Getting the Story
The story-teller must wholly take into himself the life of which he speaks, must let it live and operate in himself freely.—Froebel.
The story-teller must himself possess the story
before attempting to give it to another. This sounds
obvious, but it is not granted in practice. Much
poor schoolroom story-telling is evidently "unprepared."
People born with a natural turn for
story-telling, and those who in their childhood
heard real story-telling, need to make less preparation
than others; but all story-tellers need to make
preparation. Much of the story-telling masquerading
as such is quackery, showing neither genius nor
study. Even in the very early days when formal
instruction in story-telling was unknown, the wandering
story-teller watched constantly to make his
performance tell, modifying his method in the light
of its effect upon his hearers. Later on, in the
Middle Ages, the court story-teller was professionally
trained (and also handsomely remunerated and
given the place of honor at the banquet). Intellectual
study of the story will not, by the way, destroy
spontaneity. It may dash it temporarily.
Coleridge tells us that his professor in poetics did
not hesitate to subject to the scrutiny of the microscope
the most delicate flowers and fruits of fancy.
