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Comment
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(5/8/01 2:58:45 pm)
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Dialect
I am working on a new collection of retold fairy tales, to companion my NOT ONE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, this one for brave and clever young boys, ie boys being heroes without lifting a sword.
One of the stories is Knee-High Man, which I have found in both a standard English varsion and a Gullah dialect. It occurs to me that there is no way I can do dialect in my retelling. I would (probably should) be crucified if I tried. Yet I want to suggest the blackness of the tale. If I were doing a Scottish story, I would be able to do that with some judicious use of Scots dialect words. Ditto Irish. Or any other Caucasian culture. But I am stuck with this story--which I love and is perfect for the book--but am puzzled at how to tell it.
Anyone else run into this probkem, ie. dialect when one is outside the culture.
Jane
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Midori
Unregistered User
(5/9/01 5:12:42 am)
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dialect
Jane,
I'll admit that I shy away from doing much in dialect (unless white European cultures) for the same reason...not wanting to do anything that might be offensive. But, it might be possible as you say to employ a few key words and a recognizible syntax or rhythm that might offer a close but still culturally respectful version. There is a charming video that came out last year "Tales from the Land of Gullah" and "Tales from the Land of Gullah for kids" by the story teller Anita Singelton Prather. It got pretty good reviews and the tape for kids sort of "translates" well known European tales into a Gullah idiom. (she also has a little lesson on gullah dialect for the kids.) It might be worth having a glance at the videos..just to see what she does with the language. Another possible source of "keywords" might be a collection that also came out a year or so ago "Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast" edited by Susan Williams, taken from a 1888 collection by (Charles?)Jones.
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(5/9/01 2:02:37 pm)
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Gullah
I've got a book of Gullah tales from S Carolina. And I would never try and do the story that way. Besides, I think it would put off most readers. But a minor minor touch of black culture. . .
Isn't it interesting how the other countries don't make me shy away at all.
Jane
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Midori
Unregistered User
(5/10/01 4:04:06 am)
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sensitivity
Jane,
It's an interesting dilemma...one that even African American authors have struggled with in the past. Nora Zeale Hurston worked both as a novelist and as an anthropologist collecting folk materials from the rural black community. But the prominent male writers of her time despised her work (I strongly suspect that they sure as hell didn't like her independent minded women characters) and complained that by her use of folk materials and heavy dialect that she was just recreating the worst white stereo-type of the country black poor for the amusement of white readers. Richard Wright absolutely savaged her work.
I didn't mean to suggest however that you use the dialect...more that you use the underlying rhythm or cadence of the language, (the same way I guess we can make a sentence read as American versus Anglo-English) and then only a sprinkling of words that seem comfortable and familiar. Also there must be a pattern to the tales..a familiar use of repetition, or call and response..familiar phrases (the Gullah translations of Once upon time sort of thing)...even rendered in standard English they can lend the story a unique cultural feel.
I'm really interested in how you resolve this Jane, because for years I've been wanting to do something with South African narratives but have been really afraid to...I know, I should take my own advice...but I guess, even with all that, I suppose I would still feel the need for some validation, or permission from someone in the SA community..that I had done the job well.
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(5/11/01 5:55:37 am)
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Later
When I get back home (am in Minneapolis as GOH at Marscon, home Monday) I will post the a couple of paragraphs of the draft of Knee-High Man, the African-American story. Would love some feed back.
Jane
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