The Study of Folklore

This is an anthology which surveys the discipline of folklore. Its purpose is to consider the possible definitions, origins, formal characteristics, and functions of folklore as well as how it is transmitted in oral tradition. From this one may learn just how folklore is studied by professional folklorists.

The editor, a professional folklorist in his own right, has selected thirty-four essays on folklore, written from a variety of viewpoints: literary, psychological, historical, functional, etc. For the six sections of the book and for each of the essays, he has provided introductions and explanatory notes.

The scope of "The Study of Folklore" is essentially worldwide. The issues treated in the essays are relevant to the study of folklore everywhere. Although there are extended discussions of materials as diverse as African riddles and proverbs, American Indian tales, Yugoslav epics, and Chinese folksongs, the over-all aim is to illustrate general folklore theory and methodology rather than the folklore of any one particular geographical or cultural area.

An effort has been made to select representative essays from both the humanistic and the scientific approaches to folklore. Many of the thirty-four papers, although they are classic studies, appeared originally in professional journals and periodicals that are not widely available today, even in university libraries.