The Way of the Storyteller: A Great Storyteller Shares Her Rich Experience and Joy in Her Art and Tells Eleven of Her Best-Loved Stories

by Ruth Sawyer

As interest in the art of storytelling continues to grow, many books have appeared on the subject but none have matched the scope and charm of The Way of the Storyteller . First published in 1942, this classic work is unique in its blend of literary history, criticism, analysis, personal anecdote, and how-to instructions. Sawyer examines storytelling as a folk art and a still-living art, tracing its evolution from the earliest narrative impulses that developed as stories were written down. With simple suggestions, she instructs the reader in the art of storytelling and freeing the creative imagination by disciplining the mind. Sawyer's guide also includes an engaging selection of international stories sure to enchant both children and adults. The Way of the Storyteller also is an invaluable resource with a comprehensive reading and story list.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Writing, Literature

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Ruth Sawyer was an American storyteller and a writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. She may be best known as the author of Roller Skates, which won the 1937 Newbery Medal.

Reviews

[Gary]

I am a professional storyteller and when I first started learning my craft I found this book in the library and it was a treasure trove of ideas and concepts. Ruth Sawyer was a classic teller herself of great talent and a master. Her book is a great guide for anyone wanting to explore the field of storytelling.

[Erik Akre]

This is the kind of book I wanted to read about storytelling. It's about the spirit of storytelling, expounding the technical aspects of the art, the performance aspects of it as well. She describes it as a folk art that draws on all kinds of sources: personal, family, tradition, myth, legend, and much more.

I picked up this book because telling stories is part of my job as an elementary school teacher. It inspired me to draw deeply from the traditions of storytelling, and it gave me instructions on many finer points of the art. It made me want to dig deeply and become a true artist. Sawyer tell us that as with all art forms, storytelling is the art of Living Life fully. A life well-lived leads to stories well told.

I would definitely recommend this to those who wish to develop the skills and the spirit that lead to good storytelling. I didn't follow through on any kind of serious extra practice, but I know that my work in the classroom received a big boost in motivation from her writing.

For anyone interested, the book also contains a wealthy list of children's books from which to draw inspiration and stories. All of the books are pre-1942, but they are nonetheless valuable.

[Margaux]

I was told when I started this semester that this book is a bit difficult for some people to read. The language is quite flowery and I could see some people thinking it's too much for a non-fiction storytelling book. However, Ruth Sawyer did a really good of turning instruction into narrative, as storytellers are wont to do. She gives her own personal folk and fairy-tale history while at the same time giving her opinion on certain methods of telling.

[(a)lyss(a)]

"I have noticed that the best of the traditional storytellers whom I have heard have been those who live close to the heart of things-to the earth, the sea, wind and weather."

This book was around 2.5 stars for me because I can't particularly say I liked it but it is informative of the author's perspective.

It was recommended by someone who told me how it would highlight how oral storytelling is different than writing a story. On the one hand I think this book does that, however it also reads as incredibly outdated. The book gives a short history of oral storytelling but still has a very clearly Eurocentric view of oral histories. It touches briefly on how indigenous peoples have used storytelling but again, in a way that seems biased and paints storytelling as something modern people no longer do.

Each chapter has thoughts on storytelling and the book ends with a number of stories orally passed down. If the book had just been these stories and a break down of why they work so well I would have enjoyed it much more. The book is informative but also not the best for providing historical context and history of storytelling.

[Stargazer]

Although i found a couple of nuggets in there i didn't enjoy it as much as i was expecting to and wasn't much interested in the stories therein.

[Paula Brand]

An interesting read. It's useful to have the two sections - one to share stories and the other to share her perspective on storytelling.

[Judy Croome]

Although Ruth Sawyer’s quaint “The Way of the Storyteller” is more a book about verbal storytelling than it is about written storytelling, there is still much wisdom to be found in its pages.

Sawyer’s passion for stories shines through the pages and her rich experiences in interpreting the written word provide some useful guidance for authors. She explores the ancient roots of storytelling and shows how today’s stories are inseparable from the patterns of the past.

Sawyer talks of four invariables in story telling:

Experience
The Building of Background
The Power of the Creative Imagination
A Gift for Selection

Experience is what gives a story teller the ability to make the difficulties of her art seem simple; experience comes with writing and writing and writing until the techniques of the art are so ingrained they become invisible.

The building of background is what enriches a story; the opportunity to gather a wide and varied background lies anywhere one looks.

