Lauren Winkler
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View Lauren Winkler as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 1,630
- Pages: 5
Lauren Winkler English 630 Dr. McAllister February 25, 2009 Silko’s Storyteller Bibliography Barnett, Louise K. “Yellow Woman and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Feminism.” Studies in American Indian Literature 17.2 (2005): 18-31. Project Muse. 25 Feb. 2009 . This article explores women’s roles in the Laguna community, the lack of gender roles, and the sexuality of Yellow Woman in Silko’s collection of Yellow Women stories in Storyteller. Barnett, Louise K. & James L. Thorson. Leslie Marmon Silko: a Collection of Critical Essays. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico Press, 1999. This book is a collection of critical essays about Leslie Marmon Silko’s body of work including articles on Storyteller. Brown, Alanna Kathleen. “Pulling Silko’s Threads through Time: an Exploration Through Storytelling.” American Indian Quarterly 19.2 (1995): 171-179. JSTOR. 25 Feb. 2009 . This is an interesting article that is more like a scholar’s personal response to Silko’s work. Brown expresses how Silko’s stories taught her about the NA culture and the oral tradition. Carsten, Cynthia. “Storyteller: Leslie Marmon Silko’s Reappropriation of Native American History and Identity.” Wicazo Sa Review 21.2 (2006): 105-126. Project Muse. 25 Feb. 2009 . This article discusses the way in which Silko’s Storyteller is a reinvention of the autobiography, reflecting the NA’s sense of community as opposed to focusing on the individual, rejecting traditional western conventions.
Domina, Lynn. “‘The Way I heard it:’ Autobiography, Tricksters, and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller.” Studies in American Indian Literature 19.3 (2007): 45-67. Project Muse. 25 Feb. 2009. This article suggests that Silko as the narrator acts like a trickster character due to her mixed ancestry. She uses disjointed layouts to upset order and to tell the story of the Laguna people. Hernandez, Dharma Thornton. “‘Storyteller’: Revising the Narrative Schematic.” Pacific Coast Philology 31.1 (1996): 54-67. JSTOR. 25 Feb. 2009 This article discusses how Silko’s autobiography is a reconstruction of the Laguna people identity and how the past must be incorporated into the present in order for the culture to survive. Hirsh, Bernard A. “‘The Telling Which Continues’: Oral Tradition and the Written Word in Leslie Marmon Silko’s ‘Storyteller.’” American Indian Quarterly 12.1 (1988): 1-26. JSTOR. 24 Feb. 2009 . This article explains the nature of the oral tradition and how the layout of Storyteller reflects the sense of time, place, and nature in Native American literature. Lorenz, Paul H. “The Other Story of Leslie Marmon Silko’s ‘Storyteller.’” South Central Review 8.4 (1991): 59-75. JSTOR. 24 Feb. 2009 . Lorenz’s article is more of an analysis of “Storyteller” and how it fits into the oral tradition and NA culture. It offers significant insight into Silko’s purpose and the process of transforming oral literature to the written word. Rodriguez, Barbara. Autobiographical Inscriptions: Form, Personhood, and the American Woman Writer of Color. New York: Oxford, 1999. This book offers a chapter that focuses primarily on identity and identification in Silko’s Storyteller. Salyer, Gregory. Leslie Marmon Silko. New York: Twayne, 1997. This book is another work focusing on Silko’s stories and poetry. An entire chapter is dedicated to Storyteller. The book also reviews stories about Yellow Woman and delves further into the Laguna culture.
Lauren Winkler English 630 February 24, 2009 Critical Article #1 “Oral Tradition and the Written Word in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller” Bernard A. Hirsch’s analysis of Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller is successful in its attempt to connect Silko’s seemingly chance placement of stories and poems. To the uniformed reader, Storyteller may seem like a random arrangement of stories. However, Hirsch assures the reader that the individual works are linked together thematically and offer a “circular design” that echoes the cyclical design in oral literature (2). Hirsch explains “The merging of past and present are manifest in the book’s design, as is the union of personal, historical, and cultural levels of being and experience” (2). Hirsch maintains that the layout of Storyteller allows the stories to be interconnected and linked together. They constantly relate to one another. This emphasizes, once again, the cyclical style of storytelling in Native American culture. A teaching process can be found in Silko’s stories, another significant aspect of oral literature. Hirsch writes that the reader of Storyteller “learns by accretion” and that Silko’s collection of stories is more of an interactive experience with the author than a passive reading. Storyteller is a work of survival “both personal and cultural, for tribal people in contemporary America” (4). After addressing the way in which Silko pieces together the stories of her people, Hirsch delves into the stories themselves. He focuses primarily on the first half of the book, which he labels the “Survival” section. He analyzes the stories and poems in the Survival section effectively, but he does not offer any revelation that the reader himself cannot find. Ultimately, he argues that Silko tells these stories in order to sustain oral literature and the stories of her people. Hirsch goes on to discuss the second section of the book, the “Yellow Woman” section. The stories and poems in this section all relate to Yellow Woman. The stories also emphasize imagination and the mythical aspect of oral literature and culture. He analyzes Cottonwood, “Story of Sun House,” and “Buffalo Story,” again offering no more insight than can be gained from reading the stories. Hirsch merely offers a summary of each story and explains how important each one is to the Native American culture.
