Stith Thompson : xis Life and Xis Role in Folklore Scholarship

Stith Thompson : x i s L i f e and X i s

Role in Folklore Scholarship

PEGGY M A R T I N

VOLUME 2

FOLKLORE PUBLICATIONS GROUP INDIANA U N I V E R S I T Y

F o l k l o r e P u b l i c a t i o n s G r o u ~

J o h n O 9 H a r a E d i t o r , F o l k l o r e Ronograph S e r i e s

J o h n B e a l l e E d i t o r , F o l k l o r e P r e p r i n t S e r i e s Dana E v e r t s C o r r e s p o n d i n g E d i t o r

E l i s s a Henken P r o d u c t i o n Manager C a r l Linc?&hl l u b l i c i t y X i t o r

S l l e n r 0 l e 7 ~ o e s B u s i n e s s i' E-n&ger

~ a r b a r a Lamb E 'ub l i ca t i o n s iicnreser, ~,;~..t i v e a

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s e r v i c ~ f o r f o l k l o r i s t s ~ n ? o t h e r s i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e s t u s y o f P o l k l o r e . Its p u r p o s e i~ t o n r e s e n t i m p o r t a n t o r i g i n a l p z p e r s , i n an i n d i v i d u a l i z e d f o r n a t , by con tempora ry ~ c h o l a r s i n F o l k l o r e 2nd o t h e r r e l a t e d f i e l d s . The t y p e s o f m a t e r i a l s which w i l l be c o n s i 2 e r e d f o r , ~ u b l i c a , t i o n i n c l u d e : ex tended a r t i c l e s , f o l k l o r e t e x t s , i n d i c e s , b i b l i o g r z p h i e s , t r ~ n s l a t i o n s , ~ n d o u t s t a n d i n p s t u d e n t 7 a p e r s . P r 2 n u s c r i n t s s h o u l d bp a ~ r r o x i r - l a t e l y 50-100 ?=yes i n l e n ~ t h and r e p r e s e n t p r e v i o u s l ; ~ u n p u b l i s h e d viork. The FO1,I:LOSE YONOGRAPH SERIES i s i n t e n d e d t o s p a r e t h e d e l z y s o f t e n l n v o l v e d i n j o u r n a l p u b l i c ~ ~ t i o n and t o n r o v i d e zn a l t e r n z . t i v ~ o u t l e t f o r t h e r a p i d d i s ~ e m i n ~ t i o n of works o f modcra te l e n p t h , s u i t a b l e f o r n r e s e n t a t i o n i n n o n o ~ r a p h form.

Also a v a i l a b l e i s t h e FOT,KIjORS FR1Pi?INT :;XRIZS, i n which e a c h P r e p r i n t i s a s e p a r a t e l y - b o u n d v e r s i o n o f z n a r t i c l e o f s i p n i f i c a n c e t o t h e d i s c i ~ l i n e o f F o l k l o r e which has a l r e a d y b e e n a c c e p t e d f o r s u b s e q u e n t m u b l i c ~ t i o n i n 2 j o u r n a l o r o t h e r r e c o ~ n i z e d f o r m a t . The Turpose of t h e FOLKO8F; PREPilIWrC GERISJ i s t w o f o l z : ( 1 ) t o make i m ~ e d i a t e l y ~ i v ~ i l l ~ - b l e i n n o r t n n t . , .orks o f c u r r e n t P o l k l o r e s c h o l a r - s h i p a n d ( 2 ) t o n r o v i d e a u t h o r s ~ ~ 5 t h t h e o ~ p o r t i m i t y t o n s c e s ? t h e i n i t i a l r e s n o n s e t o t h e i r work. F r e p r i n t c o n t r i b u t o r s r e c e i v e t e n c o m p l i m ~ n t z r y c o r i e s o f t h e i r ~ o r k and r e t z i n f u l l r i g h t s f o r l a t e r p u b l i c a t i o n . ;/hen one of o u r o f f e r i n g s a p p e a r s i n a j o u r n a l o r o t h e r final form, i t is t h e n v:ithdr:.v/n fro.] o u r c a t a l o g .

The F o l k l o r e Y u b l i ~ r ~ t i o n e Group i s no;; z o l i c i t i n ~ p a p e r s f o r i m ~ ~ e 6 i a t e c o n s i d e r e t i o n . S ' a t e r l e l s n o t acceptec7 f o r n u b l i c o t i o n w i l l h e r e - t u r n e d on r e o u e s t . T Y ~ n u s c r l n t s , i n q u i r i e s , comnents , and ~ 1 1 o t h e r c o r r e s p o n d e n c e r h o u l d be ~ e n t t o t,Le P o l k l o r e r ' u b l i c e t i o n s Group a t t h e f o l l o i r i n y ?.$I r e s s :

R o l k l o r e I ' u l ~ l i c a t i o n e Group P o l k l o r e I n s t i t u t e 504 N o r t h F e s s Avenue r3loominr-t o n , In$ inn?. 47401

No pcrrt of this work 7nay be r e p r o d u c ~ d i n anv f o r m o r by any means w i t h o u t t h e l :$rit ten p e r m i s s i o n o f t he p u b l i s h e r .

Covcr: I l l u s t r a t i o n of "The S t a r Vusbsnd T a l e n by Dana E v e r t s .

