The prologue in The Dragon Can't Dance is analogous to the abstract in Labov's model of natural narrative, i.e. it has to do with the question "what is this story about?" The structure of the prologue mirrors the thematic and plot structure of the narrative; and, it is rife with elements of orality and figurative language.
Discuss your impressions of this prologue and how it impacts your reading of the rest of the novel.
Hello all, I think that the prologue in Lovelace's dragon is analogous with Labov's model of natural narrative. Personally, it set the tone for the rest of the story and I think it contributed to its narrative beauty. It does answer the question of " what is the story about?" it sets the reader in the mode of the setting and the elements that the people are exposed to. Once I read the prologue I was propelled into the time and setting of The Hill. I felt a connection with the novel because the language was familiar. The descriptive elements were superb and the examples of personification were unique to Trinidad as well. To skip the prologue would have robbed the reader of truly capturing the tone, setting and the environment that the writer wanted to capture.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue does follow Labov's model as it signals that the story is about to begin.It gives a look at Calvary Hill and sets the tone,as we know that this place is a 'slum',per se,and that life would be hard,in many ways,for its inhabitants.From reading the prologue,as it flows smoothly into the voice of the narrator and into the whole book,I placed myself there and was in the yard with all the characters.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I was tempted to omit the reading of the prologue but found that by the end of it, I was intrigued to read the rest of the story. "THE HILL", "CARNIVAL", "CALYPSO" all address the hypothetical question about narrative structure - what is the story about?, where did it take place?, it introduces the "who" with Miss Cleothilda.
ReplyDeleteThe Prologue signals that the story is about to begin and draws attention from the reader - It surely drew me-. It gave the time, place, persons, activity and situation of the story.
As Miss R. Bharath mentioned in her lecture, that the prologue is key for this novel and I agree, without it, I may not have enjoyed it as much.
Reading this novel over the carnival weekend really brought the atmosphere alive and the setting took me back to the era in which it was written. Relating to Pariag's plea for acceptance and knowing individuals like Aldrick while at school. The characters were "real" and as was said by Melisa, I placed myself there in that Yard and on that Hill with those who lived there.
As Sherine said, I myself had the temptation to omit the reading of the prolouge but I did end up reading it. And I am quite happy that i decided to because in reading it, it made me put myself into the story, like as if I were actually present on Calvary Hill and it was a great feeling and also it made me feel even more eager to read the book.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite an exciting experience really. And of course, the book, like the prolouge, continued to be an excellent read.
The prologue was the book in a nutshell, its most condensed and raw form. Its effect on me was profound since I found that many of the things that Lovelace described are still applicable to Trinidad today especially since I read this novel on Carnival Saturday and realised that nothing has changed. I was quite eager to see how the prologue took shape in the novel and I was not disappointed. With every page, he captured Trinidadian culture perfectly with characterisation so flawless that it appeared as if he took a chunk of that real hill and transplanted it into the book. He was also able to capture all the emotions, frustrations and struggles of the people and at the same time, to illustrate that although it was in their power to change, most of them chose to remain stagnated, so accustomed to being told what to do that now that they had the freedom in which to do it, they seemed unable to. To this day that is still prevalent as well as the inability to live together in harmony.
ReplyDeleteOn reading the prologue we get a sense of, first of all the cultural background of the members of the community represented in the novel by the choice of language by the author. Then we get a sense of the social status of the members of the community by the way Lovelace creates the setting for the novel. The sub-headings Carnival and Calypso already give us a sense to the festival to which the novel is centered around. The prologue sets the tone of the entire novel. Not only does it give you a sense of the setting of the novel but it also captures your attention in a very intriguing way luring the reader into wanting to find out what happens next.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue does give the reader some brief views of what to expect in the novel. The prologue take a sort of poetic form. The prologue also gives us a Caribbean perspective of things to come in the book.
ReplyDeleteEarl Lovelace is an extremely talented writer and in "The Dragon Can't Dance" he created a prologue that is filled with depth and lyricism. In this prologue Lovelace keeps it real;he doesn't try to make his words 'flowery' or try to cover up the poverty of The Hill. He tells things as they are and in this way expresses how he feels about the poverty situation in Trinidad at that time. As I read his words I think of poetry and calypso.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue is brilliantly descriptive and it makes it easy for me to actually see the images that Lovelace is depicting. The language of the prologue is stark-almost cruel-in its portrayal of The Hill, but at the same time it is beautiful and adds a lot of meaning to the prologue as a whole.
The prologue speaks of The Hill and gives some detail to the daily lives of its residents which fuels my curiosity about the rest of the novel and keeps me interested in it. As I read the novel I play close attention to whether the language used is similar to that of the prologue and, if like it, there are internal rhymes and repetition. I really like this prologue so there is a positive effect with regard to my opinion of the rest of the novel;if the prologue is good, then the novel itself is even better in my eyes. I think that this prologue was a very creative and unique way for Lovelace to begin his novel.
