Popular Culture Review Volume 29, Number 2, Summer 2018 | Page 210

Written Text to Oral Presentation
Charles De Coster from Belgium , Richard Strauss from Germany , and Joris Ivens from the Netherlands .
The work of Charles De Coster is especially interesting in determining how this ur-story and the inspiration of Till I ’ Espiegle has changed across various mediums and cultures . According to Werner , the sound of the word heard or listened to has its own freedom and limitations ; it is very distinct from a written text . The phrase rings true : oral storytellers have the freedom to express a written text in their own way , and while some may be highly regular and disciplined in their structure , others may exercise the ability to adapt to each performance and audience . There are changes when a written text transitions to an oral presentation : a written text is meant to be read , not told . Telling the story in the same way as the written text will not create the living narrative aspect of the oral tradition . Most storytellers will only read the original texts , research , and write to make their adaptation fit the present audience . Many contemporary authors will turn to older traditions and legends to mine ideas and characters , but the evolution of the story they tell is usually their own . They will write their own narrative from scratch to create a relatable experience for those they seek to entertain .
In his adaptation of Till I ’ Espiegle , Charles De Coster does not attempt to maintain the culture and history of the Belgians at the time he was writing . Belgians , during the Spanish acquisition , did not like the Spanish ; in fact , they deleted everything about the Spanish when their occupation ended . In the novel by Coster , the relationship between the Spanish and the Belgians is presented in a radically different fashion . Most books emphasize the atrocities the Dutch committed against the Belgians more than that of the Spanish . Furthermore , the period of Spanish influence lasted longer than that of the Dutch . Fitting a subject matter from such a radically
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