A body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person. This is true of all races and periods Myths include gods and/or goddesses, and these figures often have supernatural powers. As part of genres of oral literature, such as legends and folktales, myths—the symbolic tales serve four basic functions such as mystical, cosmological, sociological and pedagogical. In order to understand the functions of a piece of oral art, one has to develop a sociological semiotics between the art and its users. Myth is often considered to be the highest achievement of oral literature. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. But the advent of the portable audio recorder and of air travel enabled investigators to return at intervals to record such recitations in the actual context of performance rather than with pencil and paper in a decontextualized situation. Myth is often considered to be the highest achievement of oral literature. Next: What are the basic elements of a well established organization? Later in the 20th century there was a move to interpretations of myth that were dependent on a search for hidden meanings, some relying on psychoanalysis, others on different approaches to symbolic decoding, and yet others on structuralist analyses, especially in the work of Claude Lévi-Strauss, which sought in myths an underlying structure of abstract similarities (often binary in character) between a range of social institutions. ALT 301: Theory and Methods in Oral Literature Unit Description The unit is an introduction to the theoretical approaches to the study of oral literature. Evolutionist interpretations. Oral literature, then, consists of the songs and stories, and other sayings, that people have heard and listened to, sung and told, without any intervention of writing. Give three functions of oral literature. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Though Africa oral literature has several parts,… Examples of Legend from Literature Example #1: Faust. ... Australian aboriginal culture is well-known for its “songlines” which form part of local creation myth and offer practical information for navigating the harsh landscapes of the Australian interior. The following are the most obvious functions of oral arts in African situations. Myths are often told as if they were factual. Responsibility edited by Russell H. Kaschula. Shivaprakash, who … Conclusion. . Myths include an explanation for how something came to be in the world. The myths, although fantastic, have elements of real life. Deceiver and deceived; and iv. Speculations and neglect in the twentieth century. 4.7/5 (783 Views . i)Cultural identity and transmission. An oral art does not have a fi xed function. Questions in South Slavic oral epic are characteristically devices of authority: social, epic, and narrative. They warn against strangers. i)Cultural identity and transmission. The perception of African oral literature 29 Nineteenth-century approaches and collections. Imprint Claremont, South Africa : New Africa Books, 2001. Physical description xxvi, 285 p. ; 25 cm. I argue that the context of recitation, especially the audience, has to be considered more seriously. . Give three functions of oral literature. 3. 349–350) More recently, studies of myth have focused on the contemporary adaptations and changes of oral and written storytelling. Many myths explain ritual and cultic customs. A few undoubtedly are, including those of “that is why the camel has a hump” variety, but most are not, even though intellectual curiosity (sometimes expressed through the notion of the quest, for example) is often incorporated. Such an explanation, however, does little to explain the content of myth or ritual. Connected to belief systems and rituals, myths also often deal with origins of important elements of the culture like food, medicine, ceremonies, etc. By lumping all together, anthropologists and others have given equal weight to folktales as to ‘myths’, not realizing that the first are often specifically children's ‘literature’ and therefore cannot be taken as representative of adult thinking. They have been a huge part of oral, written, and visual story telling for literally thousands of years; in fact, they have been a part of mankind’s entire history. 1.5.1 Aesthetic value Oral literature is valuable in its own right as an aspect of the best creative works of women and men. The aesthetic function in oral literature is the promoter of structuring, but it surrenders its place to certain other cultural and social functions. He justifies his acceptance by saying that the general function of myths is to fulfill a variety of human needs and the emotion is one of these needs which has to be fulfilled. Folklore is the expressive body of culture shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this book to your organisation's collection. The creator or transmitter did not write the song or the story but sang or told it; the receiver did not read the song or story but heard it. . To educate the society on the past events.2. The storyteller speaks, time collapses, and the members of the audience are in the presence of history. janetraph answered the question on October 2, 2017 at 11:48. (, pp. Legends and myths are prime examples of oral literature, crossing the line between fact and fiction, yet strengthened by constant re-telling. - A narrative is a prose that recounts events, people, and places. An Introduction to Storytelling, Myths and Legends Notes written by EUGENE McKENDRY INTRODUCTION There have always been storytellers because people enjoy stories. most obvious functions of oral arts in African situations. It has certainly proved to be the most interesting to outsiders and at the same time the most difficult to comprehend, because, even though it deals in cosmological matters, myth is in some ways the most localized of genres and the most embedded in cultural action (such as when it is recited in a very specific ceremonial context). of oral literature. The aesthetic function is not dominant, nor should it be, because that would disrupt the very essence of oral literature, and that is the collective preservation and transmission of knowledge from gene-ration to generation. As such, the knowledge they contain is available not to all but only to certain individuals. Next: What are the basic elements of a well established organization? This work refutes this idea in its entirety by … In other words: people invent and fill in where they do not have perfect recall. Oral Literature in Africa.indd 2 8/28/12 12:58 PM. The aesthetic function is not dominant, nor should it be, because that would disrupt the very essence of oral literature, and that is the collective preservation and transmission of knowledge from gene- ration to generation. janetraph answered the question on October 2, 2017 at 11:48. polular Kenyan myths include the Agikuyu myth of creation which states that the Agikuyu first man Gikuyu and woman Mumbi were created by thier God Ngai whose abode is MT. Structural-functional approach. . Fiction in Verse is full-length novels with plot, subplots, themes, with major and minor characters. