A swineherd becomes king, or a kitchen maid becomes queen—individual,not class victories—but all else in the society remains essentially the same.
This is similar to the concept of the American dream. Any one person can achieve great success, but the rest of society remains the same.
Religionpermeatesthefolkloreofmostcultures.Wordslikepiousor vir-tuous oftendescribetheleadingcharacters,
I've noticed this a lot in my German class. We are reading many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales and most begin with the main character being described as both religious in some way as well as poor. I think this is done in order to relate with the masses.
ingsandqueensfeaturepromi-nentlyinmostfairytales,but theyservemoreasabstractultimategoalsthanasfunctioningheadsofstate,Theexpected rewardforafairy-taleheroor her-oineistobecomekingorqueen,butrarelyareanydetailsgivenas towhatthat entails.
I hadn't previously considered this. Fairy tales often have very abrupt endings, typically comprised of either marriage to a royal figure or a gruesome death for the villain of the story.
he captures himself a bride.
This reminds me of the discussion we had in class about the differences between the stories told by men and the stories told by women. In the majority of male storytellers' stories, men are seen as having been successful if they manage to obtain a woman at the end.
elements in his patients’ dreams resembled the images and motifs of fa-miliar fairy tales.
The idea that storytelling is a way to live out fantasies or dreams
polygenesis(theinde-pendentinventionofessentiallythesametaleindifferentplaces)nordiffusion(themigrationofatalecooutlyingregions,followingitscreationatoncespecific place)
I like that the author included these definitions for a second time. Since it has been at least a few pages since these terms first came up and were defined, the reader likely needs them defined once more.
Many European folktales contain motifs that support the Grimms’ viewthat such tales are degraded myths. For example, a famous episode from Ger-manic mythology, recorded in the Old Norse Saga of the Volsungs, tells howBrynhild (apparently one of the Valkyries who were charged with decidingwho would survive and who would perish on the field of battle) struck downa warrior whom Odin had promised victory. As punishment the Norse godstabbed her with a sleeping thorn. She remained in a trancelike sleep untilawakened by the hero Sigurd (elsewhere called Siegfried). Fairy-tale loverswill immediately see in this myth elements of the familiar fairy tales “Sleep-ing Beauty” (A-T 410) and “Little Snow-White” (A-T 709
What an interesting similarity! I don't think it can be merely a coincidence.
modern folklorists have criticized the Grimms for the libertiesthey took in formulating tales in their own words, rather than reporting themverbatim as they received them from informants,
This reminds me of our discussion on Wednesday about El Koudia and Rahmouni. El Koudia honors and respects the text by altering some of it to produce a new version, easily understandable for English readers. Rahmouni does the complete opposite and honors the stories by recording them as accurately as she can, preserving even grammatical errors.
the Bible
The Bible is folklore.
A story that resonates with both genders, all ages, anddifferent socioeconomic and educational levels—often for quite different rea-sons—has a greater chance of being remembered and retold than does a talewith a narrower audience appeal.
This connects to the question of why we tell stories. We tell stories to connect with other people and to understand our shared experiences.
therefore fan-tasy tales should not be told to children.
Interesting take, but I would disagree. Though fairy tales contain a great deal of fantasy, the moral lessons and the challenges that characters persevere through are completely real and true. Reading fairy tales to a child helps them learn about the world in a different, often more entertaining way.
Shelley Duvall
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osemarie Kunzler's version ofRumpelstiltskin, which shows the indignant reaction of the miller'sdaughter to Rumpelstiltskin's proposal to exchange his spinning skillsfor her child. 22 Jane Yolen's Sleeping Ugl
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The "Upside Down Tales" told by Russell Shorto
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Roald Dah
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Through playful disruptions, it is possibleto begin transforming canonical texts into tales that empower and en-tertain childre
THESIS
Bruno Bettelhei
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Margaret R. Mile
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Foucault
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But what makes Disney's "Snow White" difficult to applaud as an exam-ple of a liberating fairy tale is precisely the way in which it works toohard to efface any trace of maternal goodwill and to construct an imageof feminine evil overpowering in its cinematic depth.
