This paper grapples with the question of choice of theory in the study of african oral literature. Book launch for ruth finnegans oral literature in africa was held at heffers bookshop, cambridge on 15 oct 2012. The transition of oral culture to oral literature oral culture is derived from traditional societies and contains norms such as traditional belief systems of certain things handed down from successive generations. The perception of african oral literature nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. In an attempt to preserve this oral literature, several individual authors have collected tales, proverbs, riddles and published them in books. Oral literature in africa is part of the world oral literature series published in conjunction with the world oral literature project. Unlike written literary genres, oral literature is conveyed or passed down to future generations by word of mouth, typically through memorization and recitation.
African oral genres tales, proverbs, riddles, and lullabies. The book is available as a free pdf and ebook download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature. This revised edition makes finnegans groundbreaking research available to the next generation of scholars. The study analyzes how oral literature relates to media, music, technology, text, gender, religion, power, politics. Introduction to literatureintroduction to literature. Feel free to use the past paper as you prepare for your upcoming examinations. Oral literature in africa world oral literature by ruth finnegan is a comprehensive study guide with a wellresearched look into the history of oral folklore and. Ect 315 topic 4 teaching oral literature page 1 of 3 topic 4 teaching of oral literature topic objectives by the end of this topic you should be able to.
The oral tradition journal, established in 1986, publishes articles on oral traditions and oral literature as well as related research. A framework for a descriptive analysis of oral literature at the multidimensional level. The authors of this issue of the nordic journal of. Full text of oral literature in africa internet archive. Book launch for ruth finnegans oral literature in africa was held at heffers bookshop, cambridge on 15 oct 2012 charting vanishing voices. At the end of our discussion, i share the slide with the characteristics of oral literature. Krappe stated that i conceive of folktales and folksongs as purely literary manifesta.
Oral interpretation focuses on literature in performance. The functions of literature are to help man master and enjoy life and enjoy mastering life. The various categories of african folktales are analyzed. Oral literature is a broad term which may include ritual texts, curative chants, epic poems, musical genres, folk tales, creation tales, songs, myths, spells, legends, proverbs, riddles, tonguetwisters, word games, recitations, life histories or historical narratives. Oral literature, the standard forms or genres of literature found in societies without writing. The role of oral tradition in constructing african history is enormous as africans transferred their natural and cultural heritage orally curtin et al. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book.
Only when it is clear how the text stands to the performance and the other to the tradition can an analysis of the contents of the message begin, vansina, 1985. The oral artists agenda joseph muleka 87 p a g e the oral text naturally text is a crucial component in communicating messages. Oral literature, which is almost always oral poetry, has claim to the great poems in literary history. The perception of african oral literature 29 nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. The literature in english curriculum comprises learning objectives or focuses which embody the essential content of learning for the subject. Oral literature makes us aware of ourselves, other human beings, our environment and our history. The theories will then be applied in the analysis of oral literature material. Yet, despite the existence of these books on oral literature, the young generation in africa that has grown under the western school system somehow feels estranged with respect to this oral literature. Oral literature in english the term oral literature is sometimes used interchangeably with folklore, but it usually has a broader focus.
Whether narratives, song, proverbs or riddles, it relates to the culture of the people who create it. Theory and methods in oral literature question papers 2155. Oral traditional poetics, a mythic episode, and arming scenes in the iliad 4. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature anders pettersson department of scandinavian languages and comparative literature, umea university, sweden keywords. Recent trends in african studies and the revival of interest in oral literature. Next, i share the slide with the different literary genres derived from oral literature. It strives for comparative and interdisciplinary consideration of the emergence, passing on and interpretation of all forms of expression in the oral tradition. Stories, songs, proverbs, riddles and jokes in oral literature use colorful words and vivid images to describe human beings, their feelings and their behavior towards one another.
Songsoral narrativesoral poetryriddlestongue twisters 3. Literature ought to arouse a particular emotion, or affect, in the perceiver litete atu e s ou d duce t e eade arature should induce the reader an emotional state that will lead to action literature is the product of the economic and ideological determinants of a specific era. To sum up, the primary functions of literature are to delight the reader, and heighten his awareness of life. The nature and function of oral literature firebird foundation. Based on years of fieldwork, the study traces the history of storytelling across the continent of africa. Oral literature or folk literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken oral word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. The paper argues that while it is easy and desirable to choose a facilitative theory in the analysis of a written work of literature, such a process poses challenges when it comes to the oral type of african literature. A study of oral literature amounts to studying the society which creates it. Topics include role and functions of oral literature, genre studies. The aesthetic function in oral literature is the promoter of structuring, but it surrenders its place to certain other cultural and social functions. Pdf on sep 29, 2018, g i n emezue and others published. Epics have often been passed on orally and may have anonymous authors. One aspect is the beliefs on the spirits of dead ancestors found in many traditional societies.
