Elissa Frielink's Audio Reflection on "Woven Narratives"
Item
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Date Created
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2024
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Description
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In this magical realist novel, Thomas King blends Indigenous oral traditions and Western literary forms, creating a circular narrative that reflects his characters’ navigation of Indigenous identity in a post-colonial world. The novel is structured through a frame narrative and divided into four sections, each narrated by Four Indigenous Elders who move between plotlines in mythic and realist realms. In the mythic realm, they guide Coyote through blended Indigenous and Biblical creation stories, while in the realist realm, they escape from a psychiatric hospital. Joined by Coyote, their journey affects the lives of characters preparing for the Sundance, a Blackfoot ceremony in Blossom, Alberta. First published in Canada, Green Grass, Running Water has received critical acclaim, contributing to King’s list of award-winning literature. His work is widely taught in Canadian and international universities because of its innovative form and engagement with diverse themes such as storytelling, identity, spirituality, gender, and media.
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References
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King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. 1993, Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010.
McGill, Robert. “Against Mastery: Teaching Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, vol. 3, no. 2, 2016, pp. 241–54, https://doi.org/10.1017/pli.2016.3.
Woven Narratives / "Green Grass, Running Water"