Author argues that the Disney adaptation is too black and white, especially concerning the villain (Snow White's mother/stepmother)
For Bettelheim, "SnowWhite" is not about a mother's murderous envy of her daughter, butabout a child's wish to destroy a parent:Competition between a parent and his child makes life unbearable forparent and child. Under such conditions the child wants to free him-self and be rid of the parent, who forces him either to compete or tobuckle under. The wish to be rid of the parent arouses great guilt,justified though it may be when the situation is viewed objectively. Soin a reversal which eliminates the guilt feeling, this wish, too, is pro-jected onto the parent. Thus, in fairy tales there are parents who tryto rid themselves of their child, as happens in "Snow White."
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Carolyn G. Heilbrun writes eloquently about the challengeof producing fictions:
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Folklore is especially important in making the unconsciousconscious, Dundes affirmed, because it appears to be a “safe” fictive or ritual space in whichto symbolize, and thereby control, anxiety or ambiguity
This connects back to our previous reading from Wednesday. Stories as well as dreams, which are essentially a form of storytelling provide people with a way to process and live out their hopes, wishes, and even fears.
neolo-gisms
"a newly coined word or expression"
hermeneutic
"concerning interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts"
why Dundes, while still a young scholar, came to be mythologized, celebrated,and at times demonized for this perspective.
I wonder why he's so controversial in the field of folklore studies?
That picture is not always pretty,as Dundes exposed in studies of anti-Semitic folklore, ethnic slurs, and abusive initiations.
Stories can be and have been used throughout history to harm others (particularly minorities).
Most of their informants were women
Similar views have been expressed in some of our previous readings. In many patriarchal cultures, women acted as story keepers in the family.
Although they are todaybest known in heavily revised juvenile versions
Such as Disney's Aladdin which is a much more watered down version of the original story.
"there are no Germanfolktales, only folktales in the German language"
This goes back to our first few readings. Certain folktales do not necessarily belong to any one nation or person.
These items reflect the view prevalent in many primitive cultures that magicis omnipresent, bur not omnipotent,
Omnipresent: "widely or constantly encountered; common or widespread"
Omnipotent: "(of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything"
indeed, oneof the reasons for the longevicy and wide distribution of folktales is that they,by their very narure, say different things co different people.
The same could likely be said for any type of art (writing, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, etc.)
In English green suggests jealousy, and blue sadness, bur theseconnotations do not carry over into other languages. The preterence of pinkfor girls and blue for boys is by no means universal. In Westem cultures blackrepresents mourning, a role played by white in rhe Orient. In Norse mythol-ogy blue symbolizes death and mourning.
It's interesting to see that different colors have different meanings that reflect the history and culture of a specific area of the world.
rectitude
"morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness"
The Grimms' fairy rales, and others .of rhe genre, contain numerousepisodes that children and adults will understand differently
This reminds me of our discussion about humor and the ways in which it can be interpreted. (An adult might find a certain joke funny while a child may just feel confused).
even if che answers sometimes seem superficial or comical, the srori~provide a vehicle for talking about issues of concern.
Ties back to the purpose and effect of humor within folklore
Closely related. ro wish fulfi.llmenr i a fairy tale's abilicy to provide an ac-ceptable outlet for the expression of fears and. taboos
Similar to the reasons as to why we dream
The problem of fairy-tale heroes and heroines are real: poverty sibling rivalry, unjust persecution,finding an appropriate mace, and many more. The fairy-tale solution rothese real-life problems are literally and figuratively out of chis world.
There's a certain comfort in reading or listening to a story where characters who share your struggles find solutions. Even if the solutions aren't realistic or even possible, it can be reassuring to think about others "living happily ever after".
"Once upon a time" in the languages ofwestern EuropeDanishDutchEnglishFrenchGermanItalianNorwegianPortugueseSpanishSwedishDer var engang ...Er war eens ...Once upon a time ...II erair une fois .. .Es war einmal .. .C' era una volra .. .Der var en gang .. .Havia uma vez .. .Habia una vez .. .Der var en gang ..