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. - A narrative can either be fictional (non factual) or non-fictional (factual). This is done by establishing a dramatically significant series of events. As we've said before, one of the important functions of myths is to explain the world around us in a literary rather than a scientific way. Unlike the ancients, we do not have the benefit of allegory and mythology to help us make sense of the bubbling up of our subconscious. It teaches suggestively through allusion. For some commentators, myth was central to folktales: the meaning of folktales was seen to derive from their assumed status as broken-down myths that accounted for solar, meteorological, or other natural phenomena. ‘Myths’ again are seen as typical of oral cultures, and a genre which is transformed by the advent of writing, like many of the others. 2. In the Western oral tradition and subsequently literature, the functions of questions evolve as a result of the converging influences of the medium, genre, and historical conditions. Used to preserve the culture and norms of a community. Thank Writer; Comment; Blurt; thanked the writer. Faust is the major character in the classical German legend. Intro to role of myths and legends in various cultures Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. However, folktales, directed largely to children, also persist in the nurseries of written cultures. Simon Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo poet stated in a 1990 interview that for him and those that have grown up in it, "[t]he oral tradition . there are different types of oral narratives: a) trickster tales ... myths-These are stories that attempt to explain the origin of people,communities and natural phenomena like death,races and languages. 3. African oral literature : functions in contemporary contexts. Answers. The importance of myth is immeasurable—in literature, philosophy, history and many other parts of human life. Oral art as literature. Conclusion. Humans have always used myths to explain natural phenomena and life’s mysteries; for instance, Greek and Roman mythology served as both science and religion in both cultures for centuries. 2. - The terms used to mean the same as a narrative are tale, folk tale, or a story. In this chapter, I shift from discussing general problems about the definition of religion, ritual and orality to a more specific area with ‘myth’ and other ‘standardized oral forms’, or what is often called ‘oral literature’. Still, anthropologists and literary critics both acknowledge the links between myths and relatively more contemporary literature. Fiction of verse is one of the genres of literature in which the narrative is usually presented in blank verse form. They become part of a heritage that identifies a culture or group of people. Classification and typologies. It is important to distinguish between contributions to mythologies (i.e., accounts of worldviews constructed by observers) and myths in a narrower sense, which are actual recitations around a cosmological theme (for example, creation myths). As such, the myths were interpreted as “keys to culture,” throwing a privileged light on society as a whole. A paper by Fayose (1989) holds that written literature was borne out of the oral genre such as folktales, myths and legends. What demands further study: occasions; role of narrators; purpose and function; literary conventions; performance; originality and authorship. Others, such as Bronisław Malinowski and the functionalist school, have understood myth as a legitimizing “charter” of social institutions. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Differences between oral and written literatures. An in-depth examination of the social and cultural significance of the oral tradition of storytelling and how it may hold the key to curing the cultural crises facing the modern world. Myths were earlier thought to have been transmitted verbatim from one generation to the next, partly because that is how those who conveyed the myths often understood the situation. Anonymous answered . These new techniques showed that myths vary considerably over time, the exigencies of oral reproduction making such generative transmission a virtual necessity. 1. They are believed to be true and the sacred nature of the myths increases their believability. Storytelling was a favorite way of transmitting what we would call oral literature today. It is considered a verbal art form. Myth, a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that is especially associated with religious belief. According to the legend, Faust was a dissatisfied scholar. This is the most basic and important function of literature. Kindness and cruelty; iii. The importance of myth is immeasurable—in literature, philosophy, history and many other parts of human life. From mythology to literary criticism Myths are primarily acknowledged as oral traditions, while literature is in the form of written text. Rhetorical questions in particular come as strong commands or deontic utterances. The common point between a myth and a legend is that they both have been passed down from generation to generation in oral form. Here I survey the different forms so that I can go on to analyse and criticize the material I (and my helpers) collected among the LoDagaa and elsewhere in northern Ghana. He reveals that folklorists are good entertainers while the tales inspire writers in the present day. They are believed to be true and the sacred nature of the myths increases their believability. Reality,... By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The latter are relatively rare and unevenly distributed around the world, being recited in particular restricted circumstances. A. Throughout Africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. These genres may also be associated with totemism, telling how a particular animal helped a past ancestor in troubled times and so is taboo to his or her descendants. Figures from Greek mythology. The Homeric stories, for example, though founded upon an oral tradition, have come down to us in the form of fixed text, not as bardic voice. The stories that are usually told in them try to give justification or explanation to the origin of certain things of the world, or to a phenomenon that happens. A) THE ILLUMINATION OF A SOCIETY’S MYTHS OF CREATION: Every The social, linguistic, and literary background 51 We can learn many new things about the world with its help; we can fill ourselves with knowledge and become smarter. Speculations and neglect in the twentieth century. is that whole process . Myth, a … Still, anthropologists and literary critics both acknowledge the links between myths and relatively more contemporary literature. Devices 1. Myth. What Are The Main General Functions Of Oral Literature? 