STITH THOMPSON:

HIS LIFE AND HIS ROLE

I N FOLKLORE SCHOLARSHIP

WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHY

PEGGY MARTIN

FOLKLORE MONOGRAPH SERIES

FOLKLORE PUBLICATIONS GmUF'

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

S T I T H THOMPSON:

H I S L I F E AND H I S ROLE

I N FOLKLORE SCHOLARSHIP

iii

E d i t o r ' s Foreword

With t h e publ ica t ion of t h i s study of t h e l i f e and works of S t i t h Thompson, t h e e d i t o r s of t h e Folklore Publ ica t ions Group a r e pleased t o mark t h e i n i t i a t i o n of t h e new Folklore Monograph Se r i e s . It i s p a r t i c u l a r l y appropr ia te t h a t t h e man who earned t h e r epu ta t ion as t h e " f a the r of American fo lk lore ' ' should be t h e subjec t of t h i s f i r s t Monograph i s sue . As t h e founder of t h e f o l k l o r e program a t Indiana Universi ty , Thompson's enormous o rgan iza t iona l energ ies and a c t i v i t i e s l a i d t h e groundwork f o r t h e development of t h e Folklore Department and Folklore I n s t i t u t e t o t h e present s t a t u s of a major center f o r f o l k l o r e research and scholarsh ip i n t h e United S t a t e s . In a very r e a l sense , t h e Folklore Publ ica t ions Group owes i t s ex is tence and continued support t o Thompson's l i v i n g legacy of fo lk lo re s tudy a t Indiana Universi ty .

This paper had i t s o r i g i n s i n a graduate seminar conducted by Prof . Richard M. Dorson a t t h e Folklore I n s t i t u t e during t h e sp r ing semester of 1976. Each p a r t i c i p a n t i n t h i s seminar cont r ibu ted a paper dea l ing with t h e l i f e and works of a f o l k l o r i s t of contemporary o r h i s t o r i c a l importance. While t h e r e i s c e r t a i n l y no l a c k of primary and secondary source ma te r i a l s concerning Thompson and t h e his tor ic-geographic method of which he was a major proponent, Martin's study represents a unique addi t ion t o t h e l i t e r a t u r e of t h i s f i e l d i n s e v e r a l ways. The extensive bibl iography which she has included here assembles, i n convenient chronological order , Thompson's major wr i t i ngs on f o l k l o r e , and should prove an inva luable a i d t o every s tudent of f o l k l o r e , t h e f o l k t a l e , and of Thompson himself . Further- more, i n pursuing an e s s e n t i a l l y b iographica l approach t o Thompson's academic ca ree r , Martin o f f e r s t h e reader a glimpse a t t h e man behind t h e methods, p lac ing Thompson's s cho la r ly output i n t h e contemporary context of h i s own l i f e and t imes , and providing an in t roductory survey of t h e ideas and p e r s o n a l i t i e s of t h i s per iod i n t h e h i s t o r y of t h e d i s c i p l i n e , i n which Thompson s tood a s a lead ing i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i gu re .

This b iographica l perspec t ive i s made even more v i v i d by drawing upon a number of previously unavai lable documents i n Thompson's personal c o l l e c t i o n , which he donated t o t h e L i l l y Library a t Indiana Universi ty i n 1972. These papers , housed i n t h e permanent manuscripts c o l l e c t i o n of t h e L i l l y Library, include Thompson's l e t t e r s , d i a r i e s , o f f i c i a l correspondence, no te s , manuscripts, programs, photographs, and genealogical d a t a , and a r e now ava i l ab l e t o t h e scho la r ly community. Since t h e completion

of Mar t in ' s paper, t h e Thompson c o l l e c t i o n has been catalogued according t o correspondent, s u b j e c t , and type of document. The 298 e n t r i e s i n t h e index of correspondents alone give an i n d i c a t i o n of t h e r ichness of t h e holdings a s a p o t e n t i a l source of ma te r i a l s f o r f u t u r e s cho la r ly i nves t iga t ions . The author and e d i t o r s a r e g r a t e f u l t o t h e s t a f f of t h e L i l l y Library f o r t h e i r cooperat ion i n g ran t ing access and permission t o use t h e Thompson papers .

As a f i n a l , and more personal , n o t e , I had t h e p r ive l ege of meeting Professor Thompson at h i s home i n Columbus, Indiana i n November 1975, j u s t s e v e r a l months before h i s death t h e fol lowing January. A t t h e age of n ine ty , Thompson remained l u c i d and as e n t h u s i a s t i c a s ever , and he reminisced f r e e l y and i n remarkable d e t a i l on t h e events , i s s u e s , and col leagues i n h i s long p ro fe s s iona l ca ree r . Since h i s ret i rement twenty years before , he had continued t o keep ab reas t o f subsequent developments i n t h e d i s c i p l i n e he had helped t o e s t a b l i s h ; and wi th t h e voice of unquestionable experience, he once again warned aga ins t u n c r i t i c a l acceptance of cu r r en t t r ends i n f o l k l o r e u n t i l t hey have been subs t an t i a t ed by f a c t . But most of a l l , I value Thompson's s ince re words of encouragement t o t h e younger generat ions of f o l k l o r i s t s , and h i s p r ide i n knowing t h a t t h e work which he began over h a l f a century before would not be fo rgo t t en . This paper s tands a s a modest t r i b u t e t o t h e man and h i s dedica t ion , one which we hope D r . Thompson would have been honored t o rece ive .

John M. 0 'Hara

Author's Note

This paper discusses the l i f e , wr i t ings , and con t r i -

but ions t o scholarship of S t i t h Thompson, focusing on h i s

study of f o l k l o r e , h i s cont r ibut ions t o the establishment

of a scholar ly foundation f o r f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s , and h i s

e f f o r t s to organize f o l k l o r e and f o l k l o r e scholarship on

an i n t e r n a t i o n a l bas i s . The information given and theor ie s

expressed include those of S t i t h Thompson as found i n h i s

books and reco l l ec t ions , the statements of seve ra l w r i t e r s

about him, and my own opinions as derived from the above

sources. No at tempt i s made to present i n f u l l the

information ava i l ab le about Thompson, but ins t ead t o

s e l e c t information most re levant t o s tudents of fo lk lo re .

Idea l ly , the paper should serve as an in t roduct ion t o

Thompson's bibliography and wr i t ings , and references a r e

made to works i n which readers can obta in f u r t h e r in fo r -

mation on p a r t i c u l a r topics .