I love that the author included this! It isn't exactly necessary, but it is very interesting to read.
t shows that people who believe in supernatu-ral things aren’t just dumb or deluded or crazy. Sometimes they arerationally perceiving a real situation, even if their interpretation ofthat perception can’t be verified.
Like many faiths/religions
Material culture can existseparately from the people who create it, and that makes it an excel-lent record of the past.
It's likely much easier to study folk objects in comparison to folktales since the record and history is much more available to access.
“screeched in,”
interesting
licentious
"promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters"
inthe liminal middle stage of a rite of passage, not only are normsand conventions set aside, but all cultural identifiers are dropped
This is an interesting concept. It reminds me of vacations as well. Often, behaviors that wouldn't normally be accepted, are (i.e.: going out to eat for every meal).
carnivalesque
This is a fun word
providing them with a physical enactment of theirotherwise conceptual or abstract status change.
It is interesting to think about the fact that without the acknowledgement of these events, we wouldn't think or act any differently like with the birthday example
Rites of passage, incontrast, happen linearly, over the course of a lifetime
Large milestones in your life that are significant for some reason or another
Calendar customs are cyclical, they happen over and over again,following a regular pattern within the year or the seasons.
Holidays, traditions, events tied to a specific time of year
So, in summary, we have folktales, which are told as fiction, setin a fictional world, and which are only symbolically true, if pre-sented or perceived as true at all. We have legends, which are toldas literally true (though not necessarily believed), and set in the realworld. And we have myths, which are told as a sacred truth, andwhich are set in a sort of prototype of our world.
summary of 3 genres of folktales
Like legends, myths are toldas true, but it’s a different kind of truth: it’s a sacred truth.
Sacred like a strong belief (i.e.: greek mythology with religion (gods and goddesses))
A story told as fiction is entertainment, perhaps escapism formost people; a story told as true is more of a commentary on con-temporary life
Both can contain important lessons/morals/themes
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away” clearly sets a story inan imaginary place
folktale = tall tale
it’s a folktale that beginswith “Once upon a time,” and a legend 5 that begins with thefriend-of-a-friend connection.
Why?
What distinguishesa legend from a myth? A calendar custom from a rite of passage?
I'm interested in the distinctions!
Folklore is informal, traditional culture. It’s all the cultural stuff—customs, stories, jokes, art—that we learn from each other, byword of mouth or observation, rather than through formal institu-tions like school or the media. Just as literature majors study nov-els and poems or art historians study classic works of art, folklor-ists focus on the informal and traditional stuff, like urban legendsand latrinalia.
Latrinalia - bathroom vandalism/graffiti
folk-lore is informal, traditional culture.
Official definition
Folk transmission is infor-mal, and so one identifier of folklore is variation. And folklore istraditional, so another identifier of folklore is that it’s passed on.
recap
elite appropriation
Different from cultural appropriation (bad).
most of us do that because we’ve heardothers do it, not because we attended the symphony.
Ties back to word definitions = language association
a song
Like a cover of a song
Folklore is mostly anonymous
Which is part of what makes it so interesting! Tracing folklore back to its roots!
Millions of people might all watch the same show, but theyall get it from the same source, and so the version they all get isidentical.
Folklore is spread in more complicated ways by multiple people which results in several different versions of the same, original story.
customs, narratives, and beliefs
The main three types of folklore?
omegroups don’t have much of an institutional culture at all—friendgroups and families are typically entirely folk or informal 8 in theircultural existence and expression.
And there's the caveat
“any group of peoplewhatsoever who share at least one common factor.”
If that's the only definition and there aren't any caveats to it, then folk groups can be almost any group of people.
There’s no official regulation or documentation of how (and hownot) to greet strangers
In America we typically shake hands, but in other countries there are different customs (i.e.: in Europe many people greet each other by kissing each others' cheeks).
Why, you ask? Because I said so. Bear with me—it will becomeclear in a moment.
Very casual tone throughout
he expected folktales,myths, and legends, and yet also includes jump-rope rhymes,pranks, jokes, graffiti, songs, emoticons, gesture
Curious as to how some of the later mentioned things are classified as folktales. I expect the author will explain at some point in the chapter.