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October 2009 
Words
Posted on Oct 2nd, 2008
by 
Jw
Jw
Shamelessly lifted from Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud
My daughter Lauren and I are doing an exploration of "story" in our homeschool.
We are studying
Story, by Robert McKee,
Stealing Fire from the Gods, by James Bonnet,
Hero with 1000 Faces, by Joseph Campbell and
Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud.
Scott McCloud's book that has been most mind-blowing. Ever since coming across this image which I feel illustrates my relationship with words, I have wanted to post it.
Would love to hear any other good resources for a study of "story."
Access: Public
Janine,
My husband has always been a consumate storyteller and oral storytelling figures in our lives daily. My 7 yr son is an amazing artist and tells wonderful stories with images that he makes in many mediums, including on the computer. He has been telling stories since he could string together a sentence. The 4 yr is beginning to tell his own stories as well.
I don't really have any good resources for your study of story but my boys (husband included) are enjoying a book given to them by my BIL called Will and Abe's Guide to the Universe by Matt Groening (a cartoon book) of The Simpsons fame.
My kids are only 4 and 7 and so we are a bit behind you as to the maturity of our subject matter in our own unschooling efforts.
Deb
PS - your image will stay with me a long, long time. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Janine - this image evokes some of the philosophy of language discussions I studied in college. Jacques Derrida was my favorite thinker. Deconstruction - the school of thought he started, gets pretty intense and way out there. It plays on the idea that words have meaning primarily in contrast with each other - for example - eye is meaningful as contrasted to nose, mouth, etc. The philosophy of language link on the Derrida Wikipedia page cited above may provide some interesting resources for you and Lauren - fascinating thinking :-).
Enjoy!
Sylvia
I have a friend who is an artist and is often at a loss for words. As in the photo, he finds that words are too abstract and cannot substitute for images. In contrast, I spent a good part of my life studying foreign languages and linguistics, and find myself attached to words. I cannot paint or draw well, and my photographs are so-so (they're getting better because of the advent of the digital camera), but I do appreciate visual representations. However, regardless of the media we use, we can all tell our stories. Hope that you and your daughter enjoy your explorations.
Hey. Thanks for the suggestions y'all!
What a useful picture you shamelessly lifted! Thanks for finding it. I think I'll show it to my COM classes when we bridge from nonverbal to verbal communication… you know, you could show her The Golden Bough. It's collections of myths from every culture immaginable categorized, so that Lauren can see how certain motifs or thought forms occur over and over again in stories across many human cultures. Fascinating stuff. Here's a blurb about it that I got from one of the versions of it on Amazon. It's more of an “exploring” book than a “straight reading” book. And that, also, is interesting–to look at how not all books are used the same way.
In 1890, James George Frazer began publishing The Golden Bough, his monumental study of myth, ritual, and religion, which would, by 1936, run to 13 volumes and establish him as a pioneer in the study of religion as an aspect of culture.
This abridged edition, assembled in 1922, condenses this fundamental work to one readable volume that is still a source for modern anthropology, thanks to its expansive discussions ancient cultish practices and their connections to the rites of modern Christianity. In eloquent prose, Frazer discusses legends of the woods, sympathetic magic, magicians as kings, the worship of trees, the concept of the sacred marriage, the links between priestly and royal power, ritual royal sacrifices, the concept of “eating the god,” the myths of Osiris, Adonis, Isis, and other ancient deities, and much more.
Lovers of mythology will be enraptured by this book, which draws all of human belief under one unifying umbrella, celebrating myth and ritual as part of the basis of all human culture.Hi Janine….as a word person myself….I have only admiration for those who can utilize other mediums to express the truth-less truth. You are so right! Words bear no relationship to what is real….what is truth….what is beneath everything. So part of the key to using them is realizing that they're as flimsy as paper dolls. They can be blown away in the wind. They're not substantial. I suppose they're like a clay pot that can be easily thrown against the ground and broken. We humans take words far too seriously…..we attach to them…..and you know all the wars & grief that then results. Better to look at words like feathers in the wind, here today, blown away tomorrow. Deep bows to what you create beneath the labyrinth of words. Love, Kathy