Tuesday, March 31, 2009

This story fell into the Kunstmarchen category most definitely because it was distinctly more literary than its folkish counterparts. The specificity of setting especially indicates that the depth of storytelling involved is much more substantial than with a traditional tale--it is not just set in a "kingdom far away." However, the presence of the supernatural and bigger than life occurances firmly root this story in the fairy tale tradition.

The transformative quality of music in this story speaks to the transcendent attributes it has in the real world--it is quite literally the universal language, understood by all nationalities and able to transport a listener to a place outside everyday experience. The same is true for poetry, to an extent, with the obvious linguistic present for poetry but not music.
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1 comment:

  1. schweiekApril 1, 2009 at 7:29 PM

    I like how you described the "transcendent" characteristic of the music, because the music transcends time and space in the story, as well as the character, the naked Saint, himself. Also, music is what universalizes so many aspects in life-- music is what brings people together of all cultures, and makes people relate. The two lovers who come to the remote land singing make inadvertently make themselves relatable to the Naked Saint through their music. If it wasn't for the melodious nature of the song, the song would not have registered as deeply.

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