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A Study of Folklore-Publication

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 ISSN 2321 - 4805
www.thespianmagazine.com

THESPIAN
MAGAZINE
An International Refereed Journal of Inter-disciplinary
Studies

Santiniketan, West Bengal, India

DAUL A Theatre Group©2019

Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2019

Autumn Edition
September-October

MLA Citation

Chakraborty, Sanjukta. “A Study of Folklore”. Thespian Magazine 6.1 (2020): n.pag.

 Thespian Magazine 2

A Study of Folklore

Sanjukta Chakraborty, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English, Adamas University,

Barasat, West Bengal, Kolkata

The word folklore was coined in 1846 by English antiquarian William John Thoms to

switch the term widespread antiquities. Different writers attest that folklore is that the body of

communicative culture, as well as tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes,

common beliefs, customs, traditional beliefs, folks medication, then forth inside a selected

population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. It is conjointly the

set of practices through that those expressive genres are shared. The educational and

frequently anthropology study of folklore is usually referred to as folkloristics. Whereas

folklore will contain spiritual or mythic parts, it equally considerations itself with the

typically mundane traditions of existence. Folklore oftentimes ties the sensible and therefore

the cryptic into one narrative package.

Literature, in written type, helps in conserving the folklores and oral traditions.

Except for the literature during this type, the world would have lost the majority the people

and oral traditions. Several written books, like recordings of folklores facilitate in passing on

the lofty thoughts and ideas to posterity with no or little changes in distinction to verbal

traditions. Literature can also highlight the connectedness of the stories of the past to the

generation of the current, one thing that the oral traditions cannot powerfully do.

The idea of folklore has modified over the years. It is a new field of learning in the

nineteenth century and philologists in European nation began to require interest in it. In 1812

the German brothers Jacob and Wehelm Grimm revealed prestigious volumes of oral folk

narratives and interpretation of German mythology, that made-up the ways that of additional

interest during this field. Folklore consists and transmitted orally, whereas literature is

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preponderantly composed in writing and additionally transmitted through reading and

writing. These two traditions have mixed and influenced one another. In his illustrious essay

Verbal art (1973) Bascom refers to two distinct dimensions of the link between folklore and

literature. One he calls “literary adaptation” (Bascom 171) of folklore in which the utilization

of materials of folklore are often found within the writings of established writers. Bascom

provides the instance of illustrious American novelist Mark Twain.

The relationship between folklore and literature is very much complicated, and it is

necessary to tread warily, as in blue beard’s castle, no single key can open all door. However

it should additionally prove a fruitful realm of investigation which is able to not be simply

exhausted. In English literature, there is ample proof of use of folklore. Poet Francis Hutley,

the fourteenth century English author usually known as the father of English poetry used

several oral tales in his literary creations. Francis Hutley detected folklore analogues for as

several as twenty two out of twenty eight of Chaucer’s known tale, including the Nun’s

Priest’s Tale, the Franklin’s Tale, the Friar’s Tale so on.

The parallel of poetry can be found in modern novel, where folklore is used to convey

internal conflict; this is pointed out by Karl Wentersdorf in his writing, The Element if

witchcraft in The Scarlet Letter in 1972. This is why The Scarlet Letter could be a way larger

achievement than The Amber Witch a convincing reconstruction of a young girl’s experiences

once incorrectly defendant of witchcraft written by Wilhelm Meinhold in 1834 and claimed

to be taken from a previous manuscript. Hawthorne believed that allegory was only of value

when it contained “the history and experience of many souls” (51) and it was for this purpose

that he made use of folklore in his novel.

Folklore will be thought-about nearly as old as humanity as a result of it includes all

that an individual's mind created as a part of his or her existence. When people move from

one place to another they take their folklore along and then it is adapted to the new

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surroundings. German Indologist Theodore Benfey, while he was translating the stories from

the Panchtantra pointed out striking similarities between the Sanskrit and European tales. His

work was inspired by the works of Muller. He opined that the similarities between Sanskrit

and European tales exist not just because of the genetic relationship as believed by Muller,

but also due to cultural and historical relationships. Benfey’s theory is additionally called

Theory of Borrowing or Migrational Theory since it proposes that these tales migrated from

one place to another. It also proposes that they were borrowed by other regions. This line of

thought is additionally known as diffusionist because it explains however from one atom or

source all the folk tales diffuse and travel. For Benfey, the source of all the folktales from

wherever they get subtle is India. Thus, current folklorists call Benfey’s theory Indian theory.

