The Story-Teller 1912

This etching, "The Story-Teller," by James McBey captures a scene teeming with cultural echoes. Dominating the foreground is the figure of the storyteller, a vessel of communal memory. Storytellers are a reappearing motif across civilizations, from the ancient bards reciting epics to the troubadours of medieval Europe. In many cultures, the storyteller is not merely an entertainer but a guardian of history and tradition. Here, we witness a collective absorption in his words, a shared engagement with narratives that bind the community together. Notice the architecture, too. Arched gateways have been symbols of transition, of moving from one state to another. Yet, even as time marches on, such symbols are reborn, carrying within them the enduring power of human stories and our deep-seated need to hear them.