The Love Letters: ethnopoetics and echoes of the past in a Danish spoken narrative of personal experience

Bettina Perregaard

doi:10.1515/text-2020-0132

Article

The Love Letters: ethnopoetics and echoes of the past in a Danish spoken narrative of personal experience

Bettina Perregaard
Bettina Perregaard received her PhD in Literacy Studies from the University of Copenhagen and is currently an Associate Professor at the same university. Her research interests include: narrative research, language socialization, language psychology, literacy. Her most recent book-length publication is Vær i verden. Intentionelle og interaktionelle mønstre i barnets hverdagsliv [Being in the World: Intentional and Interactional Patterns in Children’s Everyday Lives] (2016, Copenhagen University Press).

Published/Copyright: March 7, 2022

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From the journal Text & Talk Volume 43 Issue 1

Abstract

In developing ethnopoetics as an approach to the interpretation and analysis of oral performance, Dell Hymes controversially insisted that spoken narratives should be heard and read as poetry rather than prose. Although ethnopoetics is cross-culturally intended, only a few studies in a limited number of languages have so far been conducted. This article provides an analysis of a Danish spoken narrative of personal experience that supports Hymes’s contention that narratives are patterned in lines, that verses constitute the units that organize lines, that relations among verses are measured, and that parallelism is a pervasive feature of everyday storytelling. Verse analysis is unique in demonstrating the expressive force, poetic sophistication, psychological complexity, and aesthetic quality of spoken narrative. The article discusses the methodological implications of moving between text and performance, a static object and a dynamic body, the spatial distribution of written symbols and the temporal organization of orally expressed language.

Keywords: ethnopoetics; idea unit; narrative; parallelism; repetition; verse analysis

Corresponding author: Bettina Perregaard, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Emil Holms Kanal 2, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark, E-mail: perreg@hum.ku.dk

Funding source: Ragna Rask-Nielsens Grundforskningsfond under the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences

Funding source: Niels Bohr Fondet under the Royal Danish Academy of Science

Funding source: Danish-American Fulbright Commission

About the author

Bettina Perregaard

Bettina Perregaard received her PhD in Literacy Studies from the University of Copenhagen and is currently an Associate Professor at the same university. Her research interests include: narrative research, language socialization, language psychology, literacy. Her most recent book-length publication is Vær i verden. Intentionelle og interaktionelle mønstre i barnets hverdagsliv [Being in the World: Intentional and Interactional Patterns in Children’s Everyday Lives] (2016, Copenhagen University Press).

