Folklore Studies in Translation – serie

"Pentikäinen's exceptional interdisciplinary study will richly reward those interested in the dynamics of artistic creation and cultural construction, ethnic emergence and political nationalism, and shamanistic belief systems." —American Anthropologist" . . . a splendid contribution to the literature on folk epics . . . " —The Scandinavian-American BulletinThe Kalevala, created during the 1830s and 1840s, is based on authentic folklore collected and compiled by Elias Lonnrot. It was the Kalevala that initiated the process leading to the foundation of Finnish identity during the nineteenth century and was, therefore, one of the crucial factors in the formation of Finland as a new nation in the twentieth century.

"Niles' excellent translation should bring Lüthi's sensitive and articulate study the recognition it deserves among English readers." —Library JournalLüthi demonstrates how the folktale, by its very distance from reality, can play upon the most important themes of human existence.

" . . . it presents some of the most important folklore studies to appear in [Nordic] countries in the past thirty years." —The Scandinavian-American Bulletin" . . . will . . . be of interest to folklorists in general. The selected essays . . . deal with issues that any folklorist who wishes to be up-to-date must consider. . . . A valuable addition to folklore studies . . . " —ChoiceNordic folklore studies have made major theoretical contributions to international folklore scholarship. The articles in this collection not only reflect areas in which Nordic folklore studies have been particularly strong, but also demonstrate recent changes in theoretical paradigms and empirical application.

"The most comprehensive account of its subject now available, this impressive study lives up to the encyclopedic promise of its title." —ChoiceThe Hebrew Folktale seeks to find and define the folk-elements of Jewish culture. Through the use of generic distinctions and definitions developed in folkloristics, Yassif describes the major trends—structural, thematic, and functional—of folk narrative in the central periods of Jewish culture.

" . . . Wolf and Jensen's English translation of the entire book puts the famous laws into a very useful perspective . . . " —Choice" . . . it is full of clever ideas and observations, and alive with the personality of the writer—lucid, astute and fair." —British Folklore Studies ForumOlrik's Grundsætninger sets forth a number of the basic principles for the study of folklore and outlines his "epic laws" of oral narrative. With this long-awaited translation, English readers now have available the "rules" which became the foundation of many folklore programs and the basis for the study of folk narrative.