Significance of Studying Folk Literature - PDF

1.3 Significance of Studying Folk Literature Since folktales have been passed down through the oral tradition, they were honed for listening so they were easy to remember and share. As a result, folktales make it easier for children to differentiate characters, follow a plotline or recall a...

1.3 Significance of Studying Folk Literature Since folktales have been passed down through the oral tradition, they were honed for listening so they were easy to remember and share. As a result, folktales make it easier for children to differentiate characters, follow a plotline or recall a sequence of events. Not surprisingly, working with folktales can also help children develop the critical reading skills of phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension needed to meet the requirements defined in the Common Core Standards for Reading. While these classic stories are not only highly entertaining, they also play an important role in passing along core values or character traits. Folktales were often employed to share a common history, to reinforce cultural values or highlight important traditions. When people belonged to a tribe or lived in a small village, by necessity they needed to be able to get along well under a variety of circumstances and minimize conflict. Typically, only the chief, a high priest or a Shaman could confront someone over committing an offense. As a result, stories were often shared to intentionally clarify how a transgression had occurred. Hopefully, the person at fault would then recognize the parallel between their actions and a character’s mistakes in the story. As folktales were passed down over generations, they modeled behaviors and helped reinforce expectations about how to live a meaningful life. Over time, folktales subtly incorporated character traits like caring, resourcefulness, trust or courage into the fabric of the stories. Folktales also model the elements of effective decision-making. Characters in folktales invariably encounter conflicts that require them to make difficult decisions and take action to resolve a conflict. These decisions then lead to clear consequences that carry a message: making a “good” or more responsible decision results in positive outcomes while making a “poor” or irresponsible decision inevitably leads to negative outcomes. As a result, folktales can demonstrate the importance of making difficult decisions under challenging circumstances. Engaging children in discussions about the consequences of making poorly thought-out or rash decisions, helps them see the importance of making effective decisions in their lives. Folktales by their nature celebrate diversity. By experiencing stories from different cultures, children can discover valuable insights about another culture’s values, beliefs, history, practices and customs. When children learn about diverse cultural traditions, they not only broaden their view of the world, they may also develop a greater appreciation of their own family’s heritage. Folktales can be used in a variety of ways to help children: ✓ develop stronger reading skills ✓ study other cultures ✓ model character traits ✓ appreciate other traditions ✓ learn about decision making ✓ explore new ways of seeing the world ✓ discover a love of stories As you explore the diverse stories included in our folktale collection, please remember that all of these timeless stories share a common thread: they were preserved so they could be shared over and over again with each new generation. What are the four functions of folklore? Folklorist William Bascom (1965) identifies four functions of folklore that also work in the family folk group. He asserts that folklore serves to; (1) amuse; (2) validate culture; (3) educate; and (4) maintain conformity. 1.4 Theories Related to the Study of Mythology 1. Ancient Theories Rationalism According to this theory, myths represent an early form of logical thinking: they all, have a logical base. Etymological Theory This theory states that all myths derive from and can be traced back to certain words in the language.  Allegorical Theory In the allegorical explanation, all myths contain hidden meanings which the narrative deliberately conceals or encodes. Euhemerism Euhemerus, a Greek who lived from 325-275 BC, maintained that all myths arise from historical events which were merely exaggerated. 2. Modernism Theories Naturalism In this hypothesis, all myths are thought to arise from an attempt to explain natural phenomena. People who believe in this theory narrow the source of myths by tracing their origins from the worship of the sun or the moon.  Hindu deity Rahu is known for causing eclipses. In Hindu mythology, Rahu is known for swallowing the sun and causing eclipses. Ritualism According to this theory, all myths are invented to accompany and explain religious ritual they describe the significant events which have resulted in a particular ceremony. Diffusionism The diffusionists maintain that all myths arose from a few major cultural centers and spread throughout the world.  Evolutionism Myth making occurs at evolution of the human mind. Myths, are therefore an essential part of all developing societies and the similarities from one culture to the next can be explained by the relatively limited number of experiences open to such communities when myths arise. Freudianism When Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, interpreted the dreams of his patients, he found great similarities between them and ancient myths. Freud believes that certain infantile are repressed. For example, they are eliminated from conscious mind but continues to exist within the individual in some other form. Sometimes, these feelings emerge into consciousness under various disguise, one of which is the myth. Jungian archetypes Carl Jung was a prominent psychologist who, while he accepted Freud’s theory about the origin of myths, did not believe that it went far in explaining the striking similarities between the motifs found in ancient stories and those of his patients. He postulated that each of us possesses a “collective unconscious” which we inherit genetically. It contains very general ideas, themes, or motifs which are passed along from one generation to another and are retained as part of our human inheritance.  Structuralism This theory is a fairly recent development and is closely allied with the research of linguists. According to this theory, all human behavior, the way we eat, dress, speak, is patterned into codes which have the characteristics of language. To understand the real meaning of myth, therefore, we must analyze it linguistically. Historical-critical theory This theory maintains that there are a multitude of factors which influence the origin and development of myths and that no single explanation will suffice. We must examine each story individually to see how it began and evolved. References: Bakhtin, M. 1929 (1984). Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics. University of Minnesota Press. Bakhtin, M. 1941 (1984). Rabelais and His World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Campbell, Joseph. The Mythic Dimension Selected Essays (1959–1987). Novato, California: New World Library, 2007. Cantlie, A. 1984. The Assamese: Religion, Caste and Sect in an Indian Village. London: Curzon Press. Handoo, J. 2006. ‘The Palace Paradigm and Historical Discourse’ in Folklore as Discourse. (ed.) M.D. Muthukumaraswamy. Chennai: National Folklore Support Centre. https://literarydevices.net/fable/ Leeming, David. Mythology: World of Culture New York, USA: Newsweek Books, 1977. Singh, Y. 1996. Modernization of Indian Tradition. Jaipur: Rawat Publications. Smith, Anthony D. Theories of Nationalism. Atomic Industries, Amazon.com. 2009 Cohen, Abner. The Anthropology of Globalization. (quoted by T.C. Lewellen), Greenwood Publications, 1999. Srinivas, M. N. 1952. Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India. Delhi: Oxford. Srinivas, M. N. 1962/89. Caste in Modern India and Other Essays. Media Promoters & Publishers Pvt. Limited. Srinivas, M. N. 1966/77. Social Change in Modern India and other Essays. Delhi: Orient Longman.