The "ancient craft of communicating events and experiences, using words, images, sounds and gestures" by telling a story
[15]
is not only the means by which people passed on their cultural values
and traditions and history from one generation to another, it has been
an important part of most forms of entertainment ever since the earliest
times. Stories are still told in the early forms, for example, around a
fire while
camping, or when listening to the
stories of another culture as a
tourist.
"The earliest storytelling sequences we possess, now of course,
committed to writing, were undoubtedly originally a speaking from mouth
to ear and their force as entertainment derived from the very same
elements we today enjoy in films and novels."
[16] Storytelling is an activity that has evolved and developed "toward variety".
[16]
Many entertainments, including storytelling but especially music and
drama, remain familiar but have developed into a wide variety of form to
suit a very wide range of personal preferences and cultural expression.
Many types are blended or supported by other forms. For example, drama,
stories and banqueting (or dining) are commonly enhanced by music;
sport and
games are incorporated into other activities to increase appeal. Some may have evolved from serious or necessary activities (such as
running and
jumping) into competition and then become entertainment. It is said, for example, that
pole vaulting
"may have originated in the Netherlands, where people used long poles
to vault over wide canals rather than wear out their clogs walking miles
to the nearest bridge. Others maintain that pole vaulting was used in
warfare to vault over fortress walls during battle."
[17]
The equipment for such sports has become increasingly sophisticated.
Vaulting poles, for example, were originally made from woods such as
ash,
hickory or
hazel; in the 19th century
bamboo was used and in the 21st century poles can be made of
carbon fibre.
[17] Other activities, such as
walking on stilts, are still seen in
circus performances in the 21st century.
Gladiatorial combats,
also known as "gladiatorial games", popular during Roman times, provide
a good example of an activity that is a combination of sport,
punishment, and entertainment.
[18][19]
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| entertainment | |
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