Tuesday, March 27, 2012

On writing

TeaAtTrianon links to a paper discussing the link between pre Roman Irish rhetoric and the link of how Patrick used Irish styles of rhetoric and reinterpreted the legends to spread Christianity.

Unlike Britain, for example, Ireland was never conquered by Rome, and its pre-literate culture flourished beyond the fall of the Empire. Consequently, the Irish maintained a mythopoetic rhetoric based in narrative. Their stories recounted not only the deeds of their heroes, but also their words. And, like ancient Greece, ancient Ireland also had a class of sophistic rhetors, the Druids. When Patrick arrived around the end of the fourth century, he eschewed the Ciceronian rhetoric of Augustine and instead adapted Christian theology to fit Irish rhetoric.
So the poets influence others, and the beauty of the art form is part of that influence.

On the other hand, Ender's Uncle Orson points out that the story telling is the key:

Here's the great secret of literature: No matter how good a writer is, both language and fashion change over time, and what was once a vivid part of the culture becomes a footnote in literary history.

The stories and characters that endure do so for reasons having almost nothing to do with the talent of the writer.

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