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Book synopsis

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.

Book details

Book category Books in English Society & social sciences Society & culture: general Popular beliefs & controversial knowledge

• Full title: Powers of Genre
• Subtitle: Interpreting Haya Oral Literature
• Author: Peter Seitel
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardback
• Number of pages: 258
• EAN: 9780195117004
• ISBN: 019511700X
• ID: 04514324
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Weight: 520 g
• Dimensions: 240 × 161 × 25 mm
• Date of publishing: 08. April 1999

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