The Grateful Dead, The History of a Folk Story

Fiction & Literature, Historical
Cover of the book The Grateful Dead, The History of a Folk Story by Gordon Hall Gerould, @AnnieRoseBooks
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gordon Hall Gerould ISBN: 1230001023183
Publisher: @AnnieRoseBooks Publication: April 6, 2016
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Gordon Hall Gerould
ISBN: 1230001023183
Publisher: @AnnieRoseBooks
Publication: April 6, 2016
Imprint:
Language: English

THE combination of narrative themes is so frequent a phenomenon in folk and formal literature that one almost forgets to wonder at it. Yet in point of fact the reason for it and the means by which it is accomplished are mysteries past our present comprehension. If we could learn how and where popular tales unite, if we could formulate any general principle of union or severance, we should be well on the way to an understanding of the riddle which has hitherto baffled all students of narrative, namely, the diffusion of stories. We have theories enough; our immediate need is for more studies of individual themes, careful and, if it must be, elaborate discussions of many well-known cycles. Happily, these are accumulating and give promise of much useful knowledge at no distant day.

One principle has become clear. Since motives are so frequently found in combination, it is essential that the complex types be analyzed and arranged, with an eye kept single nevertheless to the master-theme under discussion. Collectors, both primary and subsidiary, have done such valiant service that the treasures at our command are amply sufficient for such studies, so extensive, indeed, that the task of going through them thoroughly has become too great for the unassisted student. It cannot be too strongly urged that a single theme in its various types and compounds must be made predominant in any useful comparative study. This is true when the sources and analogues of any literary work are treated; it is even truer when the bare motive is discussed.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

THE combination of narrative themes is so frequent a phenomenon in folk and formal literature that one almost forgets to wonder at it. Yet in point of fact the reason for it and the means by which it is accomplished are mysteries past our present comprehension. If we could learn how and where popular tales unite, if we could formulate any general principle of union or severance, we should be well on the way to an understanding of the riddle which has hitherto baffled all students of narrative, namely, the diffusion of stories. We have theories enough; our immediate need is for more studies of individual themes, careful and, if it must be, elaborate discussions of many well-known cycles. Happily, these are accumulating and give promise of much useful knowledge at no distant day.

One principle has become clear. Since motives are so frequently found in combination, it is essential that the complex types be analyzed and arranged, with an eye kept single nevertheless to the master-theme under discussion. Collectors, both primary and subsidiary, have done such valiant service that the treasures at our command are amply sufficient for such studies, so extensive, indeed, that the task of going through them thoroughly has become too great for the unassisted student. It cannot be too strongly urged that a single theme in its various types and compounds must be made predominant in any useful comparative study. This is true when the sources and analogues of any literary work are treated; it is even truer when the bare motive is discussed.

More books from Historical

Cover of the book 萬古神器 VOL 11 by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Charles Baudelaire oeuvres complètes by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book SP,Sangkoh Petala /Senjata Kayangan by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book One Snowy Night: Long ago at Oxford by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Lady Death, Or, The Major's Lust by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Flagge im Sturm by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Burlington House by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book The Return of the Shadow Whistler by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book The Soldier's Curse by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book A Heartbeat Away by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book The American Heroes Collection by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Majesty by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book Ruler of the Sky by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book The Saga of a Canadian Typhoon Fighter Pilot by Gordon Hall Gerould
Cover of the book The Beast of Yorkshire by Gordon Hall Gerould
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy