Date Approved
5-31-1996
Embargo Period
9-4-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in School and Public Librarianship
Department
Special Educational Services/Instruction
College
College of Education
Advisor
Pauly, Regina
Subject(s)
Storytelling
Disciplines
Library and Information Science
Abstract
This thesis paper examines the art of storytelling in its modern form. Its purpose is to evaluate the continued use and worth of fairy tale literature within a modern, industrialized society. Through the use of fairy tale literature and interviews with local storytellers it attempts to redefine storytelling as an essential art form and educational medium.
Storytelling not only perpetuates our cultural norms and values, but also our sense of humanity as well. Storytelling fulfills a deep need for us to define ourselves through our stories, the shells of our societal seeds. The art is experiencing a renaissance, and a new mythology is developing which defines human nature upon entering the twenty-first century. Modern storytellers are reshaping the old stories, breathing new life into the familiar myths of our past, and adapting them for the modern audience. The simplicity and intimacy of storytelling has come to reveal a profound power, the power of myth revisited.
Recommended Citation
Kaighn, Laura J., "Modern storytelling: the power of myth revisited" (1996). Theses and Dissertations. 2175.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2175
