Heather Forest on Ancient & Epic Tales
- Heather Forest
- Apr 7, 2016
- 3 min read
Last month, we invited award-winning author Heather Forest to share her thoughts about her study and love of exploring ancient stories. Fortunately, she agreed! Here, Heather Forest explores her thoughts about the value of epic tales in a modern world and how they apply to modern life. Heather Forest's latest title, Ancient and Epic Tales From Around the World, will be published by August House on April 7th, 2016.
Whenever I investigate ancient and epic tales from the world’s great oral traditions, I feel like I am embarking on a fascinating global journey through time, place, and culture. I enjoy musing about how these large stories were passed on and preserved through the oral tradition for centuries before poets and scribes collected them in written form. Stories survive when they are relevant to listeners. Beyond “the hero’s journey,” these timeless stories illuminate “the hero’s choices.” Teaching leadership skills, heroic epics model how both the wise and the foolish characters in the story experience the resulting positive or negative consequences that result from the choices made along the journey.
Ancient tales offer listeners and readers insights into the intimate, personal work of seeking to understand the meaning of life in the face of the inevitability of death. Powerful human emotions and recurring themes of natural disaster, supernatural forces, and parallel worlds flow through the heart of these ancient narratives. Addressing universal human concerns, these stories transcend their time and place and are still compelling and relevant for modern listeners. It is comforting to see that ancient people faced the same challenging choices that we still encounter today in our modern world. Perhaps their ancient voices can guide us on our way.
Heroic quests for victory, honor, wisdom, and order have long been common connecting threads in the multicultural fabric of epic tales. In my research, I’ve noticed an enduring belief pervading ancient stories that there is more to reality than meets the eye. This underlying assumption allows narrative space for mystical, supernatural, and otherworldly elements to intertwine with the mundane logic of ordinary day-to-day life. I especially enjoy sharing these imaginative elements in both my writing and performance of tales.
As I curated stories to include in the Ancient and Epic Tales From Around the World anthology, I focused on choosing concise episodes from the larger tales. My creative writing goal was for the episodes to be self contained and to be easy to share out loud as “tell-able tales.” I sought segments with colorful characters, engaging events, and metaphorical relevance to contemporary life. After considering the breadth of a tale through research and inquiry into its overarching plot and its cultural, historical, and geographical contexts, I searched for a pivotal entry moment with scenes that feature the tale’s central characters and provide narrative opportunities to illuminate their backstory.
There is much to learn about the creative writing process from investigating the popular oral fare of the bards. It is fascinating to me that the compositional structure of ancient oral tales has been echoed by writers across the centuries and has shaped our modern sense of story construction. In researching classic epics and ancient tales to feature in my books and share in my workshops, I constantly come upon familiar literary techniques such as weaving a backstory, unfolding parallel tales, beginning in medias res, framing one story within another, and using metaphor and a cast of dramatic characters to describe complex human predicaments. Oral tradition is the bedrock of literary expression. Modern literature still employs these classic narrative devices.
Ancient storytellers incorporated a variety of techniques, such as such as song, specific line form, rhythm, and rhyme as mnemonic devices, to help them remember, perform, and pass down sweeping epics and large story cycles from one generation to the next. Likewise, each contemporary storyteller brings his or her unique sensibilities to the creative process of storytelling. In my newest book, I have reimagined ancient stories using descriptive prose stitched together with dramatic dialogue to bring the action and the characters to life for modern audiences. Since these stories evolved from the world’s great oral traditions, I like to use language that is pleasing to the ear. I come to the tales with a great sense of respect and awe. There is a grandeur that underlies the timeless, fundamental beauty of these stories.
I hope the tales I’ve curated in my adaptations will intrigue readers and inspire them to explore the diverse global treasure of ancient and epic narratives.
Hello there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
Call Girl in Bangalore Call Girl in Jaipur Call Girl in Mumbai Call Girl in Pune Call Girl in Kolkata Call Girl in Chandigarh Call Girl in Doon Call Girl in Udaipur Call Girl in Hyderabad Call Girl in Chennai Call Girl in Gurgaon Call Girl in Delhi Call Girl in Amritsar Call Girl in Ludhiana Call Girl in Jalandhar Call Girl in Zirakpur Call Girl in Mohali Call Girl in Indore Call Girl in Agra Call Girl in Lucknow Call Girl in Noida Indian Porn star Call Girl Number
Hello there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
Call Girls in Aerocity Call Girls in Amritsar Call Girls in Bangalore Call Girls in Mumbai Call Girls in Chandigarh Call Girls in Chennai Call Girls in Delhi Call Girls in Dehardun Call Girls in Hyderabad Call Girls in Gurgaon Call Girls in Jalandhar Call Girls in Jaipur Call Girls in Kolkata Call Girls in Lucknow Call Girls in Ludhiana Call Girls in Mohali Call Girls in Pune Call Girls in Udaipur Call Girls in Zirakpur
We at Ctbeauties help you find premium adult ads easily across India. If you are searching for Call Girls In Nashik, this website gives you access to many profiles with photos and details. Users looking for Noida Call Girls can also explore verified listings in their area. Independent girls and agencies can post their ads here with descriptions to reach more people. The site is designed for simple use, making it easy for users to search by city or localities. Ctbeauties is a trusted platform for finding call girl services and posting premium ads. Call Girls In Pune
Raipur Call Girls
Hello there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
Chandigarh Escorts | Amritsar Escorts | Agra Escorts | Bangalore Escorts | Chennai Escorts | Coimbatore Escorts | Delhi Escorts | Dehradun Escorts | Goa Escorts | Gurgaon Escorts | Hyderabad Escorts | Indore Escorts | Jaipur Escorts | Jalandhar Escorts | Kharar Escorts | Lucknow Escorts | Jodhpur Escorts | Kolkata Escorts | Ludhiana Escorts | Mohali Escorts | Mumbai Escorts | Manali Escorts | Noida Escorts | Mussoorie Escorts | Pune Escorts | Rishikesh Escorts | Panchkula Escorts | Udaipur Escorts | Zirakpur Escorts | Aerocity Escorts | Ahmedabad Escorts | Ajmer Escorts | Andheri Escorts | Ambala Escorts | Bhopal Escorts | Dwarka Escorts | Gwalior Escorts | Guwahati Escorts | Mahipalpur Escorts | Navi Mumbai Escorts | Patna Escorts | Pushkar Escorts | Rohini Escorts | Surat Escorts | Varanasi Escorts | Indian Pornstars | Call…
Escorts in Udaipur come from diverse backgrounds and offer various specialties to meet individual preferences. My Udaipur Call Girl Whether someone is seeking an elegant partner for a formal occasion or a friendly presence to explore the city, options are available to suit different needs. Online platforms and verified listings have made it easier for clients to connect with reputable agencies, review profiles, and choose companions based on compatibility and mutual understanding.
myudaipurcallgirl.com
komalsharma.co.in
swatidabla.in
payalrana.in
diptisharma.in
galidisawarkikhabar.in