quiz 1 Flashcards
what are the characteristics of a folk tale?
oral entertainment events that are unusual particular compositional and stylistic structure not sacred (religious) a local tradition
what are the characteristics of the animal tale?
only animals; for children and to teach morals
how is the authored tale different from the folk tale?
one has an author and one does not
what are possible explanations for the similarity of fairy tales around the world? (3 theories)
Genetic Theory: an “ur-fairy tale” first told in the ancient past, before linguistic divisions. Problems include:
o Would explain dispersal (sharing) but not survival
o Too much time has passed—several millennia
o Similarities are often found beyond of the limits of a single (here, Indo-European) linguistic family
Diffusionist Theory: the fairy tale “migrates” from culture to culture. Problems:
o Difficult for stories to jump linguistic boundaries, especially in monolingual peasant cultures
Typological Theory: similarity is not between fairy tales, but between that which tales “represent.” Problems:
o Suggests that “evolution” proceeds similarly in all families”
who are the Indo-Europeans and which ideas and beliefs they brought with them?
dvoeverie: “ditheism,” or double faith and svoi/chuzoi (own, other) opposition.
who are the East Slavs?
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
where do Slavic Languages stand with respect to other Indo-European languages?
they are a conglomeration of many Indo-European languages
what distinguishes the East Slavic fairy tale tradition from the West European and English traditions?
three part pantheon/paganism
three times repetition
Rulers (lawgivers, priests): Jupiter
Warriors: Mars
Producers (peasants): Quirinus
what characteristic beliefs are associated with the bear in Russian folk culture?
Veles/Volos
bear paw as protector of barns/domestic animals
fertility
livestock god
what is a lubok?
chapbook, or popular print
how are fairy tales classified?
Aarne-Thompson (Uther): classifies tales according to a tale type: a narrative plot identified by a name and a concise (motif-based) description of its contents
what are the basics of the Parry-Lord theory of oral transmission of folk tales?
memorable form so that not only can you pass it on to posterity, so can the community.
story is not memorized neither improvised
plot/motif
what is a motif?
a feature or dominant idea
