[Bards] From Eleanor Fairchild - on Eisteddfod

[Marie Adams]

Well Said! I don't think I can add anything to that (not that I'd know
what to say if I tried.)
Ly Serena Dominicci

On Wed, 7 Jan 2004, willow Taylor wrote:

> Greetings from Duchess Willow de Wisp
>
> I didn't complete mainly because I did not have the documentation. Story
> telling is hard to document because it is an oral art form and once you
> write it down it becomes a written art form. I did not have the time to
> study the necessary anthropology to trace story telling back as far as I
> could. Also to do it justice it would be about 15 pages of  peer reviewed
> articles. To reproduce this differently for each piece I might feel like
> performing was more than I was up to. I also get a little pissed off at
> the unfairness of the judging form used in Ansteorra. If I do a piece  by
> Bertain de Born translated by a expert in the field. I can't just state
> that. I have to do more. I am not an expert on Old French. I can not
> evaluate the translation. I have to trust my expert. If I want to do a
> sonnet by Shakespeare I have to write a paper on him. I have to state
> elegantly on why he  is period. Now if I am writing a original sonnet I
> can start with the assumption that Shakespeare is period and compare his
> work and mine. I do not have to defend Shakespeare I only have to defend
> my piece as to being Shakespearean like.  Because the second form of
> documentation has a easier form , it can be more impressive. Original
> work documentation  get more points, doing period work is rewarded less
> than original work.
>
> Also there is the matter of the judges. You can  write the best piece of
> Bullshit that have even been put out. I have seen it. That doesn't mean
> your  piece reflects your documentation. I remember a Arts and Science a
> long time ago. A lady put out a piece of documentation that supported
> traditional story telling. Then she did her piece in a style that
> reflected modern styles The Laurels were so impressed with the story that
> they give her full points. When I discussed the documentation with her
> she told me she knew that those Laurel didn't know a thing about folklore
> so she just wrote to educate them. When we reach the level of Kingdom
> Eisteddfod I don't believe we should be educating the judges. I think if
> the judges can't tell the differences between period and non -period work
> they should not be the judges. If we want to live up to the ideals of
> authenticity we should limited pieces to period works and period styles,
> with supporting documentation if necessary.  Hamlets's speech would not
> need documentation for heaven sake, but original work based on it would.
> An old poem from the 600 AD talking about Hector's balls might need to be
> verified.(A bard used such a story for 3 years before he finally read the
> intro. and discovered that it was a modern book.) We could make the
> Eisteddfod sort of a contest of judged work. If you can not support it,
> it is not preformed. Don't give points for the quality of the
> documentation, just take things away if it is not there.
>
> I believe in the A&S and I believe in the documentation system there, but
> the Eisteddfod was set up to do something different than the A&S. The
> Eisteddfod is last existing vestige of the old Ansteorra. In the old days
> we believed in studying the pre-17th world by creating a construct of a
> feudal land and we would take roles reflecting this land. With our
> individual studies we would teach each other by our interaction
> (role-playing). The performers were a vital part of the system.
> Performers would interject information about the culture we were studying
> the same way performers interjected data in the time periods we were
> studying. I have a period book that tells squires that they should listen
> to storytellers telling tales about great knight if they want to learn
> about knighthood. The original bards who set up the Eisteddfod did so to
> promote the highest values of performing. It and the local Eisteddfod
> were set up to promote a class of performers who treasured the historical
> ideals of Ansteorra and had the skills to make period works and period
> styles fun and entertaining to the people of Ansteorra. If you look at
> the winners of the kingdom Eisteddfods you will discover many of them
> have made period works and period styles fun for us all. Robin, Pendaran,
> Antonio make late period works come alive. Harold Boderson and Cedrick
> have thrilled us with early works. You folks have asked for my chivalric
> stories when you were drunk. You must like them. The way the Eisteddfods
> are being run now promotes entertaining. When we look at other kingdoms
> whose "kingdom bards" con\competitions follow the A&S format we see
> scholars, who don't entertain, winning, not performers who can open
> windows into the past. I think we need different format to promote
> different things. No one contest or format can do everything but when we
> put them all together we get a better whole.
>
> Duchess Willow de Wisp
> former Premier Bard
>
>
>
>
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