Interpreting Folklore

Front Cover
Indiana University Press, 1980 - Social Science - 304 pages
0 Reviews
..". Dundes has produced a work which will be useful to both students and teachers who wish to broaden their understanding of modern folklore." -- Center for Southern Folklore Magazine "It is impossible ever to remain unimpressed with [Dundes'] excursuses, however much one may be in disagreement (or not) with his conclusions." -- Forum for Modern Language Studies Often controversial, Alan Dundes's scholarship is always provocative, perceptive, and intelligent. His concern here is to assess the material folklorists have so painstakingly amassed and classified, to interpret folklore, and to use folklore to increase our understanding of human nature and culture.

From inside the book

 

Results 1-3 of 27

Page 178
Since 1880 there has been a considerable body of scholarship devoted to the bullroarer . Some scholars have treated it as a rudimentary musical instrument ( Sachs 1929 : 10-13 ; Izikowitz 1935 : 208-12 ) . Some have studied the sound ...
Page 179
butes of the “ bullroarer complex " as Loeb phrased it ( 1929 : 283–5 ) . Another important feature is the common linking of the bullroarer with thunder and wind ( Zerries 1942 : 188-93 ) . It would be difficult enough to explain the ...
Page 181
Frazer's ingenious theorizing is plausible as far as it goes , but it does not really explain why the bullroarer must be kept from women , the feature of the bullroarer complex that most troubled Lowie . Women are allowed to hear the ...

Where's the rest of this book?

What people are saying - Write a review

We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.

Contents

The Curious Case of the Widemouth Frog
62
A Folkloristic Reflection of
69
Seeing Is Believing
86
Copyright

5 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Interpreting Folklore
Alan Dundes
Limited preview - 1980
Interpreting Folklore
Alan Dundes
Snippet view - 1980
Interpreting Folklore
Alan Dundes
Snippet view - 1980
View all »

Common terms and phrases

American analysis animal appear asked attempt baby become belief believe birth boys bullroarer called castration child collected common concerned considered consists context culture daughter discussion distinction essay evidence evil eye example existence explain expression fact father female folk folklore folkloristic folktale football frog future girl given hand hero pattern idea important individual initiation interest interpretation Italy Jesus joke King Lear legend linguistic liquid literal male Mary means metaphor milk mother myth nature noted object one's original parents particular past perhaps person phallic play possible present Press projection proverb question reason refer reported represent ritual sense sexual similar society speaking story structure suggests symbolic tale theory tion traditional United University wish woman women worldview York young

References to this book

About the author (1980)

Anthropologist and folklorist Alan Dundes was born in 1934 in New York City. He received his BA in English in 1955 and his MAT in English in 1958, both from Yale University. He received his Ph.D in Folklore from Indiana University in 1962 and in 1963 he joined the teaching staff at the University of California, Berkley. He wrote over 250 journal articles and12 books and co-wrote more than 20 other books. In 1993, he became the first American to win the Pitre Prize's Sigillo d'Oro, which is an international life-time achievement award in folklore and ethnography. He died of a heart attack on March 30, 2004 at the age of 70.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Interpreting Folklore
TitleInterpreting Folklore
AuthorAlan Dundes
Edition2, illustrated, reprint
PublisherIndiana University Press, 1980
Original fromthe University of California
Digitized22 Jul 2008
ISBN0253143071, 9780253143075
Length304 pages
Subjects › 

Social Science / Folklore & Mythology
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan