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[CCBC-Net] FW: definitions and authorities on folklore
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From: Killeen, Erlene <Erlene.Killeen>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:10:39 -0500
Of course I forgot one - one more worth reading!!!
Erlene
Erlene Bishop Killeen
Instructional Systems Specialist
Information Center Programs
Department of Defense Education Activity
4040 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
703-588-3132
erlene.killeen at hq.dodea.edu
"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
________________________________
From: Gappa Richard J [mailto:gappa.rich at uwlax.edu] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 4:03 PM To: Killeen, Erlene Subject: definitions and authorities on folklore
Erlene,
Folklore by definition is stories of the people, and as such takes on many forms some of which are impossible to cleanly define (definere-to fence in). However over a fifty year period of studying and working with folklore I have reached the following definitions based on a wide variety of "authorities' such as Stith Thompson and others, as well as my own insistence and willfulness:
Folklore- any form of story, oral in origin of an anonymous creator, preserved through oral transmission until its transcription.
Literary Lore- any form of story imitative of folklore forms written by a known author and printed in its initial presentation.
Folktales- a form of folklore that has some general characteristics found in most folktales, but not all folktales. However all folktales will have at least some of these characteristics. They include: flat two dimensional characters, fast paced plot, formulaic beginnings and endings, end happily, use motifs (poisoned apple, magic kiss, sleep, rings, etc.) repetition of phrases or speeches, use of patterns of threes and sevens and sometimes animals as characters, the common use of themes such as good vs. evil, seeming vs. being, and quests. These are the major characteristics in my mind, and of course we can add the fact that there are many variants of the same stories world wide, which some people consider to be a characteristic of the folktale as well. Most scholars identify specific types of folktales with their own specific identifying unique characteristics as well as some of the general characteristics. For example, the cumulative tale such as Henny Penny has the quality known as incremental repetition that distinguishes it from other folktales. One of the types of folktales ( some scholars identify as many as 8 or 9 different types) is the so called
"fairytale". This is a term not widely held by scholars. The preferred term is "wonder tale". It is the tale which has the most wonderful elements within it, such as hands growing back, blind eyes regaining sight, dead people coming back to life, frogs turning into 'hunks' as my female students call them, etc. The term fairy tale is the term that is used in the least specific way by the general public and has caused the greatest confusion in people's minds. It covers a multitude of types in most people's usage.
Now, as far as tall tales, they are not folktales, but a subset of folklore independent of folktales in the same way that legends and myths and heroic tales and fables are not folktales but rather folklore. Tall tales are stories about fictional characters that use hyperbole for humorous ends; legends are tales about historical people that use embellishment for serious ends (edification); myths are stories about serious cosmic subjects and observable effects (creation, sex, death, evil, mutability etc.) that explain the existence of those natural effects with supernatural causality (gods and goddesses). These terms are of course all 'frail ghosts' as Shelley called names. They are constructs of our minds and an attempt to make order out of chaos. I have tried for decades to impose this order on my students, but recognize that the most important thing to impart to them is the fact that folklore in all its myriad forms contains great stories, whatever we want to call them. Hope this doesn't add to your confusion. Have a great and blessed day!
Richard Gappa
Professor
Department of English
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
(608) 785-6923
Fax: (608) 785-8301
Received on Wed 20 Dec 2006 12:10:39 PM CST
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:10:39 -0500
Of course I forgot one - one more worth reading!!!
Erlene
Erlene Bishop Killeen
Instructional Systems Specialist
Information Center Programs
Department of Defense Education Activity
4040 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
703-588-3132
erlene.killeen at hq.dodea.edu
"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
________________________________
From: Gappa Richard J [mailto:gappa.rich at uwlax.edu] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 4:03 PM To: Killeen, Erlene Subject: definitions and authorities on folklore
Erlene,
Folklore by definition is stories of the people, and as such takes on many forms some of which are impossible to cleanly define (definere-to fence in). However over a fifty year period of studying and working with folklore I have reached the following definitions based on a wide variety of "authorities' such as Stith Thompson and others, as well as my own insistence and willfulness:
Folklore- any form of story, oral in origin of an anonymous creator, preserved through oral transmission until its transcription.
Literary Lore- any form of story imitative of folklore forms written by a known author and printed in its initial presentation.
Folktales- a form of folklore that has some general characteristics found in most folktales, but not all folktales. However all folktales will have at least some of these characteristics. They include: flat two dimensional characters, fast paced plot, formulaic beginnings and endings, end happily, use motifs (poisoned apple, magic kiss, sleep, rings, etc.) repetition of phrases or speeches, use of patterns of threes and sevens and sometimes animals as characters, the common use of themes such as good vs. evil, seeming vs. being, and quests. These are the major characteristics in my mind, and of course we can add the fact that there are many variants of the same stories world wide, which some people consider to be a characteristic of the folktale as well. Most scholars identify specific types of folktales with their own specific identifying unique characteristics as well as some of the general characteristics. For example, the cumulative tale such as Henny Penny has the quality known as incremental repetition that distinguishes it from other folktales. One of the types of folktales ( some scholars identify as many as 8 or 9 different types) is the so called
"fairytale". This is a term not widely held by scholars. The preferred term is "wonder tale". It is the tale which has the most wonderful elements within it, such as hands growing back, blind eyes regaining sight, dead people coming back to life, frogs turning into 'hunks' as my female students call them, etc. The term fairy tale is the term that is used in the least specific way by the general public and has caused the greatest confusion in people's minds. It covers a multitude of types in most people's usage.
Now, as far as tall tales, they are not folktales, but a subset of folklore independent of folktales in the same way that legends and myths and heroic tales and fables are not folktales but rather folklore. Tall tales are stories about fictional characters that use hyperbole for humorous ends; legends are tales about historical people that use embellishment for serious ends (edification); myths are stories about serious cosmic subjects and observable effects (creation, sex, death, evil, mutability etc.) that explain the existence of those natural effects with supernatural causality (gods and goddesses). These terms are of course all 'frail ghosts' as Shelley called names. They are constructs of our minds and an attempt to make order out of chaos. I have tried for decades to impose this order on my students, but recognize that the most important thing to impart to them is the fact that folklore in all its myriad forms contains great stories, whatever we want to call them. Hope this doesn't add to your confusion. Have a great and blessed day!
Richard Gappa
Professor
Department of English
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
(608) 785-6923
Fax: (608) 785-8301
Received on Wed 20 Dec 2006 12:10:39 PM CST
