LITERARY ASPECTS OF NORTH AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY. 
43 
born raconteurs, with a different type of genius, they told the 
story for the sake of story telling, as raconteurs have done in all 
ages. They used their specific gifts to attain the greatest effect. 
For most of them it would be wholly impossible to tell a tale 
exactly in the same way, even if it had been obtained from a skil- 
ful raconteur. We know that the artist who has obtained 
complete mastery over his technique invariably plays with his 
art. In a similar way the raconteur who has obtained complete 
mastery over his technique plays with his material and it is this 
play that becomes an important factor in the origin of different 
versions. 
The forms in which this play instinct will manifest itself 
are, of course, manifold. It may lie in the characterization of 
different personages by special phonetical devices; by gestures; 
by exaggerating certain incidents or overdrawing certain traits 
of the characters; and finally — and for our purposes, of para- 
mount importance— it may lie in the substitution of one episode 
for another, one theme for another, or one motif for another. 
Even granted that older literary models and other causes hold 
him in check, the changes that will take place in the novelette, 
under the influence of the factors enumerated above, are consider- 
able. 
One might suppose that such a conception of the role of the 
author-raconteur would imply tremendous changes in the novel- 
ette, as it passes from generation to generation. Theoretically 
this is true and if we do not find as great departures from the 
normal version of a given novelette as anticipated, this is due 
to the improbability of a line of skilful author-raconteurs apply- 
ing themselves to any given novelette, reinforced by the conser- 
vative tendency of a group which will not countenance any 
marked originality in the handling of traditional themes. 
Every generation will, I think, have its original author- 
raconteurs, although unquestionably their most original treat- 
ment of myths will not survive them. A number of these are, 
however, likely to fall into the hands of investigators, who 
must consequently remember that these deviations hardly 
