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list price: $9.99
edition:eBook
category: Literary Criticism
published: Sep 2012
ISBN:9781553801542
publisher: Ronsdale Press

Covenant in Wonder with the World, A

The Power of Stories and Songs

by J. Edward Chamberlin

tagged: poetry, folklore & mythology
Description

In this 2010 Grand River Forum Lecture, Ted Chamberlin describes how stories give shape and substance to the things we believe in, from scientific theories and sacred texts to literary tales and philosophical propositions. They promote ideals and identities, and sustain institutions and communities. They raise questions about the nature of truth and the character of belief. And they create a covenant in wonder that is at the heart of all storytelling, a ceremony of belief that may be different for each tradition of story and song—ancient or modern, oral or written—but eventually becomes as familiar as “once upon a time” or “let x be such and y be so” or “hallelujah.” In his progress across the continents and centuries, Chamberlin explores the art and ideas of William Wordsworth, Lorna Goodison and Wallace Stevens as well as the oral stories of the “Khomani people of Africa, the story designs of Blackfoot warriors, and the spiritual ideals of Mongolian herders.

About the Author
J. Edward Chamberlin is professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and was senior research associate with the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. He has worked on sovereignty and land claims throughout Canada and around the world, and has spoken widely on literary, historical and cultural issues. He is the author of several acclaimed titles, including Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations (2006), which was a national bestseller, and If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories? Finding Common Ground (2003), both published by Knopf Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and now lives in Halfmoon Bay, BC.
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