Part 3 (1/2)
”On the grave of the Prince's father there grew a rose-tree It only bloomed once in five years, and only bore one rose But what a rose!
Its perfuot at once all his cares and sorrows”
Lafcadio Hearn says:
”Time weeds out the errors and stupidities of cheap success, and presents the Truth It takes, like the aloe, a long time to flower, but the blossom is all the more precious when it appears”
CHAPTER III THE ARTIFICES OF STORY-TELLING
By this terospel of si, but, for want of a better term, I use the word ”artifice” to express the mechanical devices by which we endeavor to attract and hold the attention of the audience The art of telling stories is, in truth, e: First, because the narrator is responsible for the whole drama and the whole atmosphere which surrounds it He has to live the life of each character and understand the relation which each bears to the whole Secondly, because the stage is a estures and movements must all be so adjusted as not to destroy the sense of proportion I have often noticed that actors, accustoe, are apt to be too broad in their gestures andfor the story-teller should consist not only in the training of the voice and in choice of language, but above all in power of delicate suggestion, which cannot always be used on the stage because this is has The story-teller has to present these things to the anism of the ”inward eye”
So deeply convinced a art that I believe one never gets a perfectly artistic presentation of this kind in a very large hall or before a very large audience
I havetwice told a story to an audience in A five thousand, but on both occasions, though the drae an audience was both gratifying and sti, I was forced to sacrifice the delicacy of the story and to take from its artistic value by the necessity of emphasis, in order to be heard by all present
E, for it destroys the delicacy, and the whole perfore The indecision of the victory leaves the audience restless and unsatisfied
Then, again, as co a story one hts, the costume, the facial expression of your fellow-actor which interprets so much of what you yourself say without further elaboration on your part; for, in the story, in case of a dialogue which necessitates great subtlety and quickness in facial expression and gesture, one has to be both speaker and listener
Now, of what artifices can we make use to take the place of all the extraneous help offered to actors on the stage? First and fore up the attention of the audience, is the judicious art of pausing For those who have not actually had experience in the matter, this advice will seem trite and unnecessary, but those who have even a little experience will realize with me the extraordinary efficacy of this very siht,” where the interest is focused, as it were, to a point
I have tried this si_ with every kind of audience, and I have rarely know it to fail It is very difficult to offer a concrete exa a ”live” representation, but I shall make an attempt, and at least I shall hope to make myself understood by those who have heard me tell stories
In Hans Andersen's ”Princess and the Pea,” the King goes down to open the door himself Now, one may make this point in tays Onewent to the door, and at the door there stood a real Princess,” or, ”And then the King went to the door, and at the door there stood--(pause)--a real Princess”
It is difficult to exaggerate the difference of effect produced by so slight a pause[13] With children it means an unconscious curiosity which expresses itself in a suddenthat instant's pause to _feel_, though not to _for at the door?” By thisthe attention is accomplished It is not necessary for ical reason of this, but I strongly recommend those who are interested in the question to read the chapter in Ribot's work on this subject, ”Essai sur L'Iestion”
I would advise all teachers to revise their stories with a view to introducing the judicious pause, and to vary its use according to the age, the number, and, above all, the mood of the audience Experience alone can insure success in this matter It has taken me many years to realize the i otherto bring out the points of the story is the use of gesture I consider, however, that ituse, and not of a broad or definite character We shall never iiven by Hamlet to the actors on this subject: ”See that ye o'erstep not the modesty of Nature”
And yet, perhaps it is not necessary to warn story-tellers against abuse of gesture It is e thelo-Saxon countries, where we are fearful of expressing ourselves in this way, and e do the gesture often lacks subtlety The Anglo-Saxon, when he does , the whole body but if one watches a Frenchman or an Italian in conversation, one suddenly realizes how varied and subtle are the things which can be suggested by the er The power of the hand has been so wonderfully sue fro it to all those ish to realize what can be done by a gesture:
”As to the hands, without the aid of which all delivery would be deficient and weak, it can scarcely be told of what a variety of motions they are susceptible, since they ale itself For other parts of the body assist the speaker, but these, I may almost say, speak themselves With our hands we ask, promise, call persons to us and send them away, threaten, supplicate, intirief, doubt, acknowledgement, penitence, and indicate measure, quantity, nu, of restraining, or beseeching, of testifying approbation?
So that a all nations and people, the language of the hands appears to be a language common to all men”[14]
One of thechildren is the use of eneral is of never-ending joy to the listeners However, I should wish to introduce a note of grave warning in connection with this subject This special artifice can only be used by such narrators as have special aptitude and gifts in this direction There are inative power but who are wholly lacking in the power of mimicry, and their efforts in this direction, however painstaking, re to such perforely critical, one is reminded of the French story in which the a her picture to an undiscri friend:
”Ah!” says the friend, ”this is surely meant for a lion?”
”No,” says the artist (?), with so”
Another artifice which is particularly successful with very s their cooperation before one actually begins the story The following has proved quite effective as a short introduction to e audiences of children:
”Do you know that last night I had a very strange dreain the stories? I drea the streets of---[here would follow the town in which I happened to be speaking], with a large bundle on my shoulders, and this bundle was full of stories which I had been collecting all over the world in different countries; and I was shouting at the top of my voice: 'Stories! Stories! Stories! Who will listen toround : 'Tell _us_ your stories _We_ will listen to your stories' So I pulled out a story froan in aand a Queen who had no children, and they---' Here a little boy, _very_in the front row, stoppedBeauty'
”So I pulled out a second story, and began: 'Once upon a tiirl as sent by her irl, _so_at the end of the second row, said: 'Oh! everybody knows that story! It's---'”