Folklore

1
Folklore

• An Introduction

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Folklore Definitions

• Folklore may be defined as those materials in
  culture that circulate traditionally among
  members of any group in different versions,
  whether in oral form or by means of customary
  example, as well as the processes of traditional
  performance and communication. (J. H. Brunvand)

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Folklore More definitions

• The substance of folklore is that part of any
  culture which depends more on imitation and oral
  transmission than on formal instruction or
  written sources.
• Folklore consists of all lore (knowledge, wisdom,
  action) transmitted by tradition.
• Folklore is artistic communication in small
  groups.

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Folklore Five Qualities

• Its content is oral (usually verbal),
  custom-related, or material.
• It is traditional in form and transmission.
• It exists in different versions.
• It is usually anonymous.
• It tends to become formularized.

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Folklore and Folklife

• ORAL Folk speech, proverbs, riddles, rhymes,
  jokes, myths, legends and anecdotes, folktales,
  folksongs and ballads
• CUSTOMARY Folk beliefs, customs, festivals,
  dances, gestures, games
• MATERIAL Cabin types, barns, crafts, arts,
  costumes, foods, quilts

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• How do we distinguish folklore (which persuades)
  from other persuasive communication (such as a
  television commercial)?
• Beginning and closing markers
• Once upon a time
• Say, did you hear about the time (guy)
• And they lived happily ever after
• And that really happened

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• How do we distinguish folklore (which persuades)
  from other persuasive communication (such as a
  television commercial)?
• Structural patterns
• Three Nephite Legends
• Somebody has a problem
• A stranger (old man) appears. (Sometimes the
  stranger tests the person.)
• The stranger solves the problem.
• The stranger miraculously disappears.

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• The process is similar to a writers attempt to
  develop his or her personal experience into a
  short story. To be successful, the writer must
  distort the experience to make it fit the form.
  Missionaries telling their own experiences do the
  same thing. The experiences are real enough, but
  the missionaries must distort, or at least
  carefully select, the details of these
  experiences to make them fit in the narrative
  forms traditional in the mission field.

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• How do we distinguish folklore (which persuades)
  from other persuasive communication (such as a
  television commercial)?
• A stylized manner of performance.
• Gestures
• Body language
• Rhythmical speech
• Musical sounds
• Shifts in intonation
• Ceremonial language

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• Important Point FOLKLORE IS NOT MERELY THE TEXT
  OF THE LORE INSTEAD, IT IS THE ENTIRE
  PERFORMANCE. IT IS NOT ONLY THE TALE, BUT THE
  TELLING OF THE TALE. WHEN YOU COLLECT IT, IT
  CEASES TO FUNCTION AS FOLKLORE BECAUSE IT IS
  FROZEN AND DEAD.

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Folklore Defining Characteristics

• Calling something folklore does not mean that it
  is false. Rather it has more to do with how it is
  transmitted and its function in society.
  Likewise, calling something a myth does not mean
  that it is false. For example, there was a folk
  tradition that chicken soup was good for someone
  with a cold long before medical studies
  determined that it was helpful.

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Class Sampling

• Relate to each other something you have heard
  about Coco Cola and what it can door about the
  company.
• Relate to each other some rhyme or retort that
  you used or heard others use when you were a
  child.
• Im rubber and youre glue, . . . .
• Liar, Liar, pants on fire, . . . .

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Class Sampling

• Describe a favorite tradition (foods, gifts,
  activities, etc.) associated with Thanksgiving or
  Christmas.
• Draw on a piece of paper the pattern you used for
  hopscotch then, compare it with others.
• Describe a story you have heard about someone who
  picked up a hitchhiker and had an eerie
  experience.