Table of Contents --

Editor's Foreword . . iii

Author's Note . v

The Life of Stith Thompson . 3

1. Childhood and Early Schooling . 3

2. University Training . 4

3. Early Career . 5

4. Years in Indiana and Major Folklore Research . 6

Thompson's Major Folklore Publications . 12

1. Theses and Dissertations . 12

2. Writings Concerning Primitive Folklore . 13

3. Indexes . 14

A. The Types of the Folktale . - -- . 14

B. The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature . . 15

C. The Indexes of Indic Tales . 17

4. The Study and Description of Folklore . . 17

Thompson and Folklore Organization . . 26

1. The United States . . 26

2. International Organization . 27

3. South American Folklore Organization . . 28

Thompson and t h e C r i t i c s . 30

1. Tales of t h e North American Indians ---- . 30

2. The Tylpes of t h e Folkta le . % - -- 30

3. - The Motif-Index - of Folk-Literature . t . 31

4. The Folkta le , . - 32

Evaluation of S t i t h Thompson and H i s Work . 3 5

Notes 37

Bibliography: The Pr inc ipal Writings of $ t i t h Thompson Concerning Folklore . 49

Erra ta . 67

The Li fe of S t i t h Thompson ---

S t i t h Thompson d id not begin h i s t r a i n i n g as a f o l k l o r e scholar , but r a t h e r as a teacher of English and composition. Nonetheless, c e r t a i n events and predispos i t ions i n h i s e a r l y l i f e contr ibuted t o the development of h i s fo lk lo re i n t e r e s t s .

1. Childhood and Early Schooling

S t i t h Thompson w a s born on March 7 , 1885 i n Nelson County, Kentucky, the son of John Thompson and El izabeth McClaskey. H i s he r i t age w a s a mixture of Scotch-Ir ish, Welsh, French, English, Dutch, and German ancestry.1 Thompson became i n t e r e s t e d i n h i s family h i s t o r y as an adolescent and continued genealogical research throughout h i s l i f e ; perhaps t h i s i n t e r e s t served as h i s in t roduct ion to the techniques and resources of research. H i s f a t h e r pursued severa l a l t e r n a t e t r a d e s and in te res t s - -as a d i s t i l l e r , a l ives tock t r a d e r , a county judge--and the family 's f i n a n c i a l s i t u a t i o n f luc tua ted . A s a r e s u l t , Thompson worked a t var ious odd jobs during h i s youth. He at tended grade school a t Pleasant Grove and a t Spring- f i e l d , Kentucky--years which he looked back upon with some fondness, as evidenced by the cornencement programs preserved i n h i s papers ( L i l l y Col lec t ion) . He r e c a l l s i n h i s autobiography t h a t he e s t ab l i shed himself e a r l y as a s tudious young man, but no t as an a the le te .2

I n 1897 the Thompson family moved t o Indianapol i s , Indiana, p a r t l y t o improve t h e i r f inances and p a r t l y t o obta in b e t t e r education f o r t h e i r son. 3 Two p a r t i c u l a r l y important events of h i s high school years influenced Thompson's ca ree r decis ions. Although he entered the Manual Training High School i n the manual ar ts , h i s d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n with t h i s curriculum caused him t o make the dec is ion t o e n t e r the l i b e r a l arts program i n s t e a d , which i n s t a l l e d i n him h i s first d e s i r e to become an English teacher.$ There i s an essay i n h i s personal papers ( L i l l y ) w r i t t e n i n 1903, descr ibing h i s f r i e n d s and teachers a t the school. From i t s romantic s t y l e , one would th ink t h a t those comrades were the most outs tanding people he could ever hope t o meet, although i n a l l h i s wr i t ings he p re fe r red to emphasize the p o s i t i v e t rai ts of h i s a s soc ia tes . I n 1902, however, Thompson took a job i n the shipping rooms of the Bobbs-Merril Publishing Company i n Indianapol i s , where he chanced t o meet and be impressed by such prominent l i t e r a r y f i g u r e s as James Whitcomb Riley and Booth Tarkington.5

2. Universi ty Training

A f t e r two years of education a t Bu t l e r College i n Indianapol i s , where he learned c l a s s i c a l La t in and Greek l i t e r a t u r e , Thompson returned t o Spr ingf ie ld , Kentucky, where he taught high school English f o r two years a t $40 a year--the experience was more b e n e f i c i a l than the pay, d With a budding i n t e r e s t i n modern drama, Thompson f i n i s h e d h i s undergraduate t r a i n i n g a t the Universi ty of Wisconsin, where, under the s t imula t ion and advice of Professor Arthur Beat ty, he learned French and German and did h i s f i r s t f o l k l o r e research. A t t h a t t i m e f o l k l o r e study i n the United S t a t e s was s l i g h t , except f o r the l i t e r a r y s tudy of ballads--which were no t perceived t o be f o l k l o r e anyway--and the anthropological work being done on the North American Indians. Beatty prompted Thompson's f o l k l o r e i n t e r e s t s i n a t l e a s t th ree ways. F i r s t , i n a ba l l ad course Beatty i n s t r u c t e d Thompson to l o c a t e the n a r r a t i v e songs of pr imi t ive peoples of North America and Africa. When h i s s tudent re turned , disheartened, and repor ted t h a t he had not been ab le t o f i n d any, Beatty conceded t h a t Thompson had a c t u a l l y found what he was supposed t o f ind : t h a t the re were none.? Second, Beatty i n s t i l l e d i n him a scept icism f o r the then cur ren t co.muna1 theory of ba l l ad o r i g i n s . 8 Fina l ly , Thompson wrote h i s Bachelor of A r t s t h e s i s , "The Return from the Dead i n Popular Tales and Ba l l ads , " under Beat ty ' s d i r e c t i o n ( t h i s work w i l l be discussed below). Thus he began the f o l k t a l e research which l e d to h i s l a t e r recog- n i t i o n of widespread types and motifs . Beat ty , u n t i l h i s death, remained an advisor t o Thompson. I n a l e t t e r t o Archer Taylor dated September 25, 1925 ( ~ i l l y ) Thompson reported t h a t he had discussed Kaarle Krohn's proposal t o r e v i s e Aarne's f o l k t a l e index with Beatty before reply ing t o Krohn.

