Antiphony

On Monday evening, I finished the book Antiphony for my world literature class. While reading this book, all I could think about was how I could relate it to Dr. Sexson’s Oral Traditions course. This book is about the Sami culture, the way it used to be and the way it is now. Three stories are told from women of three different generations, but all of the same family. Not only does she learn about their oral culture but she learns about them as individuals and how their culture has shaped them. The whole novel is storytelling and it is a beautifully compelling tale of these three Sami women. The literate culture also intersects here. The young girl observing the Sami culture reads to the oldest woman from the bible. The way in which the oral culture evolves and diminishes in this world of the Sami amazes me though. I loved this novel because yes, I was reading it but at the same time I felt as if I was really there with the characters. I was able to, in a way, listen to their stories as I told them to myself in my head, then I could imagine the settings and people because each was so vividly described throughout the novel. The stories and emotions are conveyed through the description of sound and facial expressions. The narrator/ observer of the stories in the novel explain that she knows when to be silent because the facial expressions and pauses signal to her what to do. This is only possible in the oral culture. This novel also touches on the idea that with the younger generations so much is lost in the oral culture because we are too busy to stop and simply listen. Reading this novel was saddening in a way because it makes me realize how much we really have lost in the oral culture, but gives me hope that the importance of storytelling will circle around again.

These are some of my favorite quotes from the novel that mean so much more than what someone who has no knowledge or passion for the oral culture may simply surpass:

“A slow, gentle fall.
I didn’t find the words?
Or didn’t I want to find them?
Was I walking into a tradition?”
(Stien 124)

“She explained, calmly like an old, experienced teacher, one who doesn’t have to emphasize. She went far back. Knew the lines. Accounted for everything that was taken- bit by bit.” (Stien 116).

“She is full of memories. They cheer her up.” (Stien 78).