If you have seen my work, then you know that I am easily entertained. I create doodles, write short stories, or share personal thoughts via haiku. I tend to indulge in popular literature and culture be it written, spoken, filmed, or painted.
When I read, I love the thrilling stories of political intrigue by Vince Flynn or dramas of crime and legal theory by John Lescroart. But I also love reading tragedies in verse by Euripides and Shakespeare.
Whoever the author, I prefer a good yarn that evokes my imagination. Sure it can be filled with eccentric characters and plot twists. But it also has to be passionate and thought provoking
If I find myself truly engaged, then I tend to binge. I might try to consume all of their works. (I can honestly recommend the curated tome, “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Stories, Plays, Poems & Essays.”)
Typically, my binging does not start with their bestseller but with their first story. I like to travel with the author and his characters. And it may take me a while before I move on to another storyteller. (I felt that a season had passed while following Jack Reacher travel with a moral dignity on his shoulder.)
Whatever the story, and outside of the authors listed above, I prefer a story not to be too long with every bit elucidated. I do not want to hear the author justify his voice. I prefer a storyteller to evoke imagery and engage the consumer as a participant.
One of my favorite storytellers is the poet Robert Frost. He did not write with any continuity of characters, nor did he seem to build or address a community. But I still love to jump into his well of work. Here are just a few of his stories to consider:
- A popular piece about an alternative reality in “The a Road Not Taken”
- A nod at the end through “Fire and Ice”
- A story of an armchair traveler listening to “The Sound of Trees”
- A tale of the growth of communications via the telegraph in “The Line-Gang”
- Or (one of my favorites) the struggle with morality and reason in the “Quandary”
Do you have a favorite storyteller? If so, then who is it?
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©2014 Stephanie Abbott. All rights reserved.
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Sunday, November 23, 2014. My post today was inspired by the prompt “Spinning Yarns” from the folks at Daily Prompt.
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