When an artist brings his creative imagination to bear on his material and – from something abstract, from something without form or meaning – transforms it into a real work of inspiration for others to enjoy, this then is the power of the creative imagination.

Sawyer talks of a storyteller knowing which stories to select before entertaining her listeners. There must be an acceptance that some stories are not yours to tell, but belong to another who can tell them better. This gift of selection, too, can apply to writers: what suits one writer’s voice may not suit another. And the gift lies in knowing which story suits your own writer’s voice.

Written in 1942, revised in 1962, what I found most poignant about Sawyer’s recounting of the art of storytelling was her concern that novels – stories told in written form – have become marketable commodities and, as such, have become commonplace. On completing this book one cannot help but wonder if the current woes besetting the publishing industry have their roots in the fact that, for both author and publisher, profit is now placed above the ancient art of storytelling. If the novel is good enough, it will naturally sell as many copies as any author or publisher could ever want.

The one thing I've taken away from this book is that - to be a true teller of stories worthy of all the story tellers who have come before us, from Homer to JK Rowling - the story itself is what matters most. What happens within its boundaries must be inevitable: every story must have an inner integrity and, to have a chance of being read and enjoyed many times over, it must leave the reader completely satisfied by a tale well-written.

“Books are man’s rational protest against the irrational, man’s pitiful protest against the implacable, man’s ideal against the word’s real,… man’s revelation of the God within him…if the first Prometheus brought fire from heaven in a fennel-stalk, the last will take it back – in a book.” (John Cowper Powys “The Enjoyment of Literature” as quoted by Ruth Sawyer in "The Way of The Storyteller”) (Read September 2009; review posted here from my blog)

[Jeffrey]

Inspirational stuff indeed as Sawyer charts her own journey and quietly guides readers to seek storytelling quests of their own!

Feb/15 - Re-reading a text like this, published first in 1942 and then revised slightly in the 60s, has its issues for contemporary readers - Sawyer can seem a little judgmental and her insistence that true storytellers come from the "folk" - from encounters we might have on the docks, the marketplace, the church is just no longer the same - as well what is really missing from this book is a sense of the need for a community of storytellers!

[Melody]

I got this book for Christmas, and I was surprised that I'd never heard of it before. I adore Sawyer's Roller Skates, and thought I'd read all of her other books. This one is in a lot of ways a textbook. Sawyer examines storytelling down through the ages, and though there are some dated parts which refer to "savages", it's a pretty wonderful book. It makes me wish I could have gone to one of her events, sat at her feet, and listened to her spin a yarn.

[jessica wilson]

The book alone is a story to be told andwritten in such a flowery way it radiates old fashionned goodness. Half of the book contains stories of the author's education and journey to becoming a storyteller. The other half is a collection of old tails mentioned throughout the text. Written in 1942, the style of book is indeed outdated but the passion of the author shines pure and bright.

[Elizabeth Scheib]

I went into reading this book knowing it was a classic "textbook" for storytellers and those interested in oral storytelling. I was not disappointed. Her inspirational views on educating children through story make this book a must-read for any teacher.

[Angela Young]

For anyone who wants to know why stories need to be told (not read); why stories are so ineffably important to the making-sense of our lives and how a mistress of her art thought and felt and performed, and how we can, too. Magical and transformative (just like the best stories).

[Michael Fitzgerald]

This is a many-faceted book - any of the various ancillary sections would be worth all five stars: the bibliography, with multiple areas of focus; the guidance on public speaking; the autobiographical anecdotes; and the stories themselves.

[Dave Mankin]

if you don't read anything else, read the introduction.

[Joshua]

Hell YES. Sawyer knows a thing or two and freakin PREACHES it. Recommended for EVERY storyteller.

[Jennifer]

Not a how-to guide so much as a rumination on the reasons to storytell and the background of storytelling as an art. Also includes 11 stories.

[Julie]

A classic storytelling book to turn to for inspiration when trying to improve your own storytelling skills.

[Krissy]

this book has actually added a richness to my understanding of therapy, oddly enough. but its primary purpose is definitely to help readers understand the power of a simple story told.

[James]

My mom would come to my grade school classes to tell folk stories. I hope to be able to tell a story like her someday.

[Lauren Noel Ottwell]

Jan 2010, summer 2015

[LeAnne]

from my library school story-telling class

[Paul Groos]

Very accessible read. As a professional storyteller this is one of the seminal works about our craft. Old, but not outdated.

[Marsha Valance]

One of my favorite books on the art of storytelling.

[Janin]

A good read for anyone interested in becoming a story teller or learning more about story telling.