1. The theories will then be applied in the analysis of oral literature material. Legends and historical recitations—or “histories”—occur everywhere: chiefless societies might produce stories of clan migration, for instance, while chiefly societies might generate stories of the coming of rulers and of the establishment of kingdoms. Throughout Africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. Myths thus are stories with a religious basis based on the beliefs of a certain religion or s people. One North... Justification or validation. Check if you have access via personal or institutional login. In the traditional society, oral literature was the main tool of education and social propriety. - At its essence, an oral narrative is a story spoken to an audience. The Functions of Myths Today. The Myths Are stories, usually of oral tradition, that tell fantastic stories whose protagonists are fantastic beings, or at least have characteristics that are not typical of humans. What Are The Main General Functions Of Oral Literature? The Celts had the peculiarity of transmitting their culture, religious beliefs and myths exclusively by oral means, from one generation to another. Creation Myths. This explanation can go in two aspects: the understanding of the world in general and later the assimilation of the cosmovision of the group that produced the myth. Still, one of the common notions in most of the definitions of literature is that it involves written texts and spoken materials in some cases.. As much as literature involves written texts, it is a higher form of art; therefore, not every written text can be called a … When narrating a myth, also tells a story and therefore, something is explained. The available data relating to Celtic goddesses are thus all indirect and of a different nature and period according to the country concerned. Available online At the library. If we seek in them mankind’s earliest attempts at science, religion, literature, or moral instruction, they will provide that as well. … In other words, the fluid movement of oral literature between, for example, the Internet and the printed text is highlighted. ... entertain or amuse us, they will provide that. Functions of Oral Literature 1.5 Functions of Oral Literature Have you paused to ask yourself why you like oral literature? Throughout Africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. Answers. Myths are primarily acknowledged as oral traditions, while literature is in the form of written text. He reveals that folklorists are good entertainers while the tales inspire writers in the present day. The aesthetic function in oral literature is the promoter of structuring, but it surrenders its place to certain other cultural and social functions. This paper grapples with the question of choice of theory in the study of African oral literature. The speech of former generations can legitimize the material within a recitation, making that material more valuable and more sacred at the time of the recitation, but it can also make the material less comprehensible, more mysterious, and more prone to conflicting and ambiguous interpretations. The term is also used to describe the quite different tradition in written civilizations where certain genres are transmitted by word of mouth or are confined to the unlettered (the ‘folk’). In an age that was wrought with scientism, technology and loss of spirituality, many of the major modernist writers realised and asserted the employment of integrative mythology in order to give “shape and significance” to the contemporary fragmented reality. However, oral literature does not teach directly. Secondly, Iban oral literature is rich with myths, legends and legendary characters. 14 Votes) One of the major functions of oral literature is to teach. Oral art as literature. of forms such as myth, epics, funeral dirges, legends, praise poems, and proverbs. Historical-geographical school. It has certainly proved to be the most interesting to outsiders and at the same time the most difficult to comprehend, because, even though it deals in cosmological matters, myth is in some ways the most localized of genres and the most embedded in cultural action (such as when it is recited in a very specific ceremonial context). It forms part of Africa’s rich cultures that are expressed in diverse ways. A general algorithm for pattern recognition? These performances may be open to the world at large (and hence akin to entertainment) or closed to all but initiates. This work refutes this idea in its entirety by presenting 22 chapters, which firmly place the study of oral literature within contemporary African existence. Give three functions of oral literature. Oral ‘literature’ was the standard form (or genre) found in societies without writing. The three-way-dialectic between orality, literacy and technology is also explored in this article. Besides, he classifies functions into psychological and non-psychological functions. 2 Answers. of oral literature. Oral literature is a living tradition. (c) There is often solo and chorus pattern especially in sung poetry. Stories of everyday human beings, although often of leaders of some type, are usually contained in legends, as opposed to myths.. Myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests … As a form of entertainment and a source of amusement. Thank Writer; Comment; Blurt; thanked the writer. And if we look to them to provide us with a higher … ii)Education on moral,social and environment iii)Understanding a communities history iv)Entertainment v)Nation building.
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