"In vain I tried to tell you"
Subtitle: essays in Native American ethnopoetics
By: Dell Hymes.
Series: Studies in Native American literature ;; 1; University of Pennsylvania publications in conduct and communication
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Published: 1981
Place of publication: Philadelphia
Language: eng
Number of pages: 402
Subjects: Indians of North America -- Northwest, Pacific -- Poetry -- History and criticism; Indians of North America -- Northwest, Pacific -- Folklore
Description: A landmark volume that revolutionized our understanding of the power and significance of Native stories and storytellers in North America, "In vain I tried to tell you" showcases the methodology and theory of ethnopoetics. Focusing on the rich Native storytelling traditions of the Pacific Northwest, Hymes investigates what particular stylistic and linguistic devices and patterns in oral tales reveal about rhythm and order in the cultures creating them. A breathtaking series of analyses of particular myths and their relationship to performance forms the centerpiece of this volume. The concluding essays explore Native perspectives and approaches to stories, highlighting the reasons behind the storytellers' choices of characters, genres, and titles.
Notes: Bibliography: p. 386-398.
Includes indexes.