Research Guides: [FAS] GEN ED 1097: Tradition, Performance, and Culture : Verbal Lore

Searching HOLLIS

Use the Advanced Search feature with the "Library Catalog" option in HOLLIS to try some of the following subject headings related to verbal lore:

Folk Literature
Ghost Stories
Graffiti
Joking
Legends
Mythology
Oral Tradition
Personal Narratives
Proverbs
Riddles
Tales [Name of Country], e.g. Tales, Ireland
Wit and Humor

Click on the following example to view a search and its results (once you click on the link, feel free to modify the search to your liking by adding key terms and/or refining the search using the facets provided on the right-hand side of the screen):

Subject contains legends OR "ghost stories" AND Keywords anywhere contains folk* OR social
[SCOPE: Library Catalog; Language: English]

Specialized Reference Materials

Foley, J. (2002). How to Read an Oral Poem. University of Illinois Press.
How to Read an Oral Poem starts from square one. Above all, it's intended as a reader-friendly invitation to think about oral poetry on its own terms. Too many books about oral poetry assume that their readers have some prior experience or training in the subject, making it difficult or impossible for the nonspecialist to enter the conversation. This work attempts to speak to the non-specialist in a straightforward , uncomplicated way. Plain talk, plain style, and a cornucopia of examples are its mainstays.
Tatar, M. (2015). The Cambridge companion to Fairy Tales (Cambridge companions to literature). Cambridge University Press.
In this Companion, international scholars from a range of academic disciplines explore the historical origins, cultural dissemination and psychological power of fairy stories, and offer model interpretations of tales from a variety of traditions and sources, including Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and the One Thousand and One Nights. Rather than disenchanting the stories, the essays in this volume broaden our understanding of them and deepen our appreciation of the cultural work they do. A chronology and guide to further reading contribute to the usefulness of the volume for students and scholars.
Woodard, Roger D. (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology (Cambridge companions to literature). Cambridge University Press.
Professor Roger Woodard brings together a group of the world's most authoritative scholars of classical myth to present a thorough treatment of all aspects of Greek mythology. Sixteen original articles guide the reader through all aspects of the ancient mythic tradition and its influence around the world and in later years. The articles examine the forms and uses of myth in Greek oral and written literature, from the epic poetry of 8th century BC to the mythographic catalogues of the early centuries AD. They examine the relationship between myth, art, religion and politics among the ancient Greeks and its reception and influence on later society from the Middle Ages to present day literature, feminism and cinema.

Finding Primary Sources

Aarne, A., & Thompson, S. (1961). The Types of Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography (2nd revision. ed., FF communications no. 184). Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica.
Antti Aarne's Verzeichnis der Märchentypen (FF communications no. 3) translated into English and enlarged by Stith Thompson. This covers folktales worldwide.

On page 10 of this same volume (p. 16 of the HathiTrust scan) begins a bibliography and list of the matching abbreviations that are referenced in the topical entries. These are the sources you can look up in HOLLIS after you have identified tales and myths of interest.

The synopsis of the index starts on page 19 of volume 1 (p. 25 of the HathiTrust scan). The broad categories include: I. Animal Tales, II Ordinary Folk-Tales, III. Jokes and Anecdotes, IV. Formula Tales, and V. Unclassified Tales

