" In vain I tried to tell you" : essays in Native American ethnopoetics

Summary: 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.

Record details

ISBN: 0812278062
ISBN: 9780812278064
ISBN: 0812211170
ISBN: 9780812211177
Physical Description: print
402 pages : maps ; 24 cm.
Publisher: Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.

Content descriptions

General Note:	Includes indexes.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 386-398).
Formatted Contents Note:	Unsuspected devices and designs -- Breakthrough to performance -- Titles, names, and natures.
Action Note:	Legacy 2018