"Morphology will in all probability be regarded by future generations as one of the major theoretical breakthroughs in the field of folklore in the twentieth century." -- Alan Dundes "Propp's work is seminal...[and], now that it is available in a new edition, should be even more valuable to folklorists who are directing their attention to the form of the folktale, especially to those structural characteristics which are common to many entries coming from even different cultures." -- Choice
Morphology of the Folktale
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Propp's work is seminal...[and], now that it is available in a new edition, should be even more valuable to folklorists who are directing their attention to the form of the folktale, especially to those structural characteristics which are common to many entries coming from even different cultures. (Choice )
It was primarily Claude Lévi-Strauss who made Propp's book popular outside the small circle of Western Slavicists: he immediately recognized the importance of Propp's methodology not only for the study of the fairy-tale, but generally for the study of narrative folklore. [Lévi-Strauss] expressed his admiration for all those”'who for a long time have been Propp's successors without knowing it." (Times Literary Supplement )
It was primarily Claude Lévi-Strauss who made Propp's book popular outside the small circle of Western Slavicists: he immediately recognized the importance of Propp's methodology not only for the study of the fairy-tale, but generally for the study of narrative folklore. [Lévi-Strauss] expressed his admiration for all those”'who for a long time have been Propp's successors without knowing it." (Times Literary Supplement )
Review
Morphology will in all probability be regarded by future generations as one of the major theoretical breakthroughs in the field of folklore in the twentieth century. (Alan Dundes )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an attempt to work out the underlying structural patterns (types of characters, what they do, how they are ordered) of Russian folktales, based on classic collections made in the nineteenth-century. If you are fortunate enough to have read a large collection of such stories -- preferably in translation, not "retold by ..." -- you will soon see the point of Propp's argument. Other European, and some non-European, traditions provide an almost equally good starting point, although the examples often are not so close as to be immediately convincing. Ideally, "Morphology of the Folktale" would be bound with at least a selection of the Russian folktales Propp analyzes, but this does not seem likely to happen.
Taken by itself, however, Propp's exploration is going to seem both dry and confusing. Try to imagine a book about the five-act structure of Shakespeare's tragedies being read by someone who had never seen or read a play before, and you may understand the problem.
Although Propp's exposition sometimes seems labored, he presents a convincing case that at least some oral prose narratives are built up of a stock of situations and events which can be slightly reordered, multiplied, and otherwise complicated, but amount to a "language" (a vocabulary, grammar, and syntax) of story-telling. This puts a new light on the problem of the distribution of folktales, and how they develop variants, two of the great issues of folklore studies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Despite its origins in a single body of oral literature, Propp's methods have been applied to other literature with known or suspected oral roots, sometimes with slightly contradictory results. I know of at least two different Proppian analyses of "Beowulf," for example. This is due at least in part to Propp's attempt to introduce fine divisions between similar plot elements, which, again, seem to work better with his source material than with other groups of stories. (And "Beowulf" has long been recognized to include elements later found in European fairy tales, so the possibility of applying Propp's structures was more intriguing than revolutionary.)
In "Feud in the Icelandic Saga" (1983), Jesse Byock reviewed efforts to apply Propp's methods to the Sagas of the Icelanders, another body of prose literature supposed to be grounded in oral techniques. He argued that a different approach is needed to their formally realistic stories about personalities, and the functioning of society; which does not diminish the validity of Propp's approach to the wonder-tale.
Taken by itself, however, Propp's exploration is going to seem both dry and confusing. Try to imagine a book about the five-act structure of Shakespeare's tragedies being read by someone who had never seen or read a play before, and you may understand the problem.
Although Propp's exposition sometimes seems labored, he presents a convincing case that at least some oral prose narratives are built up of a stock of situations and events which can be slightly reordered, multiplied, and otherwise complicated, but amount to a "language" (a vocabulary, grammar, and syntax) of story-telling. This puts a new light on the problem of the distribution of folktales, and how they develop variants, two of the great issues of folklore studies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Despite its origins in a single body of oral literature, Propp's methods have been applied to other literature with known or suspected oral roots, sometimes with slightly contradictory results. I know of at least two different Proppian analyses of "Beowulf," for example. This is due at least in part to Propp's attempt to introduce fine divisions between similar plot elements, which, again, seem to work better with his source material than with other groups of stories. (And "Beowulf" has long been recognized to include elements later found in European fairy tales, so the possibility of applying Propp's structures was more intriguing than revolutionary.)
In "Feud in the Icelandic Saga" (1983), Jesse Byock reviewed efforts to apply Propp's methods to the Sagas of the Icelanders, another body of prose literature supposed to be grounded in oral techniques. He argued that a different approach is needed to their formally realistic stories about personalities, and the functioning of society; which does not diminish the validity of Propp's approach to the wonder-tale.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is the first work to systematically characterize and describe a corpus of folktales. It includes a list of possible plot twists, in their correct chronological order for any story, and numerous examples from actual Russian fairy tales. This translation in particular reads well and makes a point of not departing from the text's literal meaning in any significant way. I would highly recommend this work for anyone interested in folktales or oral literature in general.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This seminal work is essential for an understanding of structuralist theory and the theory of folklore. It differs from the psychological view of the folktale in its descriptive ability. This theory is based on objective description and sytagmatic conjunction and complementation. Because of that, it is more applicable and flexible than any psychological dissection. Also, two people will reach roughly the same conclusions with this method- something impossible with a psychological approach. This is excellent for anyone interested in attacking the down and dirty working parts of a narrative.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Goethe dropped
Don't buy this version. They cut out the Goethe lines that headed the chapters that Propp intended for meaning but which the unimaginative editors decided were "non- essential"!
Published 3 months ago by Neo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost, but not quite a perfect study.
In this book, Propp attempts to map out the plot functions of the characters of Russian Fairy Tales in Alexander Afanasẻv. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ćlfwine Angelcynne
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best edition
If you buy this book you already know what you need it for and what it is about (just read the title).
A must-have for literature students. Read more
A must-have for literature students. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Yevgeniy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Source Text
Modern narratology tends to forget that narrative theory, if not
structuralsim itself, came of age with this book. Why?
Because m.n. Read more
structuralsim itself, came of age with this book. Why?
Because m.n. Read more
Published 12 months ago by simone belcampo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Little Book
This is a valuable little book about the basic structure of fairy tales and folktales, and similar stories, including modern movies. Read more
Published 22 months ago by FilmDoctor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Once Upon a Time
Vladimir Propp's "Morphology of the Folktale" is considered to be the seminal source for any study of folklore and fairy tales (terms which seem interchangeable in this text). Read more
Published 22 months ago by R. Chaffey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Propp: From Russian Folk Tale to Universal Narrative
Vladimir Propp was a Russian formalist who specialized in the underlying structures of the Russian folk/fairy tale. Read more
Published on May 1, 2011 by Martin Asiner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amust for any writer
I bought this book because it was referred to in an opinion piece in a national newspaper.
Even though it is a a little old the information etc still holds true. Read more
Even though it is a a little old the information etc still holds true. Read more
Published on June 11, 2010 by Michael Speck
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard Going, but Worth Every Page
In this superior translation, it is now possible to bring the work of Vladimir Propp to a new audience in an affordable volume. Read more
Published on October 18, 2009 by William Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book for storytellers and writers
I am a screenwriter. And I find that Vladimir Propp's structure works great for my stories. Have a look at it and try to apply it to any modern movie:
1.. Read more
1.. Read more
Published on May 13, 2008 by cheshirsky
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