Drama, Myth and Parable: problem‐solving and problem‐knowing

Abstract

Most drama teachers adhere to the principle that learning in drama is a dialectical process. Their practice, therefore, begs the questions: are there different types of dialectic in drama, and, if so, how do they affect the nature of the learning that takes place within them? This paper attempts to illuminate these questions by exploring the relationship between drama and story, focusing on the different types of dialectic in story modes which are common to all forms of narrative‐‐read, told and enacted. Two main story modes are highlighted‐‐the story of action, and of parable, or more specifically, story built on the oppositional tension between parable and myth. Discussion of the two story modes compares their differences in dialectical form and purpose, and how these may shape objectives for teaching and learning. Distinction is made between the objective of problem‐solving in stories of action, and parable's function to expose problems and tensions embedded in our cultural value systems. The first part of the paper examines the questions from a theoretical perspective, and the second looks at the implications for the drama teacher's aims in practice, using as an example a drama lesson based on the tale of The Sleeping Beauty.

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