The telling of stories...

The telling of stories…

Most would say that storytelling is a lost art. We are no longer an oral culture, but rather thrive on the tangible written word instead of the spoken. We get our stories from novels, newspapers, and the internet.

But has storytelling completely dropped off into oblivion? I don’t think so.

Listen to any dinner time conversation. Turn on Comedy Central and listen to comedians tell stories about hilarious incidents they had. Go to any family reunion and listen to stories about the good old days. Stories are still alive and well. They are told everyday, we all do it. Sure, maybe it’s not our main way of keeping alive a tradition or a memory or passing on information from generation to generation, but that still is part of it. Humans are born to communicate. And we are born to tell stories. That will never die.

And that brings up yet another point, do the stories we tell and read have to contain a point, a message, a meaning? According to Walter Benjamin in the essay “The Storyteller Reflecting on the Works of Nikolai Leskov”, Benjamin states that all stories must have a meaning or a message, without it they aren’t real stories. I would have to disagree. What about all those stories told at the dinner table and around the campfire? Just because there isn’t a moral at the end of the tale, doesn’t mean it isn’t a real and true story. I am a strong believer of stories that are just purely for entertainment. We all need a little laugher and enjoyment now and again, so sometimes a message and meaning just aren’t needed. Even novels or versions of the printed word that don’t have a strong point shouldn’t be discarded. The world is full of serious matters; humans need a laugh now and again. So Benjamin, let the human species laugh now and again!