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Only a few decades ago, American folklore research focused
primarily on narrative folklore with obvious literary connections,
such as the ballad and the folktale. In the past twenty years,
however, folklore studies have veered sharply away from literature
and even from text-based products to focus largely on oral
folkloric process. In this thoughtful work, a distinguished scholar
describes key ways in which theories and methodologies developed in
such oral folklore studies have benefited literary criticism and
analysis. Vladimir Propp devised a theory of structuralism to
examine folktales. Popularized versions of Propp's theory were used
in literary theory for nearly twenty years. Parry and Lord, using
folkloric techniques to study Yugoslavian folksingers as a means of
learning how Homeric epics were composed, established principles
since employed by thousands of literary critics. Folk narratives
persist in contemporary life and literature in such forms as "urban
legends." Knowledge of folk custom, ritual, and belief can enhance
aesthetic understanding. And analyzing lineality and simultaneity
in literature and folklore yields fruitful insights. In addition to
summarizing extant ideas and studies, Bruce Rosenberg offers
surprising new interpretations and discoveries that expand the
boundaries of both folklore and literature. Illustrating his
contentions with examples from widely varying periods and cultures,
the author affirms the unique potential of interdisciplinary
inquiry.
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