the Wenches about enjoying our stories. It really mean a lot to us!

[Jenny]

As a child I insisted on reading to myself as soon as I was able. I have little memory of being read to apart from some fairy stories as a really young child. From then on I always loved reading to myself, although I did have some tapes of books, Hound of the Baskervilles, and such which I used to listen to as I did needlework. Then about 20 years ago I decided to study for a Diploma of Education in early childhood, and one of my practice teachers insisted I tell the children a story. So instead of reading the story I had to pre-read it and then tell the children in my own words. It was very difficult to do, especially as the children were 4 to 5 years old and knew the stories off by heart, as children that age tend to do. It really kept me focused when reading the stories to myself. Since then I have listened to a number of Georgette Heyer stories on CD and really enjoy them, although I tend to stop what I am doing and just listen. Having read the books numerous times over the years, I find myself anticipating the next word, or line. Its is amazing how much of a book is imprinted on the brain when reading to oneself. The only thing is I can't get enthused with e.books. The reader is too rigid. It has no soul. And pressing a button instead of turning a paper page is cold. If that was all that was available I suppose I would get used to it, but at the moment give me paper books anyday.

[Ann Stephens]

I've loved reading books since childhood, when my mom read to me often, and I read to my children from infancy on. With all that, I think I got my habit of making up stories from my dad, who improvised hilarious tales for me, my sisters and later my daughters.

My sixth grade teacher introduced me to Middle Earth with her daily readings of The Hobbit.

And in college, a classics professor insisted that we take turns reading The Iliad and The Odyssey aloud. His humor and ability to explain their oral traditions increased our appreciation of both poems.

[gio]

Hello!
thank you for this really interesting post! :-)
I work in a museum of natural sciences and I deal mostly with small children. Reading aloud is an integral part of my job, so I know that is not at all easy! I have followed various training courses, and it is always difficult! To read well is necessary to know the text almost by heart ... is almost impossible to read aloud the first time you open a book, in my opinion. first you need to know it, read it and reread it, then you can read for others! :-)
I love listening to those who read aloud! I like audiobooks, but my favorite thing is to fall asleep while my partner read something aloud in bed ... it's a novel or a treatise on mathematics! just like children who love stories for sleep. is one of the most beautiful cuddles for me!

I apologize for my imperfect English: I'm Italian! :-)

[Andrea Penrose]

Jenny, thanks for sharing. Learning to listen is a great art. I actually think I do it fairly well when talking to friends, and hearing their thoughts or experiences. But following a long story, I get antsy and want to go at my own pace, and absorb the words and characters in my own way.

That's a great comment on an e-reader having no soul. I'm fighting it simply because I love the feel of paper and the tactile experience of turning a page. But for travel I think e-readers are great tools, and I'm sure I'll get one soon.

[Andrea Penrose]

Ann, your father sounds like a wonderful man! And you just reminded me that my fifth grade teacher used to make us put our heads down on our desks in the afternoon while he read Kenneth Roberts "Northwest Passage" to us. I don't really remember following the actual story, but it did make an impact by accentuating how magical books are.

[Andrea Penrose]

Gio, what a lovely way to fall asleep! You are very lucky to have someone who enjoys reading aloud (I am far too impatient to do more than a few pages.)

I think you are very right about having to practice what you plan to read aloud. The first time I try a scene, it's horrible! I stumble over sentences, and have to stop to get a feel for the flow. It's much better after a few times.

Thank you for sharing—and please don't apologize! Your English is wonderful!

[Isobel Carr]

I love going to readings. My local indie (now sadly closed) used to do lunch-time readings that were wonderful. I saw/heard so many great authors at those over the years.

I’ve listened to audio books while driving, but only of books I’d already read. I can’t imagine trying to follow one that I didn’t know nearly by heart.

[Andrea Penrose]

Isobel, I do enjoy author readings too, as long as the person knows to keep it short. It's lots of fun to hear how an author interprets the characters, but my attention starts to wander if the readings goes on and on.

[Louis]

My DW and I both enjoy listening to audio books.

As she is legally blind I have to do a fair amount of reading to her.

She sez I'm not a good reader.

I do try.

[Andrea Penrose]

Louis, reading aloud is NOT easy, but sounds like you are a very kind DH to keep at it. I'm sure your DW appreciates it.

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie, here, chiming in late. I am a HUGE audiobook fan! I adore being read to, and I love reading articles from the newspaper, magazines, etc. out loud to friends or family. Nobody ever read stories to me as a child, so maybe that's why I enjoy it so much now. I listen to audiobooks as I clean house, indulge in my rubber stamping hobby, or play solitaire on the computer. It's like having a beloved friend in the house reading to me. I gave away my TV decades ago, so maybe my treasured audiobooks are my current "TV." I have hundreds of audiobooks and listen to my favorites over and over, among them being Georgette Heyer and Patrick O'Brian and the Harry Potters read by the wonderful Jim Dale.

I just have one caveat when it comes to audiobooks: no abridgements!