Covenant in Wonder with the World, A: The Power of Stories and Songs
A Covenant in Wonder with the World
The Power of Stories and Songs
by J. Edward Chamberlin
$10.95
- July 2012
- print ISBN: 978-1-55380-148-1
- ebook ISBN: 978-1-55380-154-2
- 5-1/2″ x 9″ Trade Paperback, 52 pp
- Literary Criticism
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.
Click here to read an excerpt from A Covenant in Wonder with the World.
