de Investigadores em leitura - Universidade do Minho

1. Storytelling and the audience in Folklore
Renewed interest in organized storytelling in folklore, linguistic anthropology and
professional studies (Stone, 1998; Wilson, 2005; Sobol, 2008; Bauman, 1986; Hymes, 1981;
Kapchan, 1995, Finnegan, 1992).
Particular interest in organized storytelling for children inside and outside schools
(Juzwick and Sherry, 2007; Poveda, 2003; Casla, Poveda, Rujas and Cuevas, 2008).
Lack of studies focusing on narrator's ideologies, despite the relevance of this
question in anthropological studies of verbal art (Finnegan, 1992).
2. The audience in literary theory
Development of reader-response theory with strong applications in education
(Rosemblatt, 1978).
Tradition in dramaturgy and drama studies focused on the audience (de Marinis,
1987).
Historical re-interpretation of the role of the reader in literary criticism and theory (De
Maria, 1978; Raz, 1976; Neill, 1978).
3. Research questions
Examine a set of semi-structured interviews with Spanish storytellers who work with
children (gathered as part of a research project described below) and explore their
discourses and informal theorizing about children as literary storytelling audiences. Focusing
on the connections between two themes:
(I) The personal and professional trajectories of storytellers. Tracing potential social fields
(e.g. formal teacher training, drama/fine arts, amateur interests, etc.) that may have had a
significant impact in how their discourses about children and childhood are configured.
(II) The organization of storytellers informal theories about children as storytelling audiences
along a series of dimensions that the literature reviewed above suggest may be relevant: (a)
the role of age as an organizational element, (b) ideal characteristics of the storytelling
setting, (c) children’s background and knowledge, (d) social climate of the narrative event.
4. Method
Ten semi-structured interviews conducted during 2005 with twelve professional and
amateur narrators 1 who work in Madrid (Spain) and were participants in a larger project on
literature socialization.
Incorporate into the analysis background information from the project focused on
storytelling in libraries, parks and bookstores (Casla, et al, 2008 y Poveda, Pulido, Morgade,
Messina & Hèdlova, 2008)
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