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TheStoryteller
FromModernismLabEssays
byLeoHall
WalterBenjaminsessayTheStorytellerconcernsitselfwiththe
incommunicabilityofexperiencesinthemodernworld.Publishedin1936,
theessayattributesthefallofthestorytellertoatimeinhistorydevoidof
sharedexperiences.AccordingtoBenjamin,peoplehavebecomeunableto
reflectaccuratelyupontheirexperiences,inpartbecauseofthedramatic
influxandrapiddistributionofinformationintheearlytwentiethcentury.
Moreover,heassertsthattheriseofinformationisincompatiblewith
storytelling,andcontributedtothediminishedefficacyofthestoryteller.

Contents
1ArgumentsandResponse
2Information
3TheNovel
4Death

ArgumentsandResponse
BeforeWorldWarI,peoplereceivedinformationlocally.Rumorsandinformationwerespreadverbally,from
persontoperson,notreadorwatched.Moreover,priortotheriseofinformation,deathwasatimeofgathering.
Familyandfriendswouldcometogetheranddiscussthedeceasedpersonslife,ultimatelyfindingthemeaningin
hisorherlife.Moreimportantly,deathwascommonplace.AccordingtoBenjamin,therewerefewplacesdeath
hadnottouched.
BenjaminassertsthatWorldWarIcrystallizedachangeintheperceptionofdeath.Inaddition,itappearedasa
symptomfortheriseofinformationusage.Specifically,hebelievesthatthesetransformationsinsocietalnorms
werenotsuddenchangesrather,theywereprogressivemovementsthatslowlyseepedintothemodernworldas
technologicalusageexpanded.
AccordingtoBenjamin,afterWorldWarI,peoplestruggledtocommunicatetheirexperiences.WorldWarI,one
ofthemosttraumatizingeventsinhumanhistory,hadsignificantcultural,political,andsocialramifications.In
TheStoryteller,"Benjaminfocusesmostlyonthesocialconsequences.AccordingtoBenjamin,whenthesoldiers
returnedfromWorldWarI,theyweresimplyunabletocommunicatetheirexperiences.Specifically,theyreturned
toaworldtransformedbythewar.Formany,theadditionofmoderntechnology,suchasmassmediaand
mechanicalwarfare,wasdisconcerting.Benjamincommunicatesthisideaveryaccurately,stating:Ageneration
thathadgonetoschoolonahorsedrawnstreetcarnowstoodundertheopenskyinacountrysideinwhichnothing
remainedunchangedbuttheclouds,andbeneaththeseclouds,inafieldofforcesofdestructivetorrentsand
explosions,wasthetiny,fragilehumanlife."[1]Manysoldiershadgrownupknowingaslowpaced,effectively
unchanginglifestyle.Butafterthewar,thiskindoflifestylewasrippedfromtheirgrasp.Theworldwas
immediatelyaffectedbythisnewadditionofinformationprocessing,leadingtoaquickmetamorphosisingreater
society.Lifebecamefastpacedandinformationdriven.Whilesomewerereapingthesocalledbenefitsofthenew
age,manywereleftbehind.

Information
Benjamincorrelatesthedramaticincreaseinthedisseminationofinformationtothequickdeclineofthe
storyteller.AccordingtoBenjamin,thebeautyofthestorytellerwashisabilitytocommunicateastoryandallow
theaudiencemembertointegratethisstoryintoherownexperience.CriticPeterBrooksexpandsonthisidea,
statingthatthestorytellergivesthenarrativeachastecompactnessthatcommendsittomemory[2]thestory
sinksintothereader,andtheexperiencebecomesonewiththereader.Inturn,accordingtoBrooks,atypeof
wisdomisimpartedtothelistener.Throughnarrativeanddiscourse,oneisabletoreflectuponexperiencesand
sharethemwithothers.Ultimately,itistheintegrationofexperienceenabledbyopennarrativethatleadsto
wisdom.
Information,accordingtoBenjamin,cannotimpartanywisdomuponitsreader.Instead,informationisusedto
gratifyimmediateneeds.Likewise,itissubjecttopromptverifiability(Benjamin,89).Whereanarrativecan
remaintimeless,informationisonlyrelevantinrealtimeinformationisunabletotranscendtimelikeastorycan.
Benjaminalsocontendsthatinformationcanonlybetakeninasrawdata.Whileastorycanbeinterpretedbythe
readerandmadehisown,informationisobjective.Onecannotlookatasetofnumbersandinterprettheir
meaningrather,thenumbersaremeantsolelytogratifyaninsatiablelustforknowledge.Benjamincapturesthis
ideawhenhestatesthatthemostextraordinarythings,marvelousthings,arerelatedwiththegreatestaccuracy,
butthepsychologicalconnectionoftheeventsisnotforcedonthereader.Itisuptohimtointerpretthingstheway
heunderstandsthemandthusthenarrativeachievesanamplitudethatinformationlacks(Benjamin,89).
Specifically,itisinformation'slackofconnectivitythatleadstobrokenconnectionsbetweenpeople.Insteadof
beingabletocommunicateandconverseaboutaparticularexperience,informationleavesnoroomfor
interpretationtherefore,onecannotgleanwisdomfrominformation.