The Animal Tales section begins on p. 21 of this same volume (p. 27 of the HathiTrust scan), beginning with “Wild Animals.” The tale type entries continue through page 546, after which a subject index to the full volume begins.
Andersen, H., & Tatar, M. (2008). The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (1st ed.). W.W. Norton.
Andersen, H., & Tatar, M. (2008). The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (1st ed.). W.W. Norton.
Cowell, E., & Pali Text Society. (1973). The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's former births (UNESCO collection of representative works). Routledge & K. Paul.
For Buddhistic legend.
Gray, L., Moore, G., & MacCulloch, J. (1916). The Mythology of All Races. Boston: M. Jones.
Includes mythology gathered from Greek, Roman, Eddic (Old Norse), Celtic, Slavic, Finno-Ugric, Siberian, Semitic, Indian, Iranian, Armenian, African, Chinese, Japanese, Oceanic, North American Latin American, Egyptian, and Indo-Chinese (Southeast Asian_ sources. With complete index.
Grimm, Wilhelm, & Tatar, Maria. (2004). The Annotated Brothers Grimm (1st ed.). W.W. Norton.
Containing 40 stories in new translations by Tatar this celebration of the richness and dramatic power of the legendary fables and fairy tales also features 150 illustrations, many of them in color, by legendary painters.
Indiana University publications. Folklore series.
Harvard Library holds 14 titles in this sundry series, including motif indexes, oral tales, ballads, theories, and studies related to the Celts and Ireland, North America, India, Indiana, Black Americans, and the Mari (Cheremis) people of Eastern Russia.
Klipple, M. (1992). African Folktales with Foreign Analogues (Garland Folklore Library; 3).
The bibliography in this work is concerned with prose narratives, especially folktales (particularly those with foreign analogues), rather than with proverbs, riddles, and other forms of verbal art. It contains references to many smaller collections which are omitted here.
Lane, E.(1990). Thousand and One Nights. BiblioBytes; NetLibrary.
"The Thousand and One Nights" is one of the great storybooks of the world. It was introduced to European readers by the French scholar Galland, who discovered the Arabic original and translated it into French in the first decade of the eighteenth century; but its earlier history is still involved in obscurity. The translation by E. W. Lane used here has been the standard English version for general reading for eighty years. The translations of "'Ali Baba" and "'AlaedDin" are by S. LanePoole and for permission to use the latter we are indebted to Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Tawney, C., & Penzer, N. (1968). The Ocean of Story; being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's Kathā Sarit Sāgara; or, Ocean of Streams of Story (Indian ed.]. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Explanatory notes and terminal essay by N.M. Penzer. Includes tales and indexes. Covers the classic Indic collections. Bibliography: v. 9, p. [171]-335. "Chronological list of works on the Brihat kathā and its chief recensions": v. 10, p. 46-56.
Thompson, S. (1932-36). Motif-index of folk-literature; a classification of narrative elements in folk-tales, ballads, myths, fables, mediaeval romances, exempla, fabliaux, jest-books, and local legends (Indiana University studies ... Studies no. 96-97, 1
Covers folktales worldwide.

The synopsis of the index starts on page 21 of volume 1 (p. 31 of the HathiTrust scan). The broad categories include: A. Mythological motifs, B. Animals, C. Tabu (i.e., Taboo), D. Magic, E. The Dead, F. Marvels, G. Ogres, H. Tests, J. The Wise and the Foolish, K. Deceptions, L. Reversal of Fortune, M. Ordaining the Future, N. Chance and Fate, P. Society, Q. Rewards and Punishments, R. Captives and Fugitives, S. Unnatural Cruelty, T. Sex, U. The Nature of Life, V. Religion, W., Traits of Character, X Humor, and Z. Misc. Groups and Motifs

On page 32 of this same volume (p. 41 of the HathiTrust scan) begins a bibliography and list of the matching abbreviations that are referenced in the topical entries. These are the sources you can look up in HOLLIS after you have identified tales and myths of interest.

The mythological motifs section begins on p. 53 of this same volume (p. 63 of the HathiTrust scan), including a detailed synopsis wherein the various categories of myths are organized. Entries within these categories begin on page 63 (p. 73 in the HathiTrust scan)

