The World and the Word: Tales and Observations from the Xhosa Oral TraditionA master storyteller of the Xhosa people of South Africa, Nongenile Masithathu Zenani gives us an unprecedented view of an oral society from within. Twenty-four of her complex and beautiful tales about birth, puberty, marriage, and work, as told to the renowned collector of African oral tradition, Harold Scheub, are gathered here. Accompanying the stories are Zenani’s detailed commentaries and analyses and Scheub’s striking photographs of her in performance. The combination of these historical and cultural observations with a richly symbolic collection of tales from a single traditional storyteller make The World and the Word a remarkable document. |
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... RAVEN WIFE Masithathu Zenani's Analysis : By means of patterns , storytellers will frequently use images to mirror ... raven wife in part one is paralleled by Mbulukazi's struggle with a raven wife in part two ; and a husband's choice ...
... ravens . In fact , that raven - wife was a little bitter . [ Member of audience : " Why is she so bitter ? " ] Yes , she was bitter . That other wife , who was now a little better off than she had been , was not as resentful as this raven ...
... raven ! " " A raven likes meat . " " A raven just can't refuse . " " How shall we deceive it ? " First , a frog was caught . When it had been caught , it was held in the air as someone said , " Come , Raven ! Here's some meat ! " The raven ...
Contents
The Art of the Storyteller | 7 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Tales | 27 |
Copyright | |
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