Traditional Oral Epic

Download or read book Traditional Oral Epic written by John Miles Foley and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1993-10-28 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until now, the emphasis in studies of oral traditional works has been placed on addressing the correspondences among traditions--shared structures of "formula," "theme," and "story-pattern." Professor Foley argues that to give the vast and complex body of oral "literature" its due, we must first come to terms with the endemic heterogeneity of traditional oral epics, with their individual histories, genres, and documents, as well as both the synchronic and diachronic aspects of their poetics. This book explores the incongruencies among traditions and focuses on the qualities specific to certain oral and oral-derived works.