S t i t h Thompson then took o f f another two years t o teach high school English, t h i s time i n Port land, Oregon. During t h i s per iod he taught himself Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, and Russian, and he spent a s m e r i n a lumber camp.9 Here, i n one of h i s few experiences with l i v i n g f o l k l o r e , Thompson heard the o r a l Paul Bunyan cycle from the lunber jacksa10 I n 1911 he received a fellowship to do graduate work i n English a t the Universi ty of Ca l i fo rn ia , where he s tudied with Walter Morris H a r t , an advocate of the communal o r i g i n of the b a l l a d , and C.M.

, whom he r e c a l l s as being the b e s t teacher he ever Ghi:% Thompson became i n t e r e s t e d i n P o s i t i v i s t w r i t e r s here a l s o , and developed h i s phi losophical and theo log ica l pr inc ip les .12 For h i s Master 's t h e s i s he continued work

on the mot i fs of the r e t u r n of the dead, thereby expanding h i s f a m i l i a r i t y with f o l k t a l e s ; the t h e s i s w a s e n t i t l e d , "The Idea of the Soul i n Teutonic Popular Ballads and L i t e ra tu re . "

A Bonnheim Research Fellowship enabled S t i t h Thompson t o go to Harvard to complete h i s Ph.D. s t u d i e s with the noted ba l l ad scholar , George L. Kit t redge. Thompson l a t e r wrote t h a t Kit t redge w a s a competent teacher but no t r e a l l y a f o l k l o r i s t , and t h a t he tended t o be patronizing t o h i s s tudents . 13 Three developments i n Thompson's Harvard t r a i n i n g seemed t o be p a r t i c u l a r l y important to h i s l i f e and career . F i r s t , with Ki t t redge ' s suggestions and support he researched and wrote h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n on "European Tales Among the North American Indians." Second, through these researches, he began to d i s t ingu i sh and c o l l e c t European t a l e types and motifs . I n f a c t , he repeated some of the work A n t t i Aarne had done i n h i s Verzeichnis M g r c h e n t ~ ~ e n (1910), which w a s i n t h Harvard l i b r a r y , unknown to Kit t redge and Thompson. 18 Third, Thompson met Archer Taylor, another outstanding f i g u r e i n American f o l k l o r e scholarship. They began a l i f e t i m e f r i endsh ip with a t r i p to Europe together i n 1913. The l e t t e r s from Taylor da t ing back t o the Harvard years a r e contained i n a th ick f o l d e r i n the L i l l y Collect ion.

3- Early Career

L e t t e r s i n Thompson's personal papers reveal t h a t he received severa l teaching o f f e r s a f t e r h i s graduation from Harvard i n 1914, but he chose to go t o the Universi ty of Texas a t Austin, where he taught English composition. He rented a room i n the home of John Lomax, thus beginning many years of a s soc ia t ion with John and, l a t e r , Alan Lomax. Lomax encouraged Thompson t o a t t e n d a meeting of the Texas Folklore Society, a t which the new member w a s i 'media te ly made Secretary-Treasurer. Thompson ed i t ed the first publ ica t ion of the Society with f i n a n c i a l a i d from B a r r e t t ~ e n d e l l . 1 5 This was h i s first involvement with f o l k l o r e organizat ion, the publ ica t ion of journals , and committee work. During these four years he published four English composition t e x t s , e s t ab l i sh ing an academic repu a t i o n which w a s t o open up new oppor tuni t ies f o r him.12 F ina l ly , he married Louise Faust i n 1918. She seems to have been a b r i g h t and supportive woman. Besides r a i s i n g two daughters, Dorothy and Marguerita, she accompanied him on h i s t r a v e l s and kept d e t a i l e d d i a r i e s .

Understandably, Thompson wrote l i t t l e about h i s p r i v a t e o r emotional l i f e i n h i s r e c o l l e c t i o n s except f o r the desc r ip t ion of c e r t a i n emotionally-charged events which influenced h i s c a r e e r , such as h i s f r i endsh ips with Taylor

and Lomax. Nonetheless, h i s reminiscences do convey a f e e l i n g f o r the d e l i g h t s , p ressu res , and u n c e r t a i n t i e s of a young scholar , Thompson a l s o placed a high value on s o c i a l con tac t s , c lub involvement, and the informal exchange of information. Laurens M i l l s a s s e r t s t h a t Thompson had "the s o c i a l v igor of the Blue Grass."l7 Cer ta in ly , t h i s v igor was an a s s e t i n the c r e a t i o n and maintainance of h i s tremendous network of f r i e n d s , acquaintances, and assoc ia tes .

I n 1918 Thompson moved t o Colorado College a t Colorado Springs. For the f i r s t few months of the school yea r he rewrote and condensed h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n , which had been re j ec ted by Harvard Universi ty Press because of i t s excessive l eng th ; he a l s o reorganized i t with the a i d of the notes of Bolte and Polivka. This was f i n a l l y published i n 1919 by Colorado College under the t i t l e , European Tales Among the North American Indians , and i t s acceptance by anthropologis t s and fo lk- l o r i s t s earned him a place i n Who's Who and encouraged him t o continue h i s concentrat ion on f klore--a turn ing p o i n t , so t o speak, i n h i s ca ree r . ?b

Because of poor f a c u l t y r e l a t i o n s a t Colorado, Thompson accepted a p o s i t i o n i n English a t the Universi ty of Maine a t Orono f o r one uneventful year.19 On the way t o Maine, however, he stopped a t the Harvard Universi ty l i b r a r y and discovered a copy of Aarne's Verzeichnis & Mgrchenty~en, which he copied by hand, with g r e a t r e g r e t s f o r no t having u t i l i z e d it f o r h i s d i s se r t a t ion .20 While a t Maine, Thompson received an o f f e r from Indiana Universi ty asking him t o become Direc tor of Freshman English. He accepted and moved to Bloomington i n 1921, beginning a th i r ty - four year ca ree r there .

