Oral Poetry / Ruth Finnegan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finnegan, Ruth H., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Oral interpretation of poetry.

Folk poetry--History and criticism.

Folk poetry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (428 pages)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK : Open Book Publishers, 2025.

Summary:

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Preface to the 1977 edition -- Preface to the 2025 edition -- 1. Introductory -- 1.1 The importance of oral poetry -- 1.2 Some forms of oral poetry -- 1.3 What is 'oral' in oral poetry? -- 1.4 The 'poetry' in oral poetry -- 1.5 Performance and text -- 2. Some approaches to the study of oral poetry -- 2.1 Romantic and evolutionist theories -- 2.2 The 'historical-geographical' school -- 2.3 Sociological approaches and the sociology of literature -- 2.4 Two 'ideal types' of society and poetry -- 3. Composition -- 3.1 Is memorisation the key factor? -- 3.2 Composition-in-performance and the oral-formulaic theory -- 3.3 How valid is the oral-formulaic theory? -- 3.4 Prior composition, memorisation and performance -- 3.5 Conclusion -- 4. Style and performance -- 4.1 The relevance of style and performance -- 4.2 Prosodic systems -- 4.3 Repetition, style and structure -- 4.4 Language and diction -- 4.5 Performance -- 4.6 Is there a special oral style? -- 4.7 Conclusion -- 5. Transmission, distribution and publication -- 5.1 Oral transmission over space and time: some striking cases -- 5.2 Inert tradition, memorisation or re-creation? -- 5.3 How do oral poems reach their audiences? -- 5.4 'Oral transmission' and writing -- 5.5 Conclusion -- 6. Poets and their positions -- 6.1 The poet: five examples -- 6.2 Some types of poets: specialists, experts and occasional poets -- 6.3 Are oral poets anonymous? -- 6.4 The poet as seer -- 6.5 The poet as individual genius -- 7. Audience, context and function -- 7.1 Some types of audience -- 7.2 The effect and the composition of audiences -- 7.3 The purpose and meaning of poetry: local theories -- 7.4 Some effects of oral poetry -- 8. Poetry and society -- 8.1 The link between poetic and social institutions. 8.2 Does one type of poetry always go with a particular form of society? 'Heroic age', 'ballad society' and 'oral culture' -- 8.3 Literature as the reflection and consequence of social forms -- 8.4 Literature as social action -- Concluding comment -- Afterword -- Web links -- Bibliography -- List of Illustrations -- Index.

Notes:

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