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The Powers of Genre : Interpreting Haya Oral Literature - Peter Seitel

The Powers of Genre

Interpreting Haya Oral Literature

By: Peter Seitel

Hardcover | 1 November 1998

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This volume describes a method for interpreting oral literature that enables dialogue between insiders and outsiders of a tradition. Seitel illustrates this method with lively examples from Haya (from Northwestern Tanzania) proverbs, folktales, and heroic verse. He then focuses on a single epic ballad to demonstrate, among other things, why stanzas need not rhyme, and how significance needs time in oral poetry and narrative. He makes a controversial claim that an heroic age, similar to that of Ancient Greek, existed in sub-Saharan Africa. The work should interest anyone who works in oral literature and narrative, folklorists, literary critics, anthropologists, linguists, and Africanists. This book is intended for linguists, folklorists, literary critics.
Industry Reviews
"Seitel's argument proceeds elegantly from the simplicity to complexity. After setting out his aims and defining his terms, and introducing the Haya and their oral literature, he offers successive analyses of proverbs, folktales, and heroic ballads, amplifying and extending his techniques on the way."--Journal of American Folklore "Seitel's argument proceeds elegantly from the simplicity to complexity. After setting out his aims and defining his terms, and introducing the Haya and their oral literature, he offers successive analyses of proverbs, folktales, and heroic ballads, amplifying and extending his techniques on the way."--Journal of American Folklore "Written at a time when linguistics, anthropology, cultural studies, literary criticism, and historical discourse studies are bustling with interesting ideas about narrative, Seitel's book has selectively raided these fields for useful concepts. Together with his indefatigable skill as an interpreter, these concepts make this a remarkable book. It sparkles with insight."--International Journal of African Historical Studies "The author's attention to detail must be commended. Detailed texts of three well-known epic ballads are carefully presented and annotated...The author's genre-based approach allows for a detailed, informed analysis of texts perse, as well as an understanding of the intertextual and, to some extent, contextual complexities that accompany such narratives."--Anthropological Linguistics

You Can Find This Book In

Non-FictionLanguage & LinguisticsLinguisticsTranslation & InterpretationSociety & CulturePopular Beliefs & Controversial KnowledgeFolklore Studies / Study of Myth (Mythology)Literature, Poetry & PlaysHistory & Criticism of LiteratureGeneral Literary StudiesSociology & AnthropologyAnthropology

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