Ambedkar University Delhi
Course Outline
Monsoon Semester (August- December, 2017)
School: School of Letters
Programme with title: MA English
Semester to which offered: (I/ III/ V) I/III semester
Course Title: Folklore and Folkloristics
Credits: 4 Credits
Course Code (new): SOL2EN341
Course Code (old): SLS2EN341
Type of Course: Compulsory No Cohort MA English
Elective Yes Cohort
Course Coordinator and Team: Dr. Amit Singh
Email of course coordinator: amit@aud.ac.in
Pre-requisites: None
Aim: This course aims to prepare students in understanding the nuances of folklore and
folkloristics, both in India and abroad. It seeks to sensitize them towards the rich oeuvre of
folklore that surrounds them and also that inspired many literatures. It consciously prepares
students for research in the prospective areas related to folklore.
The course deals with the concepts, forms, histories, terms, etymology, methods, and theories
that help in understanding the documented as well as lived lores of people. The course begins
with an attempt to trace the origin and development of folklore as a discipline, and investigates
various theories that helped in this process. It attempts to investigate concept, nomenclature,
definitions, and genres of folklore both in Indian as well as global contexts. It, also, attempts to
trace the history and prospects of folklore and folkloristics through the representative texts and
traditions. Class discussions and presentations will also investigate the generic osmosis between
folklore and other streams of expression, like mythology, oral texts/ traditions, belief systems,
rituals, fairs, festivals, pilgrimages, epics, etc. Attempts will also be made to trace the
intersections and interactions between folklore and nationalism, history and peoples’ movements,
vernacular art forms, paintings, music, dance, fairytales, children’s literature, and such other
areas. In other words, apart from investigating folklore as a discipline, this course also focuses on
the “dialogues” between folklore and other genres of expression, like music, dance, performance/
art forms, cinema, literature, epics, and so on.
Brief description of Modules and Reading List
Module I: Introduction
This module seeks to introduce students to origin and evolution of the term folklore, and the
development of folklore as a discipline through class lectures and basic readings.
1. Concept: i) General
ii) Scholarly
2. Nomenclature: i) Global
ii) Indian
3. Definition: i) Public
ii) Academic
4. Genres of Folklore: Introduction to myths, legends, folktales, folksongs, proverbs,
riddles, folk epics/ paintings/ performance/ beliefs and practices,
foodways, habiliments, and material culture.
Module II: The Beginning of Folkloristics:
This module will trace the history of folklore studies and analyze the works and contributions of
pioneers in folklore studies through class lectures and basic readings. It will, also, involve
thorough study of the following two texts to understand the process of collection, documentation,
classification, and analysis of folklore.
1. The Complete Grimms’ Fairy Tales by Grimm Brothers
2. In Quest of Indian Folktales by Pandit Ram Gharib Chaube and William Crooke
Module III: Folk Epics: The following epic will be discussed in workshop mode or through
special lectures:
The Legend of Ponnivala
Module IV: Methods, Analyses, Theories
Students will be introduced to significant folklore methods and theories through class lectures
and study of selections from the following texts:
1. Morphology of the Folktale by Vladimir Propp
2. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Following articles from Folklore: Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies, Volume
IV, by Alan Dundes will also be taken up for the class discussions:
1. “Folk Lore: How it Arose, and What it Means” by Max Muller
2. “The Method of Folklore” by Andrew Lang
3. “On the Method of Determining the Value of Folklore as Ethnological Data” by
Lawrence Gomme
4. “Why and How do We Collect Folk Music” by Bela Bartok
5. “Folk Atlas Mapping” by Robert Wildhaber
6. “The Historic-Geographic Method: Past and Future” by Christine Goldberg
7. “Tell it to the Walls: Tales about Tales” by A. K. Ramanujan
8. “Method and Interpretation in the Study of Folklore in India: A Comment” by Ved
Prakash Vatuk in Kiran Hall
9. “Antonio Gramsci’s Contribution to Italian Folklore Studies” by Moyra Byrne
Tentative Assessment schedule with details of weightage:
S.No Assessment Date/period in which Assessment Weightage
will take place
1 Response Paper End of August/Early September 10%
2 Mid-Term Examination End of September 20%
3 Understanding End of October 20%
Foodways: Potluck and
Symposium
4 Class Presentations Mid November 20%
5 Workshop Report/ End of November 30%
Term Paper (30%)
