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The European Folktale: Form and Nature
"Niles' excellent translation should bring Luthi's sensitive and articulate study the recognition it deserves among English readers." --Library Journal
Luthi demonstrates how the folktale, by its very distance from reality, can play upon the most important themes of human existence.
Luthi demonstrates how the folktale, by its very distance from reality, can play upon the most important themes of human existence.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 12, 2011
An excellent study of the folktale - not a new work (it was first published in the 1940's, then again in the 1970's) but still one of the best introductions to the stylistic and formal characteristics of the genre.
Luthi's contribution to the field of folklore studies is a fundamental one, in that he seeks to establish what makes a folktale a folktale - but instead of privileging content (not, in Luthi's opinion, the folktale's distinguishing feature) he privileges form and style, demonstrating that the attractiveness and power of the folktale lies in the manner in which the content is presented.
Anyone who has ever felt the charm of these tales will find Luthi's observations on the depthlessness (physical and psychological) of folktale figures fascinating (and also the corresponding externalisation of character via action, or the externalisation of relationships via material objects). Equally interesting is exploration of the one-dimensionality of the folktale world (otherworld elements not experienced as disturbing) and also illuminating are the points on the precision (temporal, spatial) of the folktale plot vs 'chance', of the isolation of its characters yet at the same time their potential for universal connection, and of the all-inclusive nature of the genre.
Luthi succeeds in showing us that the form of the folktale is artistic and highly developed, and he argues (persuasively, I think) that the genre has undergone a long period of literary evolution. He also briefly summarises a lot of other research into the subject (historical, ethnographic, psychoanalytic) - true, it's a bit dated now, but it outlines the fundamental scholarship in an easy to digest form. Luthi then links his own findings to some of the findings of other approaches, which advances the general idea of the folktale as an artistic expression of enduring human concerns. In summary, a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
Luthi's contribution to the field of folklore studies is a fundamental one, in that he seeks to establish what makes a folktale a folktale - but instead of privileging content (not, in Luthi's opinion, the folktale's distinguishing feature) he privileges form and style, demonstrating that the attractiveness and power of the folktale lies in the manner in which the content is presented.
Anyone who has ever felt the charm of these tales will find Luthi's observations on the depthlessness (physical and psychological) of folktale figures fascinating (and also the corresponding externalisation of character via action, or the externalisation of relationships via material objects). Equally interesting is exploration of the one-dimensionality of the folktale world (otherworld elements not experienced as disturbing) and also illuminating are the points on the precision (temporal, spatial) of the folktale plot vs 'chance', of the isolation of its characters yet at the same time their potential for universal connection, and of the all-inclusive nature of the genre.
Luthi succeeds in showing us that the form of the folktale is artistic and highly developed, and he argues (persuasively, I think) that the genre has undergone a long period of literary evolution. He also briefly summarises a lot of other research into the subject (historical, ethnographic, psychoanalytic) - true, it's a bit dated now, but it outlines the fundamental scholarship in an easy to digest form. Luthi then links his own findings to some of the findings of other approaches, which advances the general idea of the folktale as an artistic expression of enduring human concerns. In summary, a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
July 3, 2007
One of my favorite fairy tale books. Luthi explains what a folktale or fairy tale really is and how it functions in that way. A very enlightening text.
November 4, 2023
Luthi, a German folklorist writing after World War II, examines the structure and form of the folktale. (That's the word picked by the translator for Luthi's concept, similar to but not identical with "fairy tale.") He emphasizes its sparse nature: motivations aren't explored, places receive very brief description of some striking elements, and objects are ignored except for the very few roles they have in the progression of the story. Moral lessons are sometimes ignored and other times confused - for example, violating an unexplained prohibition leads to disaster in some tales and triumph in others. Luthi argues that, nonetheless, these tales serve an important purpose in the human psyche.
Luthi has given voice to my own subconscious thoughts about the sparseness of folktales. I think they can be a rich mine for stories, but I'm surprised this sparse form became and stayed so popular. Perhaps, though, I would feel different if I were more used to oral telling of tales?
Luthi has given voice to my own subconscious thoughts about the sparseness of folktales. I think they can be a rich mine for stories, but I'm surprised this sparse form became and stayed so popular. Perhaps, though, I would feel different if I were more used to oral telling of tales?
October 9, 2012
Luthi delineates the form and nature of the European magical tale also called a wondertale. Rather than expand the work of Propp's structuralism and morphology of the folktale, Luthi focuses on the broad aspects of the European folktale. Additionally Propp limits himself to one hundred Russian fairy tales to describe his structural analysis of the folktale whereas Max Luthi holistically reviews and incorporates tales from Germany, Austria, Russia, Slovakia, France, and England.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews