Polish Folklore

Society

A group of individuals engaged in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory.

Rational structure among human being - ex - leader, followers, workers, ect.

Culture

That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [human beings]" as part of a society. (Tylor)

is about values that structure holds

What is a folk tale?

The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a peasant community, meant to perpetuate cultural values, passed through the generations by word of mouth. Common examples include stories, legends, and myths (Note Disney movies).

The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of any member of a community, meant to perpetuate cultural values, passed through the generations through a variety of cultural experiences. These experiences could include stories, legends, myths, children’s rhymes, graffiti, ballads, festivals, folk dance and song, food recipes, architecture, etc.

Why do anthropologists expand the definition of folk tales?

Because verbal speech is not the only symbol by which we communicate values. For example, we can convey the idea of a cow through verbal, literary, artistic, or natural means.

Even food can be a symbol, and anthropologists recognize various cultural experiences as part of folk tales, such as jokes, proverbs, word games, narrative genres, belief and religion, music, verbal art, material culture, and foods.

Genres of Folklore

• Narrative: legends, urban legends, fairy tales, personal experience narratives

• Belief and religion: folk religion, ritual, and mythology

• Music: traditional music, folk music, and world music

• Verbal art: jokes, proverbs, word games

• Material culture: folk art, vernacular architecture, textiles, modified mass-produced objects

• Foods: traditional cooking and customs, relationships between food and culture

Legend of Twardowski

A magician that made a deal with a demon - became rich and treated his wife poorly - rode around on a chicken - wasnt supposed to go Rome or else he goes to hell - went to bar named Rome - got dragged to Hell

Symbols

Represent an idea, suggest something more complicated than itself ex - letters, language - a symbol composed of symbols ex - drawing, writing