ABSTRACT
According to general opinion, writing is secondary to speaking. Chronologically, this holds true. However, for many societies writing becomes the primary medium for the preservation of knowledge and tradition, which can then be passed on with the possibility of objective validation. Historically this usually leads to a corresponding decline of oral traditions in those societies. In this respect the recent rediscovery of oral tradition characteristically coincides with the changing position of the written word in the presence of the new media. At the same time we find attempts to secure a broader base for literature in everyday life, so that it may be used for the production and reproduction of experiences.