4. Years i n Indiana and Major Folklore Research

With the support of Pres ident W i l l i a m Lowe Bryan, Thompson reorganized the Freshman Composition s t a f f , remaining with t h i s t a sk u n t i l 1937. Although the bulk of h i s work w a s s t i l l i n English L i t e r a t u r e , Thompson began t o teach f o l k l o r e courses i n Bloomington and Indianapol i s i n 1923.21 During these e a r l y years he a l s o began h i s c o l l e c t i o n of mot i f s , i n sp i red by h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n research , and h i s survey of r ep resen ta t ive North American Indian t a l e s f o r h i s book, Tales of the North American Indians (1929).

A 1926 a r t i c l e by one of Thompson's s tuden t s , Robert E. Harris, descr ibes him as the "Archdeacon of Co.ma Hounds," an ardent advocate of meticulous scholarsh ip , and a kindly f r i e n d to h i s s tudents . "He t ransmi ts t o

s tudents h i s own buoyant scholarship and en thus ias t i c p u r s u i t of knowledge, and i n s t i l l s i n them thereby t h a t d e s i r e f o r i n t e l l e c t u a l development which i s the b a s i s f o r a l l learning. "22

By 1925 Thompson had completed h i s f i r s t 400-page Motif-Index manuscript, which included mot i fs taken from the f o l k l o r e of Europe and the North American Indians. Archer Taylor encouraged him to expand the scope of the work, bu t took a copy of i t with him on a v i s i t t o Kaarle Krohn i n Finland i n 1925. Thompson's correspondence c o l l e c t i o n includes the l e t t e r s t h a t Taylor wrote back t o Thompson from Finland, giving Krohn's c r i t i c i s m s of the d r a f t (which w i l l be discussed below) and h i s sugges- t i o n t h a t Thompson might be the scho la r with the i n t e r e s t and a b i l i t y to t r a n s l a t e and expand Aarne's ~ e r z e i c h n i s . 2 3 Thompson agreed t o l a y as ide h i s motif research and planned a year i n Europe f o r 1926-27 t o r ev i se the index. The importance of t h i s t r i p should be emphasized; Thompson met a number of prominent European f o l k l o r i s t s , thereby beginning a l i f e l o n g correspondence and exchange of ideas and f a c t s with the major scholars of h i s f i e l d . He a l s o had an i n s p i r i n g meeting with Kaarle Krohn and Johannes Bolte i n Copenhagen. He regarded these men a s the g r e a t e s t f o l k l o r i s t s o f the time; both were extremely knowledgeable and they encouraged the e f f o r t s of younger scholars . Krohn, then an o ld man, repeated t o Thompson the words t h a t Reinhold Kdhler had used when expressing h i s s e l e c t i o n of Krohn a s h i s successor , and asked t h a t Thompson remember them. "It can well be imagined t h a t the confidence he expressed has stayed with me a l l through the yea r s , " wrote Thompson a t the age of 71.24

Af ter completion of the revised index, The Types of the Fo lk ta le , Thompson returned t o Bloomington to teach - and continue h i s motif research. He a l s o began c o l l e c t i n g f o l k l o r e books f o r the Indiana Universi ty Library a t t h i s time. I n 1931 he spent another summer i n Europe, renewing acquaintances and making new ones, and doin l i b r a r y and archive research f o r h i s motif col lect ion.2T The Universi ty supported h i s work during the Depression, and i n 1935, a t the age of 50, he completed the f i n a l d r a f t s of the first e d i t i o n of the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature . During the 1930's s tudents from the United S t a t e s and abroad began t o come t o Indiana Universi ty t o study f o l k l o r e with Thompson, many of them l a t e r t o e s t a b l i s h themselves f i rmly i n f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s and to d'sseminate the methods and theor ie s t h a t Thompson taught. F ina l ly , Thompson be an work on h i s f i n a l English textbook, completed i n 19 8 0--- Heritage of World L i t e ra tu re . The book w a s conceived and w r i t t e n to f i l l the need f o r a comprehensive col lege t e x t f o r a c l a s s he was teaching.27

By the time t h a t the Motif-Index appeared, S t i t h Thompson's r epu ta t ion a s a f o l k l o r i s t w a s i n t e r n a t i o n a l , br inging fame t o the man and t o Indiana University. Thompson perpetuated t h i s r epu ta t ion by h i s t r i p s abroad t o a t t e n d meetings and conferences. I n 1935 he was i n v i t e d t o a t t end a Folk ta le Congress i n Lund, Sweden, as one of twenty-five f o l k t a l e s p e c i a l i s t s ; upon h i s a r r i v a l he was introduced to the Swedish eople by the p ress as the "Linnaeus of Folklorea"28 This conference w a s Thompson's f irst i n t e r n a t i o n a l conference and h i s in t roduc t ion i n t o formalized i n t e r n a t i o n a l organiza t ion and c o , m i t t e e work.

This Congress w a s followed by two more i n 1937, a t Edinburgh and a t P a r i s , a t which he w a s ab le t o ob ta in feedback on h i s own work and promulgate the worldwide comparative study of the f o l k t a l e , which he bel ieved t o be e s s e n t i a l to fo lk lo re e f f o r t s . Thompson a l s o l ec tu red i n Dublin, I r e l a n d , i n the summer of 1937, and he accompanied Seamus O'Duilearga on a f i e l d t r i p t o record Gaelic s t o r y t e l l i n g i n the I r i s h countryside. This was h i s second memorable experience with l i v i n g f o l k l o r e , the f i rs t having been h i s summer with the Oregon lumberjacks. Because o f the popular i ty of the Aarne- Thompson type index, he was mistakenly addressed by the I r i s h as " D r . Aarne Thompson. " Fina l ly , from 1936-39 Thompson was Pres ident of the American Folklore Society.

