Sitting at the Feet of the Past: Retelling the North American Folktale for Children

di Donald R. Hettinga (Autore)

Gary D. Schmidt (Autore)

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1992

Must a folktale be connected to its culture? Can a tale with universal applications be transmitted from one culture to another without loss? Does a teller from one culture have the ability--or even the right--to relate a tale from another culture? What happens to a tale when it leaves the oral and adult arenas and appears in print for children? Is it legitimate for a reteller to create variants to suit a child audience? Children's literature is today the major conduit for folklore, and professionals in the field must consider these questions. Editors Gary Schmidt and Donald Hettinga have brought together twenty-three writers of children's literature, illustrators, storytellers, and literary critics, who explore the issues and offer their experiences and views. The scope of the volume is the North American folktale, a rich amalgam of four major distinct traditions: the Native American folktale, the African American folktale, the retold Western European folktale, and the American tall tale. Each tradition is separately presented with an introductory survey and a selection of essays by the writers and critics. This focused collection will be valuable to scholars and professions in folklore, anthropology, American literature, and children's literature and useful also as a text in courses on children's literature and folklore.

• Autore: Donald R. Hettinga, Gary D. Schmidt
• Editore: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Anno: 1992
• Rilegatura: Hardback
• Pagine: 256 p.
• EAN: 9780313276354

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