Folktales

Module 4 surveys traditional stories set in a fantasy world: Folktales.

Some folktales we'll read are well known (Cinderella; Jack & the Beanstalk; Red Riding Hood). Others you may see for the first time (Fox and Bear; Princess on the Mountain; Snake Husband). But expect unexpected things in both the familiar and unfamiliar texts!

Folktales are often long. Thus Module 4 reading assignments are longer (we'll also listen to audio and watch video folktale variants). On the other hand, Module 4 lectures are compact, introducing only three topics: (1) folktale variants, (2) folktale textures and (3) folktale tellers. Each topic is in turn explored in a three-part lecture.

For the Module 4 field assignment you'll need to (re)tell your own variant of a folktale. Class discussions will help you prepare for this assignment.

Key Concepts & Terms

Folktale

Tale Type. Examples of ATU Types:

ATU 300 Dragon-slayer
ATU 310 The Maiden in the Tower
ATU 312 The Maiden-Killer (Bluebeard)
ATU 327 The Children and the Ogre
ATU 328 The Boy Steals the Ogre's Treasure
ATU 332 Godfather Death
ATU 333 Little Red Riding Hood
ATU 425 Search for the Lost Husband
ATU 433B King Lindorm
ATU 500 Name of the Supernatural Helper
ATU 510 Cinderella
ATU 530 The Princess on the Glass Mountain

Motif (and the reference tool, Motif-Index of Folk Literature)

Folktale structures:

Olrik's "Laws";
Propp's "Morphology";
Holbek's "Cube"

Folktale tellers (narrators)

Oral performance (vs. memorized or written)

Plan Your Week

Below is an overview of the readings and viewings within this module, so that you can plan your workflow for the week. It is recommended to engage with the content below on the schedule provided, in advance of viewing that day's lecture materials.

Weekly Lecture Schedule
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Sat/Sun
Week 7 [May 6-10]				(Module 3 exam)	No quiz (begin Module 4)	Watch the Film, Into the Woods (125 min)
Week 8 [May 13-17]	Lecture 27 (6 min)	Lecture 28 (5 min)	Lecture 29 (6 min)	Lecture 30 (11 min)	Quiz 6	Watch the film, Soldier Jack (40 min)
Week 9 [May 20-24]	Lecture 31 (10 min)	Lecture 32 (8 min)	Lecture 33 (10 min)	Exam Module 4	No quiz (begin Module 5)	Field Asgt 3 due Watch Balts at Smithsonian (60 min)
Week 10 [May 27-31]	(see Module 5)

Summary of Readings in this Module

Lectures will assume that you are familiar with the materials.

Folktale Film - First Discussion: Types and variants

Streep, M., etal. (2015). Into the Woods. Walt Disney. | (125 min)

Lecture 27 — Readings

Variants of “The Tail Fisher,” “Rapunzel,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Little Red Cap,” and “Cinderella” compiled by D.L. Ashliman, Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, University of Pittsburgh © 1996-2022. | (~30 pages)

Lecture 28 — Readings

Axel Olrik, (1999). “Epic Laws of Folk Narrative,” in International Folkloristics. Edited by A. Dundes, pages 83-98. | (15 pages)

Lecture 29 — Readings

“Three Swords,” told by Mickel i Långhult, translated by T. and L. Blecher, in Swedish Folktales and Legends, pages 145-156. | (11 pages)
Vladimir Propp, (1999). “The Structure of Russian Fairy Tales,” in International Folkloristics. Edited by A. Dundes, pages 119-130. | (11 pages)

Lecture 30 — Readings

Bengt Holbek, (1989). “The Language of Fairy tales,” in Nordic Folklore. Edited by R.Kvideland and H.Sehmsdorf, pages 40-62. | (22 pages)
Panchatantra, “Enchanted Brahman’s Son,” D.L. Ashliman, Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, University of Pittsburgh © 1996-2022. | (1 pages)
“King Lindorm,” told by Maren Mathisdatter in Denmark, published by Svend Grundtvig in 1854. D.L. Ashliman, Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, University of Pittsburgh © 1996-2022. | (1 pages)

Folktale Film - Second Discussion: How storytellers tell folktales

Case study, "Soldier Jack" : https://www.folkstreams.net/films/soldier-jack | (39 min)
Source text, Gaines Kilgore, “Soldier Jack,” | (7 pages)

Lecture 31 — Readings

Jane Muncy, (1964). “Merrywise,” in South from Hell-fer-Sartin: Kentucky Mountain Folktales. Edited by Leonard Roberts, pages 42-45. | (3 pages)
Maria Tatar, (2019). “Hansel and Gretel,” in , The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales: Expanded Edition, pages 201-210. | (9 pages)
Video: Judie Eddington narrates "Hansel & Gretal", (15 minutes). | (19 pages)

Lecture 32 — Readings

Zsuzsanna Palko, (1995) “I Don’t Know,” in Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palko. Translated by Vera Kalm. Recorded, transcribed and edited by Linda Dégh. Garland, pages 3-34. | (31 pages)
Boris & Yuri Sokolov, (1989). “In Search of Folktales and Songs,” in International Folkloristics. Edited by A.Dundes, pages 73-82. | (9 pages)

Lecture 33 — Readings

Clarissa Pinkola Estes, (1992). “Bluebeard”, in Women who run with the wolves : myths and stories of the wild woman archetype, pages XX-XX. | (19 pages)
Bengt Holbek, (1985). “The Many Abodes of Fata Morgana or the Quest for Meaning in Fairy Tales.” Journal of Folklore Research, 22(1), pages 19-28. | (9 pages)
Carl Lindahl, (2015). “Jane Muncy Fugate: Healing Tales for a Mountain Child and Troubled Adults,” in American folktales: From the collections of the Library of Congress, pages 279-293. | (14 pages)