I n March of 1939 Thompson received a s u b s t a n t i a l o f f e r from New York Universi ty t o d i r e c t the English department there . He se r ious ly considered accept ing the o f f e r , but i n a l e t t e r now found i n the L i l l y Col lec t ion Archer Taylor s t rongly dissuaded Thompson from the i l l s o f city l i f e and f rom graduate l e v e l teaching. Herman B Wells, then Pres ident o f Indiana Univers i ty , heard about the o f f e r and proposed an a l te rna t ive- -an increase i n s a l a r y ; research and conference support , annual funds f o r the purchase o f f o l k l o r e books and f o r the establishment of a s p e c i a l s e r i e s of f o l k l o r e pub l i ca t ions ; and a promotion t o the first Professorship of English and Folklore i n the United ~ t a t e s . 2 9 I n a statement de l ivered a t a memorial se rv ice following Thompson's death, Wells remarked t h a t h i s dec is ion to keep Thompson was one of the b e s t dec is ions he ever made during h i s own ca ree r a t Indiana Universi ty , f o r Thompson's r epu ta t ion enhanced t h a t of the school which supported him.

Four developments i n Thompson's l i f e i n the 1940's were p a r t i c u l a r l y important. F i r s t , f r o m 1941 -46 he wrote a survey of the f o l k t a l e and f o l k t a l e scholarsh ip --The - Folkta le (1 946) --which developed out of a seminar

he taught known as "The Folk ta le and A l l i e d Forms . "jO Second, i n 1942 he organized the F i r s t Summer Folklore I n s t i t u t e , a gathering of f o l k l o r e s tudents and scholars i n Bloomington. The I n s t i t u t e w a s held every f o u r years f o r the next two decades. Third, i n 1947 he w a s i n v i t e d by the Venezuelan Minis try of Education t o e s t a b l i s h a Folklore Service i n Caracas. Thompson, h i s wife , and daughter spent a year i n South America, v i s i t i n g f o l k l o r i s t s and museums, l e c t u r i n g , c o l l e c t i n g mate r i a l f o r the Library of Congress, and es t ab l i sh ing a successfu l and comprehensive program of f o l k l o r e c o l l e c t i n g and c l a s s i - f i c a t i o n i n Venezuela. By acquaint ing himself with the f o l k l o r e research of South America, making the information ava i l ab le i n pub l i ca t ions , and corresponding with the f o l k l o r i s t s the re , Thompson helped coordinate t h e i r e f with those of North American and European f o l k l o r i s t s . pts He returned t o South America to a t t e n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l conferences i n 1954 (Sao ~ a o l o ) and i n 1960 (Buenos Ai res ) . On the l a t t e r v i s i t he conducted a four-month l e c t u r e tour sponsored by the U.S. S t a t e Department, and checked on the progress of the Venezuelan Servic io .

F ina l ly , Thompson received a l e t t e r from Pres ident Wells while s t i l l i n South America, o f f e r i n g him the Deanship of the Graduate School a t Indiana. Thompson accepted the p o s i t i o n with the condi t ion t h a t he be given an a s s i s t a n t f o r h i s research (Jonas Balys of ~ s t o n i a ) , and he ld i t u n t i l 1950. Among o the r th ings , Thompson es tab l i shed a graduate s tudent r e s iden t h a l l , es tab l i shed the Ph.D. program i n f o l k l o r e a t the Universi ty , and helped i n s t i t u t e the Indiana Universi ty Press. 33

I n 1950 Thompson held the Midcentury Folklore Congress i n Bloomington--a combination of the Summer I n s t i t u t e , the American Folklore Socie ty , and the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Folk Music Council. He managed t o ob ta in the money to br ing severa l European f o l k l o r i s t s t o Indiana to jo in i n the four symposia on c o l l e c t i n g , a rchiv ing , studying f o l k l o r e , and making it ava i l ab le t o scho la r s and t o the publ ic . The d iscuss ions of the confer nce were published as Four Symposia Folklore i n 1953.38 Here, too , Thompson f e l t t h a t the informal conversations were of g r e a t e s t b e n e f i t , though c e r t a i n l y the published discussions touch upon c r u c i a l p a s t and present i s s u e s i n f o l k l o r e scholarship.

Thompson published a rev i s ion of the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature from 1955-58, with the a i d of Balys a n r seve ra l o t h e r research a s s i s t a n t s . He at tended more i n t e r n a t i o n a l conferences and meetings i n the 195OPs, h e r s i n g himself i n co .mi t t ee work ( inc luding a p o s i t i o n on the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Commission of Folklore and the

Performing A r t s ) , publ ic l e c t u r e s , f requent meetings of U.S. s o c i e t i e s , and continuing supervis ion of s tuden t s , c o l l e c t i o n s , monographs, and indexes. I n 1951-52 he was a Fulbr ight l e c t u r e r i n 0~10 .35 He was named Distinguished Service Professor of English and Folklore i n 1953, and i n 1955, a t the age of 7 0 , he r e t i r e d from teaching a t Indiana Universi ty . He hardly r e t i r e d from work, however; from 1956-57 he spent a year i n Europe on a Guggenheim Fellowship, researching archives t o r e v i s e the Types of the Folk ta le - - th i r ty years a f t e r h i s f i r s t European f o l k t a l e research.

