Studies in Myth, Orality and Folklore in World Literature Engelska 2013

Some of the modern critics of myth have stressed that the myth is essentially related to creation. The corpus of myths and rituals with its roots in the oral traditions and folklores has always captivated the writers worldwide who turned to myths and mythology to juxtapose the past and the present in order to depict the predicament of mankind and to probe the mythicality of human existence. The fertile terrain of interdisciplinary scholarship has added to the richness and diversity of oral/traditional genres. Morality as a feature of communication embodies in it both traditional and modern characteristics. Timeless and unanchored, it freely travels from age to age, country to country and genre to genre. In India, we have a powerful oral tradition which still persists in various forms. Studies in myth, morality and folklore in world literature is an anthology of scholarly critical articles contributed by scholars hailing from different parts of India and United States of America, thereby, establishing the generic similarity of myth, morality and folklore in all literatures of the world across space, time and culture. The contributors widely acknowledged scholars—have presented an interesting mosaic of myth, folklore and morality in a lucid and comprehensive way. A good number of the papers examine Rabindranath Tagore mythopoeic vision and his use of morality and embedding of it In his narrative and dramatic forms. Some papers critically deal with a cross-section of Indian, British, American, Canadian and African writers who have used myth and folklore in their writings. There are some articles which deal with the regional myths, folklore and oral narratives of India too. This book, It is hoped, will certainly prove to be very fruitful to all the students and researchers who want to be acquainted with the various aspects of myth, folklore and oral discourse.