The theory that contradicts Indian theory is Indo European theory.

While nineteenth century was characterized by the wild, extravagant theories by

European folklorists, twentieth century was extra of restrained and cautious with regards to

lore studies, opines Dorson (1963). Throughout middle nineteen-twenties tons of comparative

and competitive theories of lore created their manner into academic discussions. Major

faculties of thought like Marxism and Freud’s psychoanalytic theories influenced the

century’s folklore theories. The Marxist folklorists’ focal interest was to appear for class

struggle within the folklore whereas Freudians tried to trace the suppressed libido within the

expressions of people. This led to development of various faculties of folklore Studies

dedicated to the systematic and scientific study of folklore as a serious discipline of

information regarding the social science evolution of the mankind. Of these, the

Comparative, National, social science and psychoanalytical faculties of thought are the

distinguished approaches to Folkloristics of our times. Belonging solely remotely to oral

literature are folk drama, dances; several of them elaborate, with masks depicting animal or

human characters, and generally containing speeches or songs, are to be found in several

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components of the preliterate world. Although the action and also the dramatic imitation is

often the foremost outstanding part of such performances.

The oral fictional tale, from no matter ultimate origin, is much universal each in time

and place. Certain people tell terribly straightforward stories, however the essential pattern of

tale-teller and audience is found all over and as certain back as may be learned. Differing

from legend or tradition, that is sometimes believed, the oral fictional tale offers the

storyteller absolute freedom on believability farewell as he stays at intervals the bounds of

native taboos and tells tales. In several preliterate cultures folktales are hardly to be

distinguished from myths, since, particularly in tales of tricksters and heroes, they presuppose

a background of belief regarding social group origins and also the relation of men and gods.

Sentient fictions, however, enter even into such stories. Animals abound here whether or not

in their natural kind or anthropomorphized so they appear generally men and generally

beasts. Adventure stories, exaggerations, marvels of every kind like alternative world

journeys, and narratives of wedding or sexual journey, typically between kinsfolk and

animals, are common. Much rarer, contrary to the views of earlier students, are informative

stories. Tales of this description are particularly characteristic of continent, Oceania, and also

the South American Indians.

In much of the world, particularly Europe and Asia, the story deals with a bigger form

of incidents than simply represented. Within the course of our time story scholars have given

most attention to the present space and have classified these stories in order that the huge

collections of them in manuscripts or books may be spoken with exactitude. All readers of

such collections as those of Grimm can simply recall samples of tales of speaking animals.

Such animal stories are particularly varied in Eastern Europe. However the normal folktales

that subsume humans and their adventures. For these tales, typically ordered in an

exceedingly extremely creative time and place—a never-never land—and full of chimerical

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and infrequently supernatural elements like The Dragon Slayer, The Danced-Out Shoes,

Cupid and Psyche, Snow White, Cinderella and so on.

The indexes of the classification have enclosed solely those occurring within the

published regional surveys. These surveys, and also the books and manuscripts on that they

need been primarily based, are subject to severe written material so as to avoid social or

maybe legal offense. A number of the older anthropologists thought to avoid the eyes of the

non-scholar by writing such tales in Latin, however generations since are a lot of less

overnice. Folk stories currently seem in print covering the gamut of the erotic—tales of

seduction, realistic descriptions of traditional or abnormal sexuality, and dirty stories of nice

indecency.

This index of tale varieties fits the region that it had been planned and is continually

being improved and swollen, however it had been never designed to hide the world. The

Eurasian varieties are sometimes recognizable in any a part of the world, and for them this

kind index is effective.