TheNovel
Benjaminisalsoextremelycriticalofthenovel,thesocalledcounterparttothestorytellerandnarrative.To
Benjamin,thenovelismuchlikeinformation:itdoesnotallowfortheintegrationofthestoryintothereaders
ownexperience.Whilestorytellingissupposedtobecommunitybased,thenovelismoreindividualistic.Aperson
indulgesinnovelsforpersonalgratification:thebirthplaceofthenovelisthesolitaryindividual,whoisnolonger
abletoexpresshimselfbygivingexamplesofhismostimportantconcerns,ishimselfuncounseledandcannot
counselothers(Benjamin,87).Becausethereaderisunabletocounselothersorengageinintimatediscourse
pertainingtoacertainexperience,theabilitytocommunicateexperiencesislostinthenovel.
Additionally,forBenjamin,counselallowsforfurtherdiscourseonacertainexperience.Naturally,conversation
betweentwopeopleonacertainissuewillleadtomorequestionsandproposals,leadingtoincreasedsharingof
experience:Goodcounsel,thequintessenceofwhatthestorytellercommunicates,likewiseisofimportancenot
persebutasacommunication:Afterall,counselislessananswertoaquestionthanaproposalconcerningthe
continuationofastory.'"[3]Moreover,theintegrationofthenarrativeintoapersonsexperiencewillallowfor
furtherpermeationofthestory,thusallowingmorepeopletouniteinaspecificexperience.
Benjaminsideathatthestorybecomesintegratedintothelistenersexperienceiswidelydebatedbycritics,who
haveargued,forinstance,thatstorytellinghasbeenacommunicativevehicleforsharedmemory(Gedchtnis)
andamoralcounselthenovel,bycontrast,waspredicatedontheexistenceofanalienated,atomizedpublicwhose
readerssearchedforexplanationandinformation."[4]Byassertingthatthenovelwaspredicatedonapopulation
interestedinobtaininginformation,Paigeclaimsthatthenovelmustbemodern,becausetheriseofinformation
applicationismodern.AccordingtoBenjamin,theriseofthenovelincorrelationwiththeriseofinformationhas
ledtoatimedevoidofsharedexperience.Withoutnarrativeasasourceofwisdom,peoplehavebecomeunableto
engagethemselvesindiscourseaboutcertainexperiences.

Death
Benjaminalsoexplorestheideaofdeathwithregardstothenovel.Inthemodernworld,deathhaslargelybeen
hiddenfromviewitnolongerservesthesocialfunctionitdidinpremoderntimes.Tocompensateforthisloss,
readersturntonovelstofamiliarizethemselveswithdeathinthehopesoffindingitsgreatermeaning.To
Benjamin,thereaderengageswithabookinfullunderstandingthathewillencounterdeath.Additionally,forthe
maincharacterofthenovel,themeaningofhislifeisrevealedonlyinhisdeath(Benjamin,101).Death,
somethingthatisoftenintangibleinthemodernworld,iswhatdrivespeopletoreadnovels.
PeterBrooksalsoexploresBenjaminsinterpretationofdeath.MuchlikeBenjamin,Brooksassertsthatthe
meaningoflifeforthemaincharacterisonlyfoundinhisdeath.Brooksalsocontendsthatthenovelisanattempt
tograpplewiththisideaofdeathassomethingintangibleandimpossibletounderstand:onereadsanovelinorder
toknowdeath,thatdeaththatwewillneverknowinourownlives,thatwhich,throughthefigurationofafictive
life,givesusanimageofwhatmightconstitutemeaning(Brooks,84).Whileitmayappeargoodthatmodern
peopleareattemptingtounderstandtheunknown,thevehiclethroughwhichtheyattempttounderstand,thenovel,
doesnotholdthesamepowerasdirectdiscourse.Inthepast,whenapersondied,peoplegatheredtogetherand
wereunifiedandconnected.Whenapersonreadsanovelwhichconcernsdeath,however,therearemultiplelayers
ofmediationwhichfunctiontoprotectthereaderfromsuchamelancholyexperience.Thisdisconnectis
somethingthatultimatelyleadstoadisconnectbetweenpeople.Becausetheyareremoved,theyareunableto
speakwithanotherabouttheirunifiedexperience.Indeed,forBenjamin,thisinabilitycharacterizesthemodern
world.
1.WalterBenjamin,Illuminations,trans.HarryZohn(NewYork:Schocken,2007),84.
2.PeterBrooks,PsychoanalysisandStorytelling(Oxford,UK:Blackwell,1994),81.
3.UweSteiner,WalterBenjamin:AnIntroductiontoHisWorkandThought(Chicago:Universityof
Chicago,2010),130.
4.N.Paige,"TheStorytellerandtheBook:ScenesofNarrativeProductionintheEarlyFrenchNovel,"
ModernLanguageQuarterly67.2(2006):141.
Retrievedfrom"https://modernism.research.yale.edu/wiki/index.php/The_Storyteller"
Categories:WalterBenjamin|1936

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