The motif entries continue throughout volume 1 and the next 4 volumes. Volume 6 is an alphabetical index. Each volume must be “checked out” separately in HathiTrust. While using this title in HathiTrust, take advantage of the electronic search capabilities available to you.
Thompson, S. (1966). Tales of the North American Indians (Midland books, MB-91). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Selected and annotated by Stith Thompson. Includes mythological stories, mythological incidents, trickster tales, hero tales, tales about journeys to the Other World, tales about animals, husbands and wives, and more.
Uther, H., & Folklore Fellows. (2004). The types of international folktales : A classification and bibliography, based on the system of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson (FF communications no. 284-286). Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiar
Known as the ATU Index, this resource allows researchers to identify the underlying structure of a tale and to cross-reference it with other tales from all around the world which share the same elements or themes. Each tale-type entry describes which themes and motifs comprise a specific tale-type. Motifs each have an identifying number, which can be cross-referenced with Thompson’s Motif-Index of Folk-Literature. In this way, researchers can identify similar story plots, and even vastly different tales which share motifs.

The Aaarne-Thompson-Uther tale-type index (ATU index) classifies story plots into seven broad categories. Each category is assigned a group of numbers. For example, tale-types which are “Tales of Magic” are tale-types 300 to 749. All tale-types in the index are prefaced with either “AT” or “ATU” to indicate whether they are an original tale-type outlined in Aarne and Thompson’s 1928 or 1961 index or whether they have been re-organized or created by Uther in the new 2004 index, respectively.
1-299 Animal Tales
300-749 Tales of Magic
750-849 Religious Tales
850-999 Realistic Tales
1000-1199 Tales of the Stupid Ogre (Giant, Devil)
1200-1999 Anecdotes and Jokes
2000-2399 Formula Tales
Werner, E. T. C. (2009). Myths and Legends of China. The Floating Press.
From the author: "My aim, after summarizing the sociology of the Chinese as a prerequisite to the understanding of their ideas and sentiments, and dealing as fully as possible, consistently with limitations of space (limitations which have necessitated the presentation of a very large and intricate topic in a highly compressed form), with the philosophy of the subject, has been to set forth in English dress those myths which may be regarded as the accredited representatives of Chinese mythology—those which live in the minds of the people and are referred to most frequently in their literature, not those which are merely diverting without being typical or instructive—in short, a true, not a distorted image."

North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories. Alexander Street Press.
Provides a unique and personal view of what it meant to immigrate to America and Canada, beginning around 1840 and extending to the present, focusing heavily on the period from 1920 to 1980. The personal narratives, including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories, provide perspectives both on North America and on the immigrants' countries of origin. In selected cases, users will be able to hear the actual audio voices of the immigrants.
North American Indian Thought and Culture. Alexander Street Press.
Brings together more than 100,000 pages, many of which are previously unpublished, rare, or hard to find. The project integrates autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files for the first time. The result is a comprehensive representation of historical events as told by the individuals who lived through them.

Bertrand Harris Bronson. (2015). The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads, Volume 4: With Their Texts, according to the Extant Records of Great Britain and America. Princeton University Press.
Using Francis James Child’s famous classification of English and Scottish ballads, Bronson categorizes the tunes into subtypes and provides Child’s original texts along with other collected variants.
Bronson, B., & Child, F. (1959). The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads: With Their Texts, According to the Extant Records of Great Britain and America. [Score]. Princeton University Press.
The Score. Four volumes of music.
Francis James Child collection of ballads in Child Memorial Library
Books and scores documenting British and Scottish ballads collected by Harvard's first professor of English, Francis James Child, as well as ballads he collected from North America, most prominently in New England. You may listen to recordings of some of these via Smithsonian Global Sound.
Laws, G. (1950). Native American Balladry; A Descriptive Study and a Bibliographical Syllabus (Publications of the American Folklore Society. Bibliographical series ; v. 1).
Annotations of songs referring to a “Laws Ballad” number direct readers to this index that classifies folk ballads emerging out of the Euro-American experience (despite “Native American” in the title, it does not refer to American Indian material). It is considered the main complement to Francis James Child’s coding of British ballads.

Aesop's Fables Online
An online collection of 638 fables by Aesop, most translated by Rev. George Fyler Townsend and the rest by Ambrose Bierce.