The Rushdie Lecture

I was entranced by Rushdie's lecture last night but found his discussion of the difference between storytellers and novelists particualarly fascinating (as well as particularly applicable to this class).

Rushdie discussed how popular storytellers are in his native India, how they get huge audiences, and their amazing oral abilities keeping numerous narrative balls in the air. This can not be accomplished by a novelist. Novelists can not indulge in the songs, poems, and diversions of the storyteller because of the restricted structure of the novel form. And, as any storyteller knows, oral stories are never really over and can be infinitely expanded.

Novels are over- barring sequels, prequels, and fan fiction- at the end of the pagination. Even the longest novels feature a strictly ordered set of events that are fixed. When the last page is flipped the book is over. The End. Khattam Shud.

I agree with Rushdie that the novelist can not extend their works the way a storyteller can, but I admire the middle ground he has found with the reintroduction of new and refurbished mythologies and the liberal sprinkling of diversions that make his novels as close to oral stroytelling as written literature can get.