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Panel Review The Great Auk: A Panel Review of a Story on Tape The Spirit of the Great Auk For our review of Jay O’Callahan’s new release, we decided
to do something a little different. We circulated the tape among four
reviewers, asking each to write a short review of the piece, the reviews
under the heading "The First Round." We then sent every
reviewer copies of all four first reviews to read, and then simply
asked "What do you think now?" In this "Second Round"
reviewers were free to react, rebut, agree, concur, or ignore whatever
they wished from the First Round reviews. The First Round Kathy Maron-Wood This story is long—over an hour—and is adventurous to say
the least. Jay uses his voice well—telling, singing, making ghostly
voices—but he always seems to be out of breath, even before the
actual trip is begun. Maybe this is Jay’s way of telling (I’ve
not listened to any of his material in a long time), but it was uncomfortable
to me. One typo on the tape jacket - "SIDE - 31:30 — SIDE 2 -
31:04" should probably read "SIDE 1 - 31:30 . . ." As an aside . . . I’ve listened to MANY books-on-tape and when
the story continues to the other side there is always some indication
that the current side is done, or to fast forward and continue on
the other side, or whatever. This tape just came to an end. I realize
this is not a book-on-tape per se, however, it would have alerted
this listener as the others do. Alan Irvine Anyone who has ever undertaken an epic, or near-epic, journey knows
that they tend to consist of long periods of tedium, punctuated with
only occasional moments of adventure or insight. O’Callahan’s
story manges the difficult balance of communicating this rhythm without
becoming tedious itself. Through the use of recurring chants, he takes
us into those long periods of simple paddle-paddle-paddle, giving
us a feel for the main activity without boring us with it. These bouts
of paddling, however, help emphasize the bursts of adventure and interaction
with the people Wheeler encounters on the way. And with any good tale
of an epic journey, these moments rightly make up the main portion
of the story. Yet another story is interwoven with Dick Wheeler’s—the
story of humankind’s devastation of the northern sea, the wholesale
extinction of life in what was once one the richest ecosystems in
the world. It is this second story that gives the tale its power. O’Callahan handles this story quite well, deftly interweaving
scientific fact, historical background, and initimate glimpses of
the impact of this environmental collapse on both the human and animal
inhabitants of the shores and waters. In less skillful hands, this
could easily have become a moralizing lecture enbedded in a story;
instead, it becomes the emotional core of the journey and the tale. As masterfully constructed as this story is, however, the telling leaves something to be desired. The story requires more subtlety and nuance in the telling than O’Callahan gives it. For example, the opening minutes of the tale take us through a complicated succession of narrators from the storyteller/announcer at the welcome-home reception at journey’s end, to Dick Wheeler addressing that reception, to Dick Wheeler of the journey itself. But we get little in the way of changes in tone of voice, pacing, rhythm, or volume to help us distinguish one narrator from another. Also, throughout the story, everything is IMPORTANT; everything is told IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Even the parts told in a whisper (the only change in tone or volume) are whispered IN CAPITAL LETTERS. O’Callahan never lets us forget that this is an IMPORTANT STORY, and, in doing so, robs the story of some of the power it otherwise would have. In the end, I think The Spirit of the Great Auk is a masterful
story with an okay telling. Marie Winger The unadulterated Jay-fans will find all the signature elements dear to them —the little laugh, "ha-hoo," the running dialogs, the little song/chants. It’s all here. But be warned. This is not an easy story to listen to. My first time through I got a little muddled, but I think that had a lot to do with the complexity of the material. There is a lot to grasp here. My second listening I was able to become more fully involved with Dick Wheeler’s experience. Jay has captured the cold, the aloneness, the wet, the fatigue and fear of being at sea in such a small craft. I shared Dick’s wonder and delight in the sea and its inhabitants. The one element I found most powerful is the way Jay has chosen to deal with the problem of over fishing in the Grand Banks through Dick’s conversations with the fisherman who gave him shelter. The listener comes to appreciate the dilemma of the fisherman as well Dick’s growing realization that his journey has become much more than the fulfillment of his own private dream. But the overall emotional tone of the piece seemed a little too intense. The highs were too high and perhaps too frequent. This lessened the intensity of the "spiritual moments" in the story, the sighting of what appeared to be a now extinct great auk, the visions of cod and of whales and the message from The Sea. The j-card states that the story will be part of an environmental curriculum for schools. This story should be a powerful tool in helping children appreciate the responsibilities we have toward our environment and the complexities of the issues. Whether or not you are a fan of Jay O’Callahan, no matter your feelings about environmental issues, Jay should be applauded for undertaking such an enormous task. Translating a journey of such physical, spiritual and social dimensions into one coherent narrative is almost as daunting as paddling a kayak 1500 miles. Mike Kennelly Throughout it’s length, the story recalls the sea in an earlier
time when a bird called the Great Auk and other sea creatures roamed
the islands off of Nova Scotia. The impression of the sea at this
time is like the Garden of Eden misplaced westward. It is full of
promise. Life is abundant and has yet to bear the burden of mankind.