Thompson continued to accept some s m e r teaching p o s i t i o n s a t var ious u n i v e r s i t y i e s through the 1960 's , and he continued t o publ ish journal and encyclopedia a r t i c l e s . I n 1958 he published (with Jonas ~ a l y s ) The Oral Tales of I n d i a , and i n 1960 Types of Indic Fo lk ta les m t h Warren ~ o b e r t s ) . These indexes were the r e s u l t of twenty yea s of i n t e r m i t t e n t research on the f o l k t a l e s of Ind ia . 3g While a t tending the organiza t ional mee t i n g o f the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Associat ion f o r Folk-Narrative Research i n Kie l i n 1959, Thom son received a f i f t h Honorary Doctorate of L e t t e r s . 3 7

I n 1968 Thompson published h i s las t book, One Hundred Favori te Fo lk ta le s , a systematic compilation of s e l e c t e d f o l k t a l e s . This i s the l e a s t scholar ly of any of h i s works; many major f o l k t a l e a r e a s were omitted, and only marginal da ta about d i s t r i b u t i o n were included. 38 I n the summer of 1961 he taught a t the Universi ty of H a w a i i , and at tended the P a c i f i c S c i e n t i f i c Congress i n Honolulu.39 By the 1960's the Folklore I n s t i t u t e had become a year- round program, d i rec ted by D r . R.M. Dorson, and Thompson took no g r e a t p a r t i n i t .

There i s l i t t l e information ava i l ab le about h i s las t yea r s , except t h a t he spent them i n a nursing home i n Columbus, Indiana, and t h a t h i s hea l th f a i l e d dramat ica l ly a f t e r h i s wife died. He made occasional t r i p s t o Bloomington t o v i s i t w i t h f o l k l o r i s t s and f r i e n d s there . Thompson died on January 1 0 , 1976 a t the age of 90.

Before concluding the d iscuss ion o f Thompson's l i f e , a word should be s a i d about the two p r i v a t e l y multigraphed volumes of h i s reminiscences, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Propress (1956) and Second Wind (1966). Not only do they conta in a wealth of information and autobiographical data, but they o f f e r e x c i t i n g i n s i g h t s i n t o the i n t e r a c t i o n s of f o l k l o r i s t s i n Europe and the Americas. Thompson wrote i n d e t a i l about the d inners , meetings, l i b r a r y conversat ions, and the l i k e with f o l k l o r e f r i e n d s and

a s s o c i a t e s , gradual ly e labora t ing through personal experience the expansion of f o l k l o r e c o l l e c t i o n , research, and methodology during the f i r s t s i x t y years of the twentieth century.

Thompson's Major Fo lk lore P u b l i c a t i o n s

1. Theses and D i s s e r t a t i o n s

S t i t h ~hompson 's e a r l i e s t f o l k l o r e w r i t i n g s were h i s Bachelor o f A r t s (Wisconsin 1908) and Master o f A r t s ( C a l i f o r n i a 1912) t heses . I n t h e former, "The Return of t h e Dead i n Popular Tales and Ba l l ads , " Thompson followed t h e evolu t ionary an th ropo log ica l i d e a s o f t h e e r a , s t a t i n g t h a t people of t h e same s t a g e of c u l t u r a l development have t h e same i d e a s about t he dead. These b e l i e f s may p e r s i s t i n t o a l a t e r s t a g e of c u l t u r e as " f o s s i l s . " Thompson s e l e c t e d a t random f o l k t a l e and b a l l a d m o t i f s which he thought i n d i c a t e d a b e l i e f i n temporary o r permanent r e t u r n from the dead, t he l a t t e r being a more a n c i e n t b e l i e f . He seems t o have f i t t e d h i s d a t a t o h i s s p e c u l a t i o n s ; b u t , none the less , t he t h e s i s r e p r e s e n t s ex t ens ive r e sea rch on f o l k t a l e s and t h e i r elements.

"The Idea of the Soul , " w r i t t e n i n 1912, w a s l i m i t e d t o a survey o f Teutonic f o l k l o r e ; even s o , t he t rea tment w a s r a t h e r broad. A l e t t e r from Arthur Bea t ty i n t h e L i l l y C o l l e c t i o n da ted 1912 sugges t s t h a t , indeed, Bea t ty f e l t t he t o p i c t o be too broad, b u t t he i d e a t o be a good one, f o r such a t rea tment had n o t y e t been done. One can see a refinement i n the specu la t ions of the e a r l i e r t h e s i s , though Thompson cont inued t o uphold the i d e a t h a t t h e b a l l a d was a l a t e r form than the t a l e , probably composed from f o l k t a l e elements. He w a s much more c a u t i o u s i n h i s g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s , s t a t i n g t h a t "Any d e f i - n i t e g e n e r a l i z a t i o n as t o f o l k b e l i e f by the cons ide ra t ion of mu l t i t udes of p o i n t s ga thered f r o a g r e a t c o l l e c t i o n of t a l e s i s open t o some c r i t i c i s m . "go This i s among the f irst of many s ta tements Thompson w a s t o make i n h i s books and a r t i c l e s warning a g a i n s t ove rgene ra l i za t ion from i n s u f f i c i e n t da t a . Although he w a s an advocate of comparative f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s , he be l i eved t h a t comparisons should n o t be made u n t i l i n d i v i d u a l i t ems a r e thoroughly a tud ied .

