folklore definition literature

 

Simply, folk literature is about individual experiences from a particular society. THE FOLK, a.k.a. What students of folk literature do, basically, is transcribe and interpret what is related to them by the storytellers of a tribe. It is transmitted by word of mouth and consists, as does written literature, of both prose and verse narratives, poems and songs, myths, dramas, rituals, proverbs, riddles, and the like. Folk literature, also called folklore or oral tradition, the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written language. Thus, it’s important to remember that something can be a myth and still be “true,” at least in a metaphorical or non-literal sense. These are all fairy tales, but they aren’t folklore, because they have specific authors. Alan Garner is a renowned English novelist popular for writing fantasy tales and retellings of traditional English folk tales. The Columbia Encyclopedia, gives a fuller definition: "A fable is a brief allegorical narrative, in verse or prose, illustrating a moral thesis or satirizing human beings. He wrote an entire book, The Silmarillion, giving the folklore/mythology of the Elves. Following are the major forms of folklore: Rudyard Kipling was keenly interested in folklore, as he has written many English works based on folklore such as, Rewards and Fairies and Puck of Pook’s Hill. Although some folklores depict universal truths, unfounded beliefs and superstitions are also basic elements of folklore tradition. Since Kipling has lived a great deal of life in Indian regions, he was much familiar with the Indian languages. He also has Indian themes in his work, Just So Stories, in which he has given many characters recognizable names related to Indian languages. Folklore and mythology are very similar terms, and the line between mythology and folklore is pretty subjective. Philippine folk literature refers to the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people.Thus, the scope of the field covers the ancient folk literature of the Philippines' various ethnic groups, as well as various pieces of folklore that have evolved since the Philippines became a single ethno-political unit. - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions, Definition and Examples of Literary Terms. J.R.R. definition of folklore as “artistic communication in small groups.” I use it as a starting point to ask whether or not practice theory can inform a revised definition and concept of folklore, as necessitated by the advent of the twenty-first century digital age (Bronner 2012). After showing kindness and love to the animal, the main characters are rewarded when the animal changes back into a human and reveals that their animal form was simply the result of a witch’s curse. Folk tales sugarcoat the lessons of hard life in order to give the audience pointers about how they should behave. Folklore definition is - traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people. The basic difference is that a myth is somehow held in sacred or religious reverence, whereas a folk tale is popular but not sacred. The study of folk tradition and knowledge is called folkloristics. Unfortunately, the word “myth” is often used as a synonym for “falsehood,” which leads to serious problems when speaking across different religions – if myths are necessarily false, then one culture’s myths are another culture’s sacred truths. Certainly a folktale told in its natural habitat is art of its own kind, but literary art is another kind of performance. Folklore is the traditional art, literature, knowledge, and practice that is disseminated largely through oral communication and behavioral example. At the most basic level, we can say that a … Legends are typically thought to have some truth in them, but they may be highly exaggerated or distorted. The study of folk tradition and knowledge is called folkloristics. There is also a fourth major subgenre defined for children's folkloreand games (childlore), as the collection and interpretation of this fertile topic is peculiar to school yards and neighb… Folklore is a collection of fictional stories about animals and people, of cultural myths, jokes, songs, tales, and even quotes. Definition of Folklore Folklore is made of two words: folk, which means regional people, and lore, which means stories. One common urban myth tells of a couple travelling to a foreign country where there are many stray dogs roaming the streets. Folklore and its Component Terms: FOLKLORE: First coined in 1846 by William John Thoms, a British antiquarian. This story is an example of the “monster-slayer” story, one of the most common story types in the world. Individual folklore artifacts are commonly classified as one of three types: material, verbal or customary lore. Folklore can be divided into its two component words, folk and lore. Such stories include Pinocchio, Hansel & Gretel, and Rapunzel. His experiences in Indian environment have led him to create several works about Indian themes and tradition. For example, in his works Three Hundred Ramayanas, and Where Mirrors are Windows, he talks about intertextual quality of written and oral Indian literature. The story of Beowulf has no known author, and was almost certainly a popular Anglo-Saxon folk tale before it was eventually written down. Certain peoples tell very simple stories and others tales of great complexity, but the basic pattern of tale-teller and audience is found everywhere and as far back as… It is a description of culture, which has been passed down verbally from generation to generation, though many are now in written form. Thousands of books have been written with folk stories as their inspiration. All Rights Reserved. TOWARD A DEFINITION OF FOLKLORE IN CONTEXT 5 autonomous intrinsic features but rather on the cultural attitude toward it. Modern-day folklore often takes the form of “urban myths.” Although these stories are usually not actually myths (see §6), they are very popular. The South's literary success may be attributed to its reluctance to deny its past. Folk literature is, however, not merely a carrier of cultural values; rather, it is also an expression of self-reflection. folklore definition: 1. the traditional stories and culture of a group of people: 2. the traditional stories and…. He is in essence disqualifying factual texts such as newspapers as not being literature. Folklore is defined as stories, customs and beliefs in a culture that are unwritten and passed down orally from generation to generation. 2. Folklore refers to the tales people tell – folk stories, fairy tales, “tall tales,” and even urban legends. It has often been conflated with mythology, and vice versa, because it has been Learn more. The main purpose of folklore is to convey a moral lesson and present useful information and everyday life lessons in an easy way for the common people to understand. In 1953 William Bascom tried this: Folklore, to the anthropologist, is a part of culture but not the whole of culture. For example, the Hindu creation myth holds that Vishnu was sleeping in the coils of a giant cobra when he was awakened by the sacred sound, ohm. Try asking dance historians for a definition of "dance,” for instance, or anthropologists for a definition of "culture.” Some stories, such as the Grimm’s fairy tales, are mistakenly referred to as folklore, but actually they are not: they have a specific author, and therefore don’t fit the definition of folklore. Folklore is typically passed down by word of mouth, rather than being written in books (although sometimes people write down collections of folklore in order to preserve the stories of a particular community). Definition and Explanation of Folklore . Therefore, folklore reflects stories told by people in a particular region. According to folklore, sunshine on February 2nd means six more weeks of cold weather. It’s interesting to notice the way common themes run through the folklore of various cultures. It serves as a platform to hold high moral ground without any relevance to present day reality. Patrick Henry was a politician, attorney and planter, who gained popularity as an orator when Americans were struggling for independence. n. 1. Stories abound of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, the New Jersey Devil, and hundreds of other strange creatures. A legend is a kind of folklore. Folklore frequently ties the practical and the esoteric into one narrative package. An example of folklore is a story about where their family came from told to a grandchild by his grandma. There appears to be a considerable amount of disagreement on the part of For the most part self-explanatory, these categories include physical objects (material folklore), common sayings, expressions, stories and songs (verbal folklore), and beliefs and ways of doing things (customary folklore). Although there is no scientific evidence to support any of these stories, they are fun to tell and retell, and survive in popular culture because of their psychological effect.