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grandapplewit · 11 months ago

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As we’ve moved father into the post-modern era (about 1970 onwards), which is defined by the increased social emphasis on individualism, communal storytelling has become something… shunned. Past methods of communal storytelling (theatre, music, folktales) have been increasingly privatized since 1970. Because of this, we’ve seen the emergence of fanfiction (specifically slash fiction started by Star Trek fans in the 1970s) and TTRPGs (specifically Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder in the late 20th Century), which are both ostracized by the mainstream culture, but are also the only two sources of communal storytelling in the 21st century. TTRPGs are finding more footing in mainstream culture, but because they’ve found footing are becoming increasingly commodified. In this essay, I

#I’d be interested in studying how communal storytelling has changed over the past hundred years.#a cultural history of communal storytelling #in the pre modern era (pretty much all of time up to the Industrial Revolution [1780]) all storytelling was communal #most cultures - but specifically Western Europe - had an oral tradition #religion and mythology were the basis of society #storytelling was engrained into the culture #then in the modern era (Industrial Revolution until the 1970s) communal storytelling is still prevelant but it’s become organized #going to the theatre was a Big Thing #same with going to the cinema once film was invented #music was performed in front of large audiences #as the oral tradition gives way to a literary one fewer people are able to Become Storytellers #but they’re also able to share their work with more people #then you get to the post modern era and that all goes away #theatre and concerts are a privilege that few can afford #music and movies are easily available via streaming but that makes them individual experiences #books are prominent and oral storytelling is nearly nonexistent #even audio books are an individual thing #but then comes fanfiction and TTRPGs #which are underground and often scorned by the mainstream to an excessive degree #which is just #fascinating #wit rambles

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