Post by Michelle Kim from ,,The Nasty Stepmother''

Wondrous Oriental Tale

A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint definitely fits into the Fairy Tale genre because of its amorphous time and place, "The Orient... the wilderness of this region" (Wackenroder), "This lasted for many years, day and night" (Wackenroder). There is also the typical fairy tale characteristic of a conflict being resolved. Though this tale is definitely does not end like a Disney version of "happily ever after," there is still the element of a happy ending as the naked saint is freed from his affliction/torture.

When reading this fairy tale, the music builds and builds, "ethereal music flowed... sweet horns and countless magical instruments" until finally a song "arose from the undulating music" (Wackenroder). It is almost as if the poem/song is the climax of the saint's musical experience, and in this sense, the relationship between music and poetic language is that the music makes the poetic language exponentially more powerful and effective.

1 comments:

NBM said...

I agree with the characteristics of a fairy tale that you found, and really like the way that you described the music as part of the story. I do believe the music made the language more powerful.

Post by Caitlin Humphreys from ,,The Mean Giant''

The Naked Saint and Music

Wackenroder frames his tale at the beginning much like a fairy tale in that the setting involves an indeterminate time and place. He also introduces a sort of magic into the story by describing the naked saints as “the wondrous recipients of a higher genius, who have taken on human form after having drifted from the realm of the firmament and consequently do not know how to act like human beings” (296). However, much like other fairy tales, Wackenroder does not try to explain this phenomenon any further to the reader. The naked saint is also subject to some sort of a curse because “the constant roar of the wheel of time did not allow him to rest and do anything on earth – to act, to effect, to be productive” (298). Much like curses in other fairy tales, the naked saint’s spell was broken through the fulfillment of a longing, which in his case was to hear music. Then after the spell is broken, in the tradition of fairy tales, the naked saint undergoes a transformation through which he becomes a spirit “woven from a soft vapor” (299).

I think that both music and poetic language can be very powerful but in different ways because they appeal to different senses. Music appeals to our sense of hearing in a way that I do not think poetic language can, even if it is read aloud. The fact that music can affect us even without words makes it very powerful in a way different from poetic language. Poetic language can also be very powerful and can display musical qualities in the meter, diction, and so on, yet it can never take the place of music. I think Wackenroder’s attempt to show the transformative power of music in this tale falls short of his intentions. I am not sure that poetic language could ever be successful in demonstrating the power Wackenroder believes music holds. The difference between hearing beautiful music and reading beautiful poetic language is best demonstrated by Wackenroder’s description of the music in the story. He writes, “Sweet horns and countless magical instruments enticed a whirling world of tones to ring forth, and a song arose from the undulating music” (298). This sentence provides an excellent example of beautiful prose and sets the scene nicely, however it cannot create the actual music for the reader and thus remains less powerful than to the music itself. The transformative power of the music for the monk is quite obvious from Wackenroder’s description but with only words to describe it the music cannot have the same effect on the reader as it does for the monk.

Posted by Caitlin Humphreys

Post by Mallory Hely from ,,The Curse''

Assignment 9

1) Multiple elements of Wackenroder's tale qualify it as a fairy tale. For example, the setting is ambiguous with regard to time and location. The wheel also seems to be a curse and magic is also present when it suddenly disappears. Further characteristics of this story fall under the literary fairy tale genre. There is an uncertainty between madness and reality with the saint's supposed hearing of the wheel. With an unspecified oriental setting, the element of the exotic is also present, which was a characteristic of German Romanticism. Furthermore, the individual "genius"/misunderstood character is rewarded in the end with his wheel disappearing.

2) The relationship between text and music is interesting in this tale. While I believe it is difficult to channel the power that music has through writing, elements of this story were reminiscent of music. For example, Wackenroder uses repetition several times. "Like a waterfall with thousands and thousands of rushing streams that tumbled from heaven and poured itself eternally, eternally without a momen'ts pause, without a second's pause." (297) With this description, the reader can imagine the sound of the wheel turning over and over in the saint's ears. Although it does not accomplish a recreation of the actual sound, I believe that text can communicate some of the characteristics of music.

Posted by Mallory

Post by Keith Myers from ,,The Curse"

Keith's response

The naked saint does fit into the characteristics of the fairytale genre.
First off, there is a naked saint who is in charge of turning "the
powerful rushing wheel of time" (298). This saint is seems
slightly/drastically crazy throughout the story and is "trapped in the
whirlpool of his wild confusion (297). He is given a magical task to
always turn the wheel and he refuses to follow the rules as seems to be a
characteristic of the fairytale genre. The Kunstmarchen looks for a more
literary and artistic form of the fairytale genre. Α Wondrous
Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint has these requirements.

Poetic language and music are intertwined in A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a
Naked Saint. The Saint is trapped in a never task which brings him
nothing but turmoil and suffering. The music of the lovers comes into his
life and he transforms into a celestial being. This transformation helps
the lovers escape the wheel of time and become free.

1 comments:

Mallory said...