The stories are teachings, expressing the importance of community and harmony, linking together the past with the present. Little outside criticism is offered. Paula Gunn Allen makes a brief appearance arguing that the women in the stories are created to appear as “fragile and self-sacrificing,” but the actual image presented is actually sending a destructive message about women in the Native American culture. Hirsch seems to disagree as he notes that Yellow Woman is not perceived as an adulteress by her people in “Buffalo Story,” but as their daughter and sister instead. The question of women’s image in oral literature is left unanswered as Hirsch fails to make a compelling argument against Allen’s claim. He maintains that women are respected and an important part of Native American storytelling, but the evidence he offers is minimal, and his discussion of women is brief. Hirsch continues his analysis of Storyteller by pointing out how significant the land is to the culture and to the Native American people. Place and nature are important aspects of each story that follow the “Yellow Woman” section. Hirsch writes that the stories “express the richness, diversity, playfulness and humor of Laguna oral tradition” (19). Next, Hirsch examines the “gossip stories.” These stories seem to be stories that would be exchanged among village people. Hirsch explains that they are full of irony and humor, meant to entertain and teach. They remind “us again of the variety and inclusiveness of the oral tradition” (22). Overall, Hirsh’s main point is to express how the oral tradition “does not arrange itself into precise categories, literary or otherwise, nor does it follow neat unbroken lines of development” (22). He uses Silko’s work to defend his thesis and does so successfully. However, Hirsch does not offer a unique perspective on oral literature or the stories encountered in Storyteller. Though, he does recognize the significance and purpose of the stories themselves.
“The Other Story of Leslie Marmon Silko’s ‘Storyteller’” In Paul H. Lorenz’s article, he focuses on one specific story, “Storyteller.” However, the conclusions he draws from his analysis can be applied to Storyteller as a whole. Concerned with how modern day Western students will perceive Silko’s work, Lorenz delves into the nature of tribal literature and culture in order to explain the differences in worldview, and in the end, he is able to link the Native worldview with the Western to express that they, too, are interconnected. Lorenz describes “Storyteller” as a story that “represents a harmonious joining of American Indian cultures whose values have been forced to confront the alien values of European American culture” (59). This observation of Silko’s story can be applied to the entire body of work. Storyteller is an attempt to merge oral and written traditions as well as Native and Western culture. Throughout his article, Lorenz explores this notion by bringing together examples and evidence from both Native and Western philosophers, writers, and cultures. He writes “I have done this because I believe that despite our cultural differences, we can talk to each other, and, within limits, we can draw upon our own cultural resources to begin to understand the workings of another culture” (72). He attempts to mimic Silko in her ability to link together seemingly unrelated stories to offer an overall perspective into the Native American and oral culture. Lorenz’s attempt to mirror Silko’s Storyteller is done successfully. In his article, Lorenz notes that Storyteller offers readers an opportunity to “step outside the bounds of their own cultural perceptions, to see a world of possibilities which their own culture, perhaps, does not admit” (60). He notes tribal literature’s cyclical nature and its purpose to serve as a teaching tool in its respective society. Villains and heroes are not present and all literary elements hold equal value. He writes, “[t]he structure of the story helps to remind the listener/reader of the necessity of harmonizing one’s own existence with the requirements of Nature” (61). Furthermore, Lorenz offers a breakdown of “Storyteller” in order to explain that a chronological time frame is not significant in Native literature. Overall, Lorenz is successful in identifying the significant aspects of Native and oral literature by analyzing Silko’s Storyteller. He contrasts tribal literature’s values with those of western literature. By explaining and exploring the purpose of oral literature, Lorenz offers an insightful article not only about Silko’s written work, but of Native American literature as a whole.
