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THEORIES OF THE FOLKTALE
I
OUR rapid review of folk narrative in various parts of the world and in
different cultural levels makes certain facts in regard to this material clear
enough. No one will doubt that we are dealing everywhere with essentially
the same human activity, and that the interest in a story is practically uni-
versal. Moreover the actual subject matter of folktales shows many striking
resemblances from age to age and from land to land. And although the
patterns differ somewhat, there is a tendency for the tales to range them-
selves into certain well-recognized formal groups, depending on style, pur-
pose, or occasion for which they are used.The attempt to understand such obvious facts as these confronts the
student of the folktale with his most challenging problems. Assiduous col-
lecting of stories throughout the world and skillful analyzing and cata-
loguing make the material to be explained more and more accessible and
capable of study. Besides the mere description of it, however, the scholar is
interested in explaining it. He wants to know not only what but how and
why.For more than a century the folktale has engaged the attention of a num-
ber of keen thinkers, so that in that time a considerable body of theoretical
discussion has been written. It will be noted that these men are not all treat-
ing the same problems and that what most interests one may enter but
slightly into the speculations of another. Before examining these theories,
therefore, it may be well to suggest a few of the general questions concern-
ing the tale, so that the whole subject can be kept in mind, even though
only one aspect is being considered at the moment. These problems may be
stated as follows:
1. Origin of folktales. How did the custom of telling stories begin and
what is the origin of the particular tales we now have?
2. Meaning of folktales. Do tales mean just what they say, or do they have
a hidden significance?

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Publication Information: Book Title: The Folktale. Contributors: Stith Thompson - author. Publisher: Dryden Press. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1946. Page Number: 367.
    
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