A collaborative workshop to map endangered oral cultures was held on 2930 june. The are encouraged to add this information to their notes using any type of shorthand that they are comfortable with. Songs oral narratives oral poetryriddlestongue twisters 3. Seventh grade lesson introduction to oral literature. Oral literature, in creative writing, transcription and translation, oral literature and contemporary reality, and research methodology in oral literature. Though they differ among themselves regarding the other functions of literature, they are all agreed on one pointthat the main function of literature is to entertain the readers, or, in other words, to give them pleasure. Theory of literature is a book on literary scholarship by rene wellek, of the structuralist prague school, and austin warren, a selfdescribed old new critic. Oral literature is useful for educating the audience about the choice of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and the establishment of the concept of right and wrong. Oral literature is a performed art which in most cases uses words as a medium of communication. Jan 01, 2000 amongst the topics covered are translation problems, understanding proverbs, oral narrative as discourse, the use of audio visual aids in teaching, general and the politics of control, images of women in african oral literature, the relationship with material culture, and oral literature as part of oral traditions. There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by oral transmission and the absence of any fixed form. Oral literature also functions to fulfill the need for religious belief and spiritual fulfillment necessary for human existence.
Ong argue that it is a contradiction in terms since the conservative view is that literature should. Grand in length and scope, an epic provides a portrait of legends, beliefs, valves, laws, arts, and ways of life of a people. Synonyms for oral literature include folklore, mythology, tradition, lore, mythos, fables, legend, legendry, legends and myth. Oral literature theories makerere university courses. Oral literature in africa world oral literature by ruth finnegan is an interesting perspective and study on the tradition of oral storytelling, especially in african countries. Oral literature in english the canadian encyclopedia. The oral nature of african unwritten literature the significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. Lore is seen in societies with vigorous oral conveyance practices to be a general term inclusive of both oral literature and any written literature, including sophisticated writings, as well, potentially, as visual and performance arts which may interact with these forms, extend their expression, or offer additional expressive media. This literature through narrative, poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, and texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by the society at its. The studies of oral literature are countless, and the educational function of storytelling is certainly one of recurring topics.
Amongst the topics covered are translation problems, understanding proverbs, oral narrative as discourse, the use of audio visual aids in teaching, general and the politics of control, images of women in african oral literature, the relationship with material culture, and oral literature as. Ruth finnegans oral literature in africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Oral interpretation, or the study of literature through its performance, can be defined as a demonstration of analysis, performance and communication skills. Find kenyatta university theory and methods in oral literature previous year question paper. On 01 june 2012, professor rukmini bhaya nair gave a lecture on the material culture of oral narratives in india. An epic is a long story often told in verse involving heroes and gods. The aesthetic function is not dominant, nor should it be, because that would disrupt the very essence of oral literature, and that is. Hussein faculty of education, alemaya university abstract every african society south of the sahara has a long history of transmitting knowledge and human experience through the medium of oral tradition. Oral literature cannot be seen as arts for arts sake. The term oral literature is also used to describe the tradition in written civilizations in which certain genres are transmitted by word of mouth or are confined to the socalled folk i. A valuable book in the genre of african oral literature is ruth finnegans oral literature in africa. Theory and methods in oral literature unit description the unit is an introduction to the theoretical approaches to the study of oral literature. It deals with the role of theory in the study of oral literature.
Legends and myths are prime examples of oral literature, crossing the line between fact and fiction, yet strengthened by constant retelling. Media in category oral literature the following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. Sep 02, 2015 the dominant motive of release literature is simply the measurement of starved needs, e. There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by.
The two met at the university of iowa in the late 1930s, and by 1940 had begun writing the book. It means spoken literature, or literature by word of mouth, which makes it a controversial term. Hussein faculty of education, alemaya university abstract every african society south of the sahara has a long history of transmitting knowledge and human experience through the medium of. Another important function of literature is to heighten the awareness if reader to certain aspects of. Albert bates lord, the singer resumes the tale foreword preface 1. In general terms we can also ask ourselves whether oral literature has any purpose for. The structure and changing functions of oral traditions. The phrases oral literature and folklore are not at all new in the language of linguists, comparative literary scholars, and anthropologists.
The scholar examines literary issues which relate to the performance of folktales in traditional africa. A collaborative workshop to map endangered oral cultures was held on 2930 june on 01 june 2012, professor rukmini bhaya nair gave a lecture on the material culture of oral narratives in india. One aspect is the beliefs on the spirits of dead ancestors found in. Its contents were based on their shared understandings of. Oral literature and the formula first edition by benjamin a. Think the iliad, the odyssey, beowulf, the poetic or elder eddas, and poems from ancient india written in sanskrit about which i know very litt. This is the first volume in the world oral literature series, published in association with the. The dominant motive of release literature is simply the measurement of starved needs, e. The functions of literature critics have been discussing from very early times about the function or functions of literature. This work refutes this idea in its entirety by presenting 22 chapters, which firmly place the study of oral literature within contemporary african existence. Throughout africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. The sociodidactic function of oral literary genres international.
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