Domina, Lynn. “‘The Way I heard it:’ Autobiography, Tricksters, and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller.” Studies in American Indian Literature 19.3 (2007): 45-67. Project Muse. 25 Feb. 2009
Lauren Winkler English 630 February 24, 2009 Critical Article #1 “Oral Tradition and the Written Word in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller” Bernard A. Hirsch’s analysis of Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller is successful in its attempt to connect Silko’s seemingly chance placement of stories and poems. To the uniformed reader, Storyteller may seem like a random arrangement of stories. However, Hirsch assures the reader that the individual works are linked together thematically and offer a “circular design” that echoes the cyclical design in oral literature (2). Hirsch explains “The merging of past and present are manifest in the book’s design, as is the union of personal, historical, and cultural levels of being and experience” (2). Hirsch maintains that the layout of Storyteller allows the stories to be interconnected and linked together. They constantly relate to one another. This emphasizes, once again, the cyclical style of storytelling in Native American culture. A teaching process can be found in Silko’s stories, another significant aspect of oral literature. Hirsch writes that the reader of Storyteller “learns by accretion” and that Silko’s collection of stories is more of an interactive experience with the author than a passive reading. Storyteller is a work of survival “both personal and cultural, for tribal people in contemporary America” (4). After addressing the way in which Silko pieces together the stories of her people, Hirsch delves into the stories themselves. He focuses primarily on the first half of the book, which he labels the “Survival” section. He analyzes the stories and poems in the Survival section effectively, but he does not offer any revelation that the reader himself cannot find. Ultimately, he argues that Silko tells these stories in order to sustain oral literature and the stories of her people. Hirsch goes on to discuss the second section of the book, the “Yellow Woman” section. The stories and poems in this section all relate to Yellow Woman. The stories also emphasize imagination and the mythical aspect of oral literature and culture. He analyzes Cottonwood, “Story of Sun House,” and “Buffalo Story,” again offering no more insight than can be gained from reading the stories. Hirsch merely offers a summary of each story and explains how important each one is to the Native American culture.
The stories are teachings, expressing the importance of community and harmony, linking together the past with the present. Little outside criticism is offered. Paula Gunn Allen makes a brief appearance arguing that the women in the stories are created to appear as “fragile and self-sacrificing,” but the actual image presented is actually sending a destructive message about women in the Native American culture. Hirsch seems to disagree as he notes that Yellow Woman is not perceived as an adulteress by her people in “Buffalo Story,” but as their daughter and sister instead. The question of women’s image in oral literature is left unanswered as Hirsch fails to make a compelling argument against Allen’s claim. He maintains that women are respected and an important part of Native American storytelling, but the evidence he offers is minimal, and his discussion of women is brief. Hirsch continues his analysis of Storyteller by pointing out how significant the land is to the culture and to the Native American people. Place and nature are important aspects of each story that follow the “Yellow Woman” section. Hirsch writes that the stories “express the richness, diversity, playfulness and humor of Laguna oral tradition” (19). Next, Hirsch examines the “gossip stories.” These stories seem to be stories that would be exchanged among village people. Hirsch explains that they are full of irony and humor, meant to entertain and teach. They remind “us again of the variety and inclusiveness of the oral tradition” (22). Overall, Hirsh’s main point is to express how the oral tradition “does not arrange itself into precise categories, literary or otherwise, nor does it follow neat unbroken lines of development” (22). He uses Silko’s work to defend his thesis and does so successfully. However, Hirsch does not offer a unique perspective on oral literature or the stories encountered in Storyteller. Though, he does recognize the significance and purpose of the stories themselves.
“The Other Story of Leslie Marmon Silko’s ‘Storyteller’” In Paul H. Lorenz’s article, he focuses on one specific story, “Storyteller.” However, the conclusions he draws from his analysis can be applied to Storyteller as a whole. Concerned with how modern day Western students will perceive Silko’s work, Lorenz delves into the nature of tribal literature and culture in order to explain the differences in worldview, and in the end, he is able to link the Native worldview with the Western to express that they, too, are interconnected. Lorenz describes “Storyteller” as a story that “represents a harmonious joining of American Indian cultures whose values have been forced to confront the alien values of European American culture” (59). This observation of Silko’s story can be applied to the entire body of work. Storyteller is an attempt to merge oral and written traditions as well as Native and Western culture. Throughout his article, Lorenz explores this notion by bringing together examples and evidence from both Native and Western philosophers, writers, and cultures. He writes “I have done this because I believe that despite our cultural differences, we can talk to each other, and, within limits, we can draw upon our own cultural resources to begin to understand the workings of another culture” (72). He attempts to mimic Silko in her ability to link together seemingly unrelated stories to offer an overall perspective into the Native American and oral culture. Lorenz’s attempt to mirror Silko’s Storyteller is done successfully. In his article, Lorenz notes that Storyteller offers readers an opportunity to “step outside the bounds of their own cultural perceptions, to see a world of possibilities which their own culture, perhaps, does not admit” (60). He notes tribal literature’s cyclical nature and its purpose to serve as a teaching tool in its respective society. Villains and heroes are not present and all literary elements hold equal value. He writes, “[t]he structure of the story helps to remind the listener/reader of the necessity of harmonizing one’s own existence with the requirements of Nature” (61). Furthermore, Lorenz offers a breakdown of “Storyteller” in order to explain that a chronological time frame is not significant in Native literature. Overall, Lorenz is successful in identifying the significant aspects of Native and oral literature by analyzing Silko’s Storyteller. He contrasts tribal literature’s values with those of western literature. By explaining and exploring the purpose of oral literature, Lorenz offers an insightful article not only about Silko’s written work, but of Native American literature as a whole.
Related Documents
Lauren Winkler
April 2020 12
Lauren Bass
July 2020 7
Peter Winkler - Mathematical Puzzles
December 2019 6
Winkler - Composing Interactive Music.pdf
May 2020 2
Lauren L Williams
December 2019 22