Prague, CZ. I am writing at Kavarna Slavia, a 120 year old cafe styled in 1930's fashion. I always wear my Humphrey Bogart hat and trenchcoat here, like I am doing today. This cafe, I heard, was frequented by the Russian Formalists in the early part of last century . They had studied folk mythology in Russia and came to Prague as a gateway to the west. They gave shape to narrative theory and carried their ideas around the world, influencing literary theory and eventually, a move to narrative theology that has freed us from applying 3 points to the stories of the Scripture.
It is always surprising how one culture is affected by another, how one thought travels across the globe to become a theory or a discipline, how a thought becomes a movement. The conversations that happened in this cafe in the 1930's have turned into theories, movements, books, courses, all over the world. And likewise, the theories have returned to Prague, along with other artifacts of global postmodern culture, to influence Czech culture. Interesting.
It is always surprising how one culture is affected by another, how one thought travels across the globe to become a theory or a discipline, how a thought becomes a movement. The conversations that happened in this cafe in the 1930's have turned into theories, movements, books, courses, all over the world. And likewise, the theories have returned to Prague, along with other artifacts of global postmodern culture, to influence Czech culture. Interesting.