Appendix 1

The Love Letters in terms of lines and verses

Scene	Stanza	Verse	Line
[i]	A	a	1	Nå, det var – det er en Ungdomsubesindighed jo da,
				Well, it was – it is the thoughtlessness of youth you know
		b	2	for jeg var ude at tjene en Gang,
				for I was in service once
		c	3	og så havde jeg jo en Medtjener.
				And then I had a co-servant you know
			4	Hun var nu sådan lidt livlig af sig,
				She was rather lively
	B	a	5	og så – så skulde hun have skreven nogle Kærestebreve
				And then – then she were to have some love letters written
			6	og det kunde hun ikke rigtig,
				and that she couldn’t really do
		b	7	så hjalp jeg jo
				so I helped you know
		c	8	så så hun jo,
				then she saw of course
			9	at jeg var meget dygtigere til at sætte noget sammen end hende
				that I was much better at putting something together than she was
	C	a	10	og så – skrev jeg jo for hende til en,
				and then – I wrote to someone for her you know
		b	11	og han skrev jo til hende igen,
				and he wrote to her again you know
		c	12	og hun skulde jo have ham svaret
				and she had to respond to him of course
		d	13	og det skulde jo så også være mig,
				and that also had to be me of course
			14	for ellers kunde han jo se, det var fejl,
				or else he could see that it was wrong
			15	og det måtte han jo ikke få at vide
				and that he was not to know of course
		e	16	og så – så skrev jeg jo også igen til ham,
				and then – then I wrote to him again of course
[ii]	A	a	17	men – æ – så kom hun i Tanker om,
				but – eh – then it struck her
			18	at hun vilde gerne,
				that she would like
			19	han skulde komme og se til hende også på –
				that he should come and visit her at
		b	20	det var et Hotel, vi tjente på,
				it was at a hotel that we served
		c	21	og så skulde jeg jo skrive det til ham.
				and then I had to write it to him of course
	B	a	22	Jeg skrev, om han kunde ikke godt komme og se til mig, -
				I wrote if he would like to come and visit me
		b	23	og – jeg vilde da så gerne betale Rejsen dertil,
				and – I wouldn’t mind paying for the trip there
		c	24	men hvis han vilde derfra igen,
				but if he wanted to leave again
			25	så skulde han selv betale.
				then he would have to pay for himself
	C	a	26	Nå, og han skrev jo igen,
				Well, and he wrote again of course
			27	at det vilde han jo da gerne
				that he would like to come you know
		b	28	og så skulde han jo have at vide,
				and then he needed to know of course
			29	hvad tid han skulde komme,
				at what time he were supposed to come
		c	30	og så skulde jeg jo have skreven igen
				and then I needed to write again you know
[iii]	A	a	31	og han skulde jo så komme
				and then he were to come you know
		b	32	og jeg sagde jo, han skulde henvende sig til Stuepigen
				and I said of course that he were to approach the maid
			33	det var sådan en flinke Pige, sagde jeg,
				she was such a good girl I said
			34	det var jo mig selv, der var Stuepige,
				I was the maid of course
			35	og det var hende, der var Kokkepige.
				and she was the cook
		c	36	Men – så kunde han bare sige til hende,
				But – then he could just tell her
			37	hvordan det skulde være,
				how it was going to be
			38	så skulde hun nok sige det til Kokkepigen
				then she would tell the cook
			39	eller sige det til mig, skrev jeg jo.
				or tell me I wrote of course
	B	a	40	Og vi hørte jo så den Dag,
				And then we heard on that day
			41	det var bestemt han skulde komme,
				that it was decided he would come
			42	at Toget det fløjtede ved Stationen
				that the train whistled at the station
		b	43	og vi vaskede op,
				and we were doing the dishes
		c	44	og jeg grinede jo,
				and I was laughing of course
			45	for jeg skulde jo til at tage imod ham,
				for I was the one to receive him
			46	jeg vidste jo, hvad han ville sige.
				I knew what he was going to say of course
			47	Jeg havde jo sagt ham,
				I had told him of course
			48	hvad Stol og hvad Bord han skulde sætte sig ved
				at which chair and at which table he were to sit down
			49	og alt sådan noget,
				and things like that
	C	a	50	og denne her sølle Karl
				and this poor chap
			51	han kom jo også ind,
				he came in you know
		b	52	og han hilste jo på mig,
				and he greeted me of course
			53	han kjendte jo ikke mig,
				he did not know me of course
			54	og jeg kjendte ikke ham da,
				and I certainly did not know him
		c	55	men han gik jo hen og satte sig,
				but he went to sit down you know
			56	hvor han skulde sidde
				where he were supposed to sit
		d	57	og han forlangte det Korn Kop Kaffe,