As the Dick’s journey continues the story moves the listener
from that vision of the sea to the modern landscape. It recalls the
destiny of the Great Auk bird. The bird itself was able to survive
52 million years before falling prey to insatiable appetite of modern
mankind. The sea now has carried the burden of progeny through many
years. These many years were productive and full but now the effects
of the labor are beginning to show. Jay draws the listener into the story and drops smoothly from the
third person to the first person by describing Dick Wheeler’s
approach at the end of his journey. Dick is described as he addresses
the crowd assembled to witness the event. Before you know it, you
are witness to conversations on a boat headed for Funk Island with
Dick Wheeler and a fisherman named Bill Sturge. The illusion that
the story is being told first hand is maintained by Dick’s conversation
with his Kayak which he calls Auky. The craft gets its name from the
adornment on the front of his boat that is the likeness of the great
bird. The device exposes Dick Wheeler’s thoughts to the world.
These thoughts are the story. A parade of personalities along the way show the listener a spectrum
of other views toward the sea and the natural world as backdrop against
developing and changing view of the main character. The teller uses
many devices to paint a picture of each individual including the physical
characteristics, nationality, and the personality quirks of two or
more characters played against one another. Callous disregard, indifference,
or compassion and concern are portrayed in contrast to the relationship
of the main character with the sea. In the end, the intimacy that
is carefully developed between Dick Wheeler and the sea is discarded
abruptly and we are back describing Dick’s arrival and departure
for home. The device forces listeners to reflect back on the story
in empathy as Dick takes one last look at the sea on his departure.
All have been changed by the experience. The Second Round Mike Kennelly Kathy’s comment about his breathing was very interesting to
me. I didn’t recognize or understand the sounds Jay was making
either. I am also not an authority on sea birds. I think the point
is that it may have been better for Jay to introduce the sounds before
using them. In this way the listener would not have been forced to
scrutinize the noise so closely. A listener would think "O that’s
the puffin-like bird" instead of "what in the world?"
Maybe the point was to startle or appear strange to land lubbers like
me. If that was the intention I think the result was not anticipated
well. Alan’s point of the tedium is well made. I have taken long hikes
(two weeks or more) and I thought the size of the effort was described
well. I am undecided about Alan’s point on the beginning of the
story. My perception is that O’Callahan deliberately avoided
distinguishing narrators to make a quick transition from Jay O’Callahan
standing on the lawn to Dick Wheeler paddling his boat. The change
in narration is critical to the rest of the story. Not to say that
a change noticed and then forgotten is any less effective. I also appreciate Marie’s comment about the construction of
the story. It was a complex and large undertaking. I applaud the effort
and the story. I’m not sure it is suited for teaching to younger
children. I don’t think they will get through it all. Marie Winger Kathy Maron-Wood I agree with Marie that Jay did an admirable job, though it wasn’t
easy to listen to and it was too intense at times. I also agree with
Alan about the fact that everything is told in CAPITAL LETTERS; and,
with Mike, that the story seemed forced and artifical in the beginning.
Mike seemed to believe that it became natural sounding and entertaining,
but it didn’t do this for me. To me, this clearly states a few
problems with the telling. This story should be a powerful tool in helping children—but
how? I think this could be a useful tool in schools but I wouldn’t
recommend it for any child under 6th grade, unless maybe it’s
for the kids who live near the ocean and can better relate. The complexity
of the story warrants older listeners. It was an interesting observation
by Alan to note the interwoven story, though Marie and Mike eluded
to the other topics that were included here, too. Mike’s review
is almost better than the tape itself and was enjoyed by this reviewer! Alan Irvine —published in WIP Winter 1999 |
Special Features Why I Hate Lady Ragnell Alan Irvine's article and the rebuttal it engendered. Variations on Storycrafting: Thomas the Rymer
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