Once Upon a River

Once Upon a River features a wide variety of stories and storytellers. These include folklore, confessions, and persuasive endeavors. The different tales and ways of telling hold remarkable weight within the plot, reinforcing the importance of stories in both the text and the real world.

From the outset, storytelling is vital. The narrator introduces the Swan as the place “where you went for storytelling” (3). Joe, the innkeeper’s husband, is one of the premier storytellers, and his son Jonathan wants to master the art of storytelling. It is integral that the Swan hosts such narratives. When a new myth develops in the inn itself, its regulars act as authorities as they carry the tale beyond its walls. Because the Swan is so renowned, the regulars are called upon to tell the story of The Child, and their stories are reinforced by Rita’s credibility as a nurse. In this way, the author displays the use of storytelling to communicate information. In a time period without easy access to information, storytelling was a vital part of news and learning. The storytellers take their own credibility very seriously; they spread the facts to draw new witnesses to the Swan and to solve the mystery of The Child.