Novel vs. Story

Walter Benjamin's "Storyteller" confused me at first because I had trouble distinguishing between the stylistic characteristics of the story versus the novel. I understood the concepts surrounding Marxism and production, but I needed to take a closer look at what makes the story unique.

One of my questions surrounds the issue of storytelling within the novel. Theoretically, an author could write down a story that has passed from generation to generation and publish it in a book. Would the author's actions-- which would be residual of a previous society-- be inherently bad, according to Benjamin?

I think Benjamin would disapprove. Although a novelist can publish a tale with the sole intention of sharing oral tradition and thus enriching the rest of the world, the author is still complicit with economic interests. To Benjamin, the act of publishing places the author-- and his or her good intentions-- under the confines of capitalism.

Perhaps Benjamin would consider the author presumptuous for publishing the story. After all, the act of publication implies that the author's version of the story is the final, complete iteration. The author has the AUTHORity. He or she claims to have finally gotten the family tale right. The storyteller, on the other hand, makes no such presumptions-- at least theoretically. Benjamin writes that "the perfect narrative is revealed through the layers of a variety of retellings." By refusing publication, the storyteller leaves room for multiple interpretations and multiple authors.