Personal narratives: the family novel
Article Abstract:
A collection of family stories told by the speaker's mother, describing life in Riddyville, ID, illustrates the literary power of personal narratives. Rather than being primarily historical, the stories focus on specific themes that link them together into a unified whole. The stories do not have determinate meanings but are a way for both teller and listener to construct a meaningful sense of self. The stories show that literary values can be found outside the traditional canon in ordinary people's narratives, suggesting a more democratic concept of literature.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1991
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Quest-tioning tradition: spiritual transformation images in women's narratives and 'Housekeeping,' by Marilynne Robinson
Article Abstract:
The novel 'Housekeeping' by Marilynne Robinson shares many features with oral narratives of women's spiritual development. 'Housekeeping' is an example of the adaptation of the fictional form of the Bildungsroman to depict the female spiritual quest. Symbols of rebirth and of the female double are common symbols relating to spiritual development found in the novel and in many women's personal narratives. Both the novel and the narratives suggest that women experience the sacred as immanent rather than as transcendent.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1992
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Reflections on earthquake narratives
Article Abstract:
Earthquake narratives collected soon after the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake in the San Francisco Bay Area show how such narratives contribute to coping with disaster. Twenty narratives were collected in a folklore class at the University of California, Berkeley about 35 hours after the quake. The narratives help to restore order after the event, but they also celebrate disorder. The tone is typically humorous, emphasizing the absurdity of efforts to act reasonably during such unusual circumstances.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1990
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