				and he asked for that cup of barley coffee
			58	som jeg vidste, han skulde forlange
				that I knew he was going to ask for
			59	det havde jeg jo skrevet, han skulde forlange ved mig
				that I had written you know that he were to ask of me
	D	a	60	og så skulde hun ud og gå Tur med ham om Aftenen,
				and then she were to go out with him on a walk that evening
		b	61	og det gjorde hun jo også,
				and of course she did
		c	62	og så lovede hun,
				and then she promised
			63	nu skulde hun sige ham, hvordan det hang sammen
				that now she would tell him how it all hung together
			64	at det var en anden en, der havde skreven det
				that it was someone else who had written it
			65	og – og det skulde – nu skulde hun selv til at skrive jo,
				and – and that she – now she would write herself
	E	a	66	men hun kom sådan om Andendags Morgen,
				but then she came on the following morning
		b	67	at hun kunde da så godt lide ham
				that she really liked him
		c	68	og hun havde ikke fået sagt til ham,
				and she had not gotten it out
			69	at det var mig, der havde skreven,
				that I was the one who had written
[iv]	A	a	70	og jeg skulde jo så skrive igen
				and then I were to write again you know
			71	og – og det vilde jeg jo ikke,
				and – and I would not do it of course
		b	72	men – hun bad mig da så mindelig
				but – she asked me so amicably
			73	for ellers så gik de jo forbi,
				or else it would be over
			74	og det tyktes hun ikke, hun kunde tænke sig,
				and she did not think that she would want that
		c	75	og så skrev jeg jo igen til ham
				and then I wrote to him again you know
	B	a	76	men så da jeg skulde rejse,
				but then when I was about to leave
			77	så – så kunde jeg jo ikke blive ved at føre Korrespondancen,
				then – then I could not go on leading the correspondence
		b	78	så skulde hun jo selv til den,
				then she would have to do it herself of course
		c	79	og – men så vilde hun jo ikke have ham, sagde hun
				and – but then she did not want him she said
	C	a	80	og det var jeg da godt ked af,
				and I was really sorry about that
			81	for sådan som han holdt af hende,
				because of the way he cared about her
		b	82	og det var da Synd at komme til at skrive det til ham,
				and that would be a shame to have to write that to him
		c	83	men det var jo nok med, at jeg skulde have skrevet til ham
				but it ended so that I were to write to him
			84	at det var forbi
				that it was over
[v]	A	a	85	og han blev jo ked af det,
				and he was upset about that of course
		b	86	han skrev jo til mig igen,
				he wrote to me again you know
		c	87	at det kunde han da ikke forstå,
				that he could not understand
			88	hvorfor jeg havde sådan skiftet om,
				why I had changed my mind like that
			89	så pænt som jeg havde skreven til ham,
				when I had written so nicely to him
			90	og vi havde da også været glade den Aften,
				and we had been so happy that night
			91	han havde været at se til mig
				when he had come to visit me
			92	og alt sådan noget.
				and things like that
	B	a	93	og så sendte han mig en fin Medaljong med i Brevet,
				and then he sent me a fine locket necklace in the letter
			94	om jeg vilde bære den til Erindring om ham – så -.
				if I would carry that in remembrance of him
		b	95	Men den Medaljong den tog hun jo,
				But that locket necklace she took of course
		c	96	og jeg ville da jo heller ikke gå med den.
				and I would not wear it anyway of course
	C	a	97	Ja, hun fik jo så Medaljongen,
				Well she got the locket necklace
		b	98	og så rejste jeg min Vej,
				and then I went away
		c	99	og så ved jeg ikke mere,
				and then I know no more
			100	hvordan det gik med dem.
				how it turned out for the two of them

Appendix 2

Profile of The Love Letters

Act	Scene	Stanza	Verse	Line
I	i	A	abc	1, 2, 3–4
		B	abc	5–6, 7, 8–9
		C	abcde	10, 11, 12, 13–15, 16
	ii	A	abc	17–19, 20, 21
		B	abc	22, 23, 24–25
		C	abc	26–27, 28–29, 30
	iii	A	abc	31, 32–35, 36–39
		B	abcde	40–42, 43, 44–45, 46, 47–49
		C	abcde	50–51, 52–54, 55–56, 57–58, 59
		D	abc	60, 61, 62–65
		E	abc	66, 67, 68–69
	iv	A	abc	70–71, 72–74, 75
		B	abc	76–77, 78, 79
		C	abc	80–81, 82, 83–84
	v	A	abc	85, 86, 87–92
		B	abc	93–94, 95, 96
		C	abc	97, 98, 99–100

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Received: 2020-07-09

Accepted: 2022-02-15

Published Online: 2022-03-07

Published in Print: 2023-01-27

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https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-0132

Keywords for this article

ethnopoetics; idea unit; narrative; parallelism; repetition; verse analysis