But for use with stories on a worldwide basis one thing less formal is required, a

classification of the attainable or seemingly narrative motifs, minute or extended, and where

found. Such a motif index has actually well-tried helpful outside of the Eurasian space, where

comparative studies area unit undertaken, for parallels or analogues in straightforward motifs

occur even in by use of such indexes and from the labors of the many scholars, a lot of

material for examination of the tale is obtainable. So, these studies are pursued since the

eighteenth century, although until regarding 1900 most of them were premature tries to

answer the ultimate question of where folktales come from. Eventually it became clear that

no satisfactory answer is obtainable however that each tale has its own history and may be

studied solely with punishing attention to detail.

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In distinction to a literary story, with its commonplace text and author living in a very

definite time and place, the folk tale is anonymous. Its originators have long been forgotten

and it exists in several versions, all equally valid. Instead of being mounted sort of a literary

document, it's in continual flux. But, with many versions of a specific tale out there for study,

it is attainable to determine certain norms of plot structure and to purpose with some

assurance to the forms of subtypes that provide clues to its life history. Such associate

analytic study of those many versions typically ends up in some hypothesis regarding the

initial type of the plot and therefore the passage the story has taken through time and house.

During this means some thirty or forty of the additional sophisticated stories are studied.

These geographic and historical investigations rely upon the actual fact that the plot of the

story is complicated enough to admit of extremely analytic study. For less complicated stories

and anecdotes, scholars have had to be content with less precise ways, typically leading to

nothing over accounts of their distribution and therefore the acknowledged facts of their

history. Most of the eye of scholars of folktales throughout the twentieth century was given to

historical queries and to making ready the equipment for learning them—collecting, with

ever improved techniques, arrangement and archiving materials from manuscripts or books,

and assortment sorts and motifs, therefore on build collections even in remote or troublesome

idioms out there to the intense investigator. However the folk tale conjointly has given rise to

studies that are not strictly historical.

The attempts throughout the nineteenth century to seek out hidden meanings in tales

were typically based mostly upon the speculation that they were broken-down myths and had

lost their original meanings through linguistic misunderstanding. The result was that this

original meaning was continually found to be some conflict between weather or seasonal

phenomena (winter, summer; clouds, sunshine; etc.). This kind of interpretation is currently

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out of fashion and has given place generally to explanations based mostly upon ancient rituals

or to some form of psychoanalytical treatment.

Folk literature is carried on in an exceedingly tradition. A good deal additional could

also be expected from such investigations, typically based on an intimate information of the

living content of one folks. Structural studies, particularly of the narration, are participating

the eye of more and more scholars. Though specific plots might occur over giant components

of the world, the shape and literary form of the narrative is probably going to be ancient

inside bound historical or geographic limits. The direction and strategy of those studies of

structure are still unclear, however progress is being created. Generally folktales are thought-

about both by tellers and listeners as strictly fictional. The line, however, between belief and

content is imprecise and varies from culture to culture and even from person to person, and

even within the most subtle societies legends of strange things from the past or gift continue

being told.

Stories concerning marvelous creatures are worldwide. Usually these are just

mentioned or delineate and therefore the belief in their existence is taken for granted.

Frequently, however, there are specific accounts of meetings with them that lead to

adventures pleasant or distressing. With such creatures it is generally exhausting to inform

whether or not we have a tendency to are handling a fictional story like that of the dragon

slayer of the standard European fairy tale or with a legend truly believed, like that of St.

martyr and therefore the dragon. Though individuals throughout the world believe these

stories to varied degrees, there exists all over an interesting similitude among these

supernatural creatures. The dragon, for instance, in one thing of its characteristic serpent or

crocodilian kind, is of nice importance in China similarly as in Europe and is diagrammatic in

each place as a guardian of nice treasure. Hardly less standard is that the imaginary being,

and numerous mixtures of man and beast like constellation and therefore the mythical

