A Survey of Role Defining Function Model in Iranian Humorous Folktales
Author
English Department, Arak University
Abstract
This paper examines the Iranian humorous folktales through two patterns: the role defining function, and the function generating role, taken mostly from some structural-based approaches and models to narrative, Bremond’s (1970) model, among others. The criticism raised against the traditional model such as AT (1928/1961) is that, being mostly based on the Type-Index and Motif-Index, they cannot reflect the different aspects of the humorous folktales in general, and Iranian folktales, in particular, and it is necessary to call for the other more structurally-based models such as those proposed by narrative grammarians like Bremond, who, following Propp’s (1928) Morphology of Russian Folktales, has placed more emphasis on such concepts as the role defining function as well as the function generating role. Having taken the conceptual-empirical framework as its methodology, this paper tries, through redefining such concepts as an anecdote, joke, and tale as well as reviewing AT classification, to apply the role defining function as well as the function generating role on the Iranian humorous folktales with a narrowed focus on the Iranian numskull folktales. In this sense, a humorous folktale will be defined as an independent narrative unit in which a person or a group of people takes the role of a numskull through the functions they perform. In fact, their role defines their function, and their function generates their role.
Keywords
Subjects
- Aarne, Antti & Stith Thompson (1961). The Types of the Folktale. FF Communications No. 184. Helsinki: Academia Scientarium Fennica.
- Dundes, Alan (1965). The Study of Folklore (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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- El-Shamy, Hasan M. (2004). Types of the Folktale in the Arab World. A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index. Bloomington - Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
- Janik, V. K (1998). Fools and Jesters in Literature, Art, and History: A Bio Biographical Sources. Westprt: Greenwood.
- Jason, Heda (1965). "Types of Jewish-Oriental Oral Tales". Fabula. No. 7. pp. 151-224.
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- Klapp, Orrin E. (1949). "The Fool as a Social Type". American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 55. No. 2 (Sep., 1949). pp. 157-162.
- Oring, Elliot (1989). "Between Jokes and Tales: on the Nature of Punch Lines". Humor: International Journal of Humor Research. NO. 2 (4). PP. 349.364.
- Propp , Vladimir Iakovelevich (1968). Morophology of the Folktale. Tr. Laurevce Scott. Ed. Svatava pirkova-jakobson.austin. university of Texas press.
- Thompson, Stith. (1955-1958). Motif Index of Folk Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Medieval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends (revised and enlarged edition). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
- Uther, Hans-Jöger (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Part I: Animal Tales, Tales of Magic, Religious Tales, and Realistic Tales, with an Introduction. FFC 284. 619 pages. Issn 0014- 5815; ISBN 951-41-0956-2. Part II: Tales of the Stupid Ogre, Anecdotes and Jokes, and Formula Tales. FFC 285. 536 pages. IssN 014-5815; ISBN 951-41-0962-7. Part III: Appendices. FFC 286. 285 pages. IssN 0014-5815; ISBN 951-41-0964-3. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 2004. Paper; n. p.
- Dundes, Alan (1965). The Study of Folklore (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Degh, Linda (1972). "Folk narrative". Folklore and Folklife: an Introduction . Ed R. M. Dorson. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
- Dundes, Alan (1997). "The Motif-Index and the Tale Type Index: A Critique". Journal of Folklore Research. Vol. 34. No. 3 (Sep. - Dec., 1997). pp. 195-202.
- El-Shamy, Hasan M. (2004). Types of the Folktale in the Arab World. A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index. Bloomington - Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
- Janik, V. K (1998). Fools and Jesters in Literature, Art, and History: A Bio Biographical Sources. Westprt: Greenwood.
- Jason, Heda (1965). "Types of Jewish-Oriental Oral Tales". Fabula. No. 7. pp. 151-224.
- Jason, Heda (1972)." Structual Analysis and the Concept of the Tale Type". Arv . NO. 28. PP.35-54.
- Klapp, Orrin E. (1949). "The Fool as a Social Type". American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 55. No. 2 (Sep., 1949). pp. 157-162.
- Oring, Elliot (1989). "Between Jokes and Tales: on the Nature of Punch Lines". Humor: International Journal of Humor Research. NO. 2 (4). PP. 349.364.
- Propp , Vladimir Iakovelevich (1968). Morophology of the Folktale. Tr. Laurevce Scott. Ed. Svatava pirkova-jakobson.austin. university of Texas press.
- Thompson, Stith. (1955-1958). Motif Index of Folk Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Medieval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends (revised and enlarged edition). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
- Uther, Hans-Jöger (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Part I: Animal Tales, Tales of Magic, Religious Tales, and Realistic Tales, with an Introduction. FFC 284. 619 pages. Issn 0014- 5815; ISBN 951-41-0956-2. Part II: Tales of the Stupid Ogre, Anecdotes and Jokes, and Formula Tales. FFC 285. 536 pages. IssN 014-5815; ISBN 951-41-0962-7. Part III: Appendices. FFC 286. 285 pages. IssN 0014-5815; ISBN 951-41-0964-3. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 2004. Paper; n. p.