The prologue distinctly explains aspects of the book that holds great significance. Its poetic, lyrical form adds aggression and understanding about Lovelace's piece. His work stands straight to the point and does not drag on. This pattern makes his work quite enjoyable to read. I agree with Denise before who stated that his work reminds us of poetry and calypso. Images flow to our minds when we read his work and its completely easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteEarl Lovelace's prologue "The Dragon Can't Dance" is filled with lyrical components which certainly contributes to the fluidity of his ideas. Also the prologue is an essential part as it creates the setting and it illustrates the way in which society and events are presented further in the novel. Despite the lyrical feel which usually gives a positive feel Lovelace is able to capture the strife and poverty on the Hill through this style. Lovelace gives details of society as it is and he does not attempt to cover up the negative issues of society that is poverty. Through the prologue we are able to gain perspective of the past state of Trinidad. In essence the lyrical style of the prologue captured my attention and intrigued me to continue reading.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue of the dragon can't dance seemed a bit poetic more than a prose piece. maybe engaging the use of a type of Calypso form. The story is set in the carnival season so the author may have found this an appropriate form. The prologue takes us back so as to prepare the reader for what is to come.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue to me is like the key which unlocks the door to the novel..and by reading it we start on a historical journey. We see that Lovelace places'The Hill' as the centralized focal point of the novel and everything else seems to be revolved around the hill. The prologue also set the tone and mood of the novel, to me it seems to be lively yet gloomy at the same time showing already the positives and negative aspects of Morvant in a historical setting....'Carnival''Calypso' also plays a major part in the novel as it is introduced in the very beginning along with a lyrical tone emphasizing how important it is. In a knot shell the prologue gives way for the novel to annotate what 'THE HILL",'CARNIVAL' and 'CALYPSO'mean..
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph of the prologue was my motivation to read the text. My interest was piqued , I wanted to know what the text was about. A great text, in my opinion should capture your interest from the very first line and Lovelace's "The Dragon's Can't Dance certainly did that. The prologue was designed to set the tone for the text and create a vivid description of the space where the characters would develop and the plot unfold.I totally agree that the initiating paragraphs were lyrical and poetic, which is not surprising, for these are two major components of the festival that this text is centred around. Through diction references are made to the Calvary Hill where Jesus Christ was crucified, however these references are made to highlight the extreme state of destitution that exist on "Calvary Hill" The prologue was an effective means of summarising the text and preparing the reading for what was to come.
ReplyDeleteAbout two years ago, the Epress newspaper published this novel, and I made an attempt to follow it, it was very difficult for me to follow and I got bored and stopped reading therefore it was with great hesitancy that I began to read this book, then I opted for the prologue, to see whether it would create a difference in my way of thinking about the novel and it did.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue allowed me to have an overview of the characters, and their attitudes, the setting is real and the plot provides the reader with great down to earth description, and reality, .thanks to the prologue I became familiar with the characters, I was able to have a desire to delve into the book and not put it down till it was completed.
Lovelace's prologue gives the reader an insight of the elements that surround and manifests the culture of the inhabitants on the Hill. It gave me, as a reader, the theme and feeling of the novel and depicted for me the arena in which the story will take place. While I was reading the prologue, I also picked a sort of rhythm which reminded me of the Calypso and Carnival nature of Trinidad and so I was very eager to start reading the novel right away!
ReplyDeleteLovelace's prologue gives the reader an insight of the elements that surround and manifests the culture of the inhabitants on the Hill. It gave me, as a reader, the theme and feeling of the novel and depicted for me the arena in which the story will take place. While I was reading the prologue, I also picked a sort of rhythm which reminded me of the Calypso and Carnival nature of Trinidad and so I was very eager to start reading the novel right away!
ReplyDeletei personally liked the prologue; it was interesting n attention grabbing. religion is something everyone can relate to and the prologue was about this man pretending to be Jesus. it was comical as he got angry at the people for throwing big stones at him and it kinda hit reality as we as people can relate to this situation or may even know people who are like that character. i think when a book catches your interest at the start you obviously would want to read on to explore the author's talent and to gain the experience the book has to offer. i liked this book althought it had obscene language, it is very realistic and displays trinidad and its culture and the caribbean people and even today we can still see similarities.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue showed a summary of the characters and book itself, and it helped us to understand what was to come. It helped us to "see ahead" and showed us the culture of the people so we definitely were on the look out for how he was going to develop the story, plot and characters. In the prologue, Lovelace says Dance! Dance! to show that dancing is like a coping mechanism for the people. The prologue served its purpose in that way. I did not like the profanity and bad elements used, but I guess he was being realistic because that is how the people of that region carry on. He has a gift of writing though, he is descriptive and the book was interesting.
ReplyDeleteLovelace's prologue did set the scene for the novel; it presented the characters and characteristics of the Hill. I was particularly amused by the man 'playing' Christ and his subsequent reaction to his stoning - lol! That incident, I think, gave a real sense of the nature of the characters and you knew from the get go that you could expect anything, like Fisheye's bombed attempt at a revolution. The yard was full of bachannal and learning and life and the prologue was the introduction to that. Admittedly, the only reason I read the prologue was because Dr. Skeete mentioned it in class but I'm happy I did.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue of "The Dragon Can't Dance," was magnificently crafted!!!!! It was as though Lovelace put careful thought into every word he used in the prologue. I loved the poetic atmosphere it created with the run-on lines as well as the way it was filled with imagery! I was most satisfied by the way Lovelace used this to present life in Trinidad, and not only that but life in Laventille, a part of Trinidad that is not known for having the best reputations. The prologue itself was thought to be a scene in the novel. I thought the novel itself was one that the average person growing up in Trinidad could relate to. The prologue basically summarized life on the Hill. I would really read the novel again if given a chance!
ReplyDeleteThe prologue in the novel 'The Dragon Can't Dance' does follow Labov's model of natural narrative. It does in fact give the readers an idea of what the story is about. It also would captivate the readers who are familiar with Trinidadian Carnival because of the use of its language and allusions, for example, "rubber tipped sticks" which are the sticks used to play the musical instrument, the steel pan. It evokes a feeling of anticipation in both Trinidadian and non- Trinidadian readers.
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