University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Departmental Papers (NELC) Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) 1989 Folktale Dan Ben-Amos University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]Follow this and additional works at: hp://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers Part of the Cultural History Commons , Folklore Commons , Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons , and the Oral History Commons is paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. hp://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers/111 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation (OVERRIDE) Ben-Amos, D. (1989). Folktale. In Barnouw, E., Gerbner, G., Schramm, W., Worth, T.L. & Gross, L. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Communications Vol. 2, (pp. 181-187). New York: Oxford University Press. brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by ScholarlyCommons@Penn
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University of PennsylvaniaScholarlyCommons
Departmental Papers (NELC) Department of Near Eastern Languages andCivilizations (NELC)
Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers
Part of the Cultural History Commons, Folklore Commons, Near and Middle Eastern StudiesCommons, and the Oral History Commons
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. http://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers/111For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recommended Citation (OVERRIDE)Ben-Amos, D. (1989). Folktale. In Barnouw, E., Gerbner, G., Schramm, W., Worth, T.L. & Gross, L. (Eds.), International Encyclopediaof Communications Vol. 2, (pp. 181-187). New York: Oxford University Press.
brought to you by COREView metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
AbstractRefers to oral narrative in general or to a particular GENRE of oral tales. As a general term folktale succeedsbut does not replace the term fairy tale, which continues to be in literary and popular use. Fairy tale, in Englishat least since 1749, is a translation of the French conte de fée, a term that Contesse d'Aulnoy (Marie-Cathérinele Jumel de Barneville de la Motte) used in the title of her book published in 1697. Folktale is a translation ofthe German Volksmärchen, which appeared first in Volksmärchen der Deutschen (1782-1786), by Johann KarlAugust Musäus. The term, like other German compounds such as Volkslied (1778) and Volkskunde (1785),derives from Johann Gottfried von Herder's thought, use, and coinage, particularly his formulation of theconcept of das Volk. Folktale, hence is an oral narrative told by peasants, lower classes, or traditional peoplewhose LITERACY, if existing, is minimal. In their verbal art these groups were thought to embody the spiritof a nation. Today the term extends to tales of groups with strong traditional, ethnic, or regional bases or theirliterary imitations.
DisciplinesCultural History | Folklore | Near and Middle Eastern Studies | Oral History
This book chapter is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers/111