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monster are a district of the legends of the recent World and infrequently of the New. Large

birds carrying men off within the claws, the phoenix restorative from its own ashes, flying

horses carrying men through the air, sirens, mermaids and mermen, and unbelievable

creatures resembling these seem in traditions everywhere the world. The horse might warn

the hero of danger or might confirm that of two roads he ought to take. Vital building sites

are aforementioned to own been determined by the actions of a wise animal. Speaking

animals, of course, figure conspicuously altogether folk literature and even in such literary

forms because the fable. Animals might speak to every alternative on holiday, or they will

have governments and elect kings or celebrate weddings. These are solely some of the

traditions current with an outsized a part of mankind. The relation between the animal and

therefore the human is incredibly advanced all folk literature. Within preliterate cultures of

the American Indians, the Pacific Islanders, or the Central Africans, the culture heroes who

are to blame for the great and therefore the dangerous within the lifetime of the tribe might

upon one occasion seem as animals and upon another as men. The question whether or not

Coyote of the American Indian tribes is animal or human apparently makes no distinction to

people who tell stories concerning him.

Aside from these semi-divine creatures, currently animal or bird or man as they need,

supernatural and ill-defined creatures, far more tough to see, are common. Fairies or their

counterparts seem within the legends of an honest a part of the world. It is arduous to outline

them, for in one place they are going to seem fully human size, in another as very little

creatures inhabiting mounds or caves or living below the roots of trees. In some countries

they are benevolent creatures, useful to men and girls. They reward human services however

penalize misdeeds. They marry or consort with people at large. In some traditions they are

malevolent creatures, and conferences with them continuously bring disaster or unhealthy

luck. Nearly each country has made its own sort of useful and harmful creatures. Stories of

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the activity of witches and devils, or water spirits and also the supernatural guardians of

mountains or trees vary in details from land to land however several of the incidents

connected concerning them are simply transferred from one to a different. Giants are

sometimes thought-about to be ogres of one kind or another however they will even be

thought-about the foremost stupid of all beings and will be the topics of many bonehead

anecdotes. Underground creatures just like the dwarfs in Snow White are sometimes useful

and kindly, however different underground creatures bring solely disaster.

The widespread belief within the return of the dead has resulted in several stories of

encounters with ghosts or of actual resurrection. These stories disagree greatly in varied

elements of the world and are a lot of influenced by this non-secular concept. It is seemingly

that within the whole world of ancient literature the assumption in ghosts has survived

longest. Traditions of historic characters have an inclination to repeat themselves from land to

land and, though they are told as facts, might kind as definite patterns as any fictional story.

Such stories as Joseph and Potiphar’s better half or the exposure and supreme return of the

hero seem in several places. The expected return of King Arthur from Avalon or of

Barbarossa from his cavern are solely two samples of a widespread motif of this type.

It is difficult and maybe not possible to differentiate the explanatory legend from the myth.

Tales explaining the origins of customs or of the form or nature of assorted animals and

plants, of such distant objects because the stars, or perhaps of the planet itself usually

attribute such origins to the action of some ancient animal or to some magic transformation.

These are usually connected with stories of the gods or demigods and will even be a vicinity

of the spiritual beliefs of these who tell them.

Generally, legends and traditions of this type are straightforward in their type and

contain solely one motif or at the most two or three. The matter of correct classification for

the aim of learning these has tested terribly troublesome, for whereas the materials of those

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legends and traditions show several attention-grabbing parallels and resemblances, they vary

greatly from place to position. The relation of those stories to actual history, to mythology,

and to the fictional narrative is of abundant interest to students of folk literature.

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Work Cited

Bascom, W. Verbal Art. 4th ed .vol.4.no.2. U.S. Indiana Book Publishers. 1973. p.171.

Benfey, Theodore. Encyclopedia Iranica. 12th ed. vol.8.no.1. United Kingdom. Cambridge

University Press. p.729.

Ellis, H.R. Folklore and Man’s Past. 7th ed.vol.54. no.12. NY: International Academic

Publisher. 1963. p.48.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. vol.27.no.7. Washington. Lake Erie College

Press. 1987. p.51.

Meinhold, Wilhelm. The Amber Witch. vol.64. no.1. United Kingdom.Oxford University

Press. 1834. p.22.

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