I agree that language and music are intertwined in this tale. Other than the music present in the narrative, I also found the actual style of language used by Wackenroder to be reminiscent of music.

Post by Allison Baschnagel from ,,The Cruel Witch''

Langauge vs. Music

Within A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint I would argue that language, the poem is merely used to point out the power of music. It is obvious that Wackenroder would say that music is stronger than language because the suffering naked saint is distracted and upset by his talkative visitors, but he is cured and set free by the song of the lovers. Even though the naked saint was exposed to language on a daily basis, it was the use of language within the music that set his soul free.

I, on the other hand, think that poetic language has just as much power as music does. The message of poetry is very clear, and poems, like music, do have their own rhythms. The rhythm in poetry, however is dependent on the language within the poem, so the message is what really gets heard. Often times in music, words are written to fit a pre-written song. Although the music might sound beautiful, what is the value of the music when the language, the message communicated through the song is weak?

2 comments:

Alex! said...

I like how to equate poetry with music in that they both have a certain rhythm that can be portrayed the the reader/listener. I agree with your argument.

NBM said...

I didn't even think much about the fact that he couldn't stand the words he was exposed to, but that the music is what set him free. What an interesting aspect!

Post by Tim Collazi from ,,The Cruel Witch''

A Wondorous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint

This tale has a lot in common with the fairy tale genre. The first thing that struck my attention is we are instantly transported in the beginning to a world where fantastic beings exist. Wackenroder says "There are also strange beings that are frequently found in the wilderness of this regions." Fairy tales often have some type of creature/being in them, and it is not considered impossible but simply are part of the world in which they live. There is also mention of transfiguration (especially important for later) mentioned in the beginning. It states "naked saints who have taken human form after having drifted from the realm of the firmament and consequently do not know how to act like human beings." Another element of the fairy tale is the timeless/placesless aspect of it. It starts by saying "at one time...," so the reader is really given no idea where or when this story is taking place. There are magical elements to the story as well, like the saint being under some sort of magical spell that causes him to constantly see and be capitavted by the wheel.
The music in this story serves a very important purpose. It is a cataylst that allows for the naked saint to be freed, and undergo a transfiguration into a celestial entity (transfigurations often happen in fairy tales). I feel that the "song" is more important for its poetic structure and lyrics, rather than the tune. This creates an interesting tension in the story. The author only gives the reader information regarding the lyrics of the song, BUT "as soon as the naked saint heard the first notes of the music, the rushing wheel of time disappeared." So, for Wackenroder, who probably had sometype of music notes in mind when writing this, the actual music is more important. The reader, however, cannot be in the author's head and therefore are forced to accept that the lyrics are what make the song so appealing and allow the saint to be freed from the spell.

Posted by Tim

1 comments:

Allison said...

Tim, you make a good point on how, even though music is probably more important to Wackenroder than language, there is no way of communicating the power of music that Wackenroder believed in merely through the poetry/song in the story.

Post by Alex Howard from ,,The Cruel Witch''

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Naked Saint

Wackenroder's literary tale, "A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint," fits into the fairy tale genre while also possessing many elements of the Romantic period. The story opens with a paragraph on the "marvelous things" of the Orient, which introduce the reader to a sense of wonder and enchantment, a common theme of the traditional folktale. We are introduced to a wilderness, or perhaps enchanted forest, where "supernatural creatures" and "strange beings" are found. Another fairy tale aspect of the "Naked Saint" is its concept of time; the tale never explains the time period in which we find the naked saint and his eternally spinning wheel. The tale also describes an "ethereal music" that flowed from two lovers' skiff. The music, much like kissing an ugly toad or a selfless act of kindness, breaks the naked saint's spell of madness, his rushing wheel of time disappears and a transformation occurs. The element of music serves not only as a different spin on the fairy tale's traditional spell-breaking-trope, but also as a medium of poetic language. The power of music evokes a sense of wonder and amazement in this tale. It is translated by the author into a poetic language that is accessibly to the reader who cannot hear the music for him/herself. The only part of the music that we can personally comprehend is the written lyrics; it is the job of the author to create an image of the power of the sound, the primary medium of music. In describing the music's effects as causing a "bright ethereal figure" to soar high into the air, "carried by the soft crescendo of the horns and the song." Through Wackenroder's exquisite use of poetic language, the reader can sense the intimate relationship between language, poetry and the evocative power of music.

1 comments:

Allison said...

I like your arguments about the story as being a literary tale, while also possessing fairy tale elements. I especially liked your discussion of time and how it fits into the fairy tale genre. I overlooked that element!

Assignment 9 - 31. March 2009

Read Wackenroder's A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint and do the following:

1. Using elements from this tale, explain how it fits into the Fairy Tale/Kunstmärchen genre.

2. Trace the relationship of music and poetic language. Is the power evoked by music also accessible to language or does language merely point out to music and/or what music does.

Deadline for posts: 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday

Deadline for comments on a minimum of two posts: Midnight on Wednesday