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Article: A Matter Of Voice: Grace Paley And The Oral Tradition.(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- Women and Language
- Article date:
- March 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 George Mason University. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract: Fiction writer-folklorist La Verne Harrell Clark identifies the specific attributes that, blended together, make up Grace Paley's literary voice. In looking closely at each attribute, Clark provides specific examples from Paley's four story collections, which demonstrate her use of a given technique. The examples from Paley's stories span five decades and illustrate her mastery of New York City speech through borrowings from oral tradition, particularly in relation to the different ethnic dialects of New York City with which Paley, a native New Yorker, shows familiarity. Such forms of oral tradition as these are investigated in relation to the use Paley has made ...