When G.L.Kittredge read a l e t t e r i n a b a l l a d c l a s s from a n an th ropo log i s t who had c o l l e c t e d what he be l i eved t o be a European t a l e from t h e North American I n d i a n s , Thompson's i n t e r e s t w a s s u f f i c i e n t l y s t imu la t ed t o l e a d him t o r e sea rch such t a l e s f o r h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n . I n t h e p roces s o f research ing and becoming familiar wi th European and North American Ind ian t a l e s , Thompson began h i s c o l l e c t i o n of m o t i f s , and e s s e n t i a l l y repea ted some of t h e work which Aarne had a l r e a d y done f o r h i s

index of Northern European t a l e types. I n the d i s s e r t a - t i o n , which was published as European Tales Among the North American Indians i n 1919 and a an a r t i c l e c a l l e d "Sunday 8 School S t o r i e s Among Savages," 1 Thompson concluded t h a t the French had contr ibuted the g r e a t e s t number of t a l e s to the North American Indians, followed by the Spanish, the Negroes, and the English. He a l s o pointed out the e s s e n t i a l s t a b i l i t y of most of the Old World t a l e s i n the New World, but noted t h a t some of them had undergone processes of i n t e g r a t i o n i n t o t r i b a l l o r e , which should be studied--a foreshadowing of the processes he w a s t o be concerned with i n connection with historic-geographic s tud ies . Warren Roberts, i n a review of the published book i n 1965, a s s e r t e d t h a t the d i s s e r t a t i o n has r mained a bas ic f o l k l o r e and anthropology research too l . 83

2. Writings Concerning Primit ive Folklore

Tales of.- North American Indians w a s p a r t i a l l y an outgrowth of Thompson's d i s s e r t a t i o n , f u l f i l l i n g a need he recognized f o r a systematic , representa t ive c o l l e c t i o n of North American Indian f o l k t a l e s from a l l the c u l t u r e a r e a ~ . ~ 4 I n h i s in t roduct ion , Thompson surveyed previous work done by anthropologis t s and amateurs i n c o l l e c t i n g the t a l e s , and he provided comments about the nature of the l o r e i n the var ious areas . He observed t h a t genre boundaries i n pr imi t ive t a l e s a r e weak, and t h a t explanatory elements may be added a t a l a t e r t e l l i n g . Thompson included t r i c k s t e r t a l e s , hero t a l e s , c rea t ion myths, and s t o r i e s of otherworld journeys and of animal wives and husbands, i n t h e i r bes t - to ld vers ions ; he added comparative notes and i n s e r t e d motif numbers which coincided with those of the Motif-Index. Archer Taylor, reviewing the book, agreed t h a t i t met a l l reasonable demands f o r a survey, represent ing a compromise be een the demans of the publ ic and those of s c h o l a r s y 5 Other reviewers have pointed out t h a t t a l e s from the Southern P l a i n s , Sout e r n Ca l i fo rn ia , and the Southwest were ~ n d e r r e ~ r e s e n t e d . 4 k

A word may be added here concerning Thompson's ideas about pr imi t ive f o l k l o r e , though they a r e no t exclusive of h i s i d e a s about f o l k l o r e i n general . Most of pr imi t ive c u l t u r e belongs i n the province of ethnology and a thropology; pr imi t ive a r t and music need s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n . b S t o r y t e l l i n g , however, i s universal . There i s a continuum from pr imi t ive t o soph i s t i ca ted l i t e r a t u r e , and e luc ida t ion of the process of develo Thompson f e l t , i s a major goal of f o l k l o r e study. gvenk t only the na t ive f o l k l o r e , bu t the in teg ra ted l o r e borrowed from higher c u l t u r e s should be consideredr s t u d i e s of ind iv idua l items , t h e i r probable o r i g i n and d i s t r i b u t i o n should precede comparative s tud ies and t h e o r e t i c a l evaluat ions of

s t y l e , funct ion , and performance. 49 Thompson repeatedly emphasized t h a t type indexes should be made of the P a c i f i c a r e a , the North and South American Indians , and k f r i c a , and h i s s tuden t s d id indeed begin indexing work i n these a reas .

Thompson's f irst a r t i c l e about pr imi t ive f o l k l o r e , "The P r e h i s t o r i c Origins of S a t i r e " (1916) was r a t h e r an embarrassment t o him l a t e r . S a t i r e , he s t a t e d , was the product of an i r r a t i o n a l savage mind, a p re log ica l menta l i ty , and was a c t u a l l y a poe t i c form of the c ~ r s e . 5 ~ A s Thompson's knowledge of f o l k l o r e increased and matured, he a l t e r e d h i s est imation of pr imi t ive mental processes , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n regard t o myth. He l a t e r bel ieved t h a t myth-making processes have no t changed from pr imi t ive t o modern people. One must consider a c u l t u r e ' s own d e f i n i t i o n of i t s myths, j u s t a s we have worked ou t our own genre d i s t i n c t i o n s f o r Western fo lk lo re . 51 Thompson d id n o t think t h a t f o l k l o r i s t s knew enough about the o r i g i n and dissemination of myths to specula te on the na ture of mythology. He f requent ly described psychoanalytic, r i t u a l i s t i c , and dream theor ie s of myth as nonsense. One cannot f i t a broad range of ma te r i a l i n t o a s i n g l e mold. Myth means what i t sa s ; the ques t f o r ou t s ide meanings i s doomed t o f a i l u r e . 32

3. Indexes

The Types of the Folkta le - The request made of Thompson by Krohn t o r e v i s e Aarne's

type index has already been mentioned. Krohn r e a l i z e d t h a t the amount of ma te r i a l published s ince the index had been w r i t t e n necess i t a t ed an expansion and revis ion . Aarne died before being ab le t o continue the t a sk , and Thompson w a s asked t o do so. He t r a n s l a t e d the index from Finnish i n t o English, expanded the ma te r i a l from Northern European c o l l e c t i o n s t o include Southern and Eastern Europe, Great B r i t a i n , and, to a l e s s e r e x t e n t , India . He made use of the notes of Bolte and Polivka, Reidar Th. Chr is t iansen ' s survey f Norwegian t a l e s , and o t h e r similar recent works. 5 3

"Type," s a i d Thompson, i s a "term used by s tuden t s of f o l k l i t e r a t u r e to designate a n a r r a t i v e capable of maintaining an independent exis tence i n t r a d i t i o n . " The vers ion given i n the index w a s no t se lec ted according t o a e s t h e t i c c r i t e r i a of good and bad, but i s r a t h e r a t h e o r e t i c a l recons t ruc t ion of the probable archetype of the t a l e f o r use i n a p r a c t i c a l l i s t i n g and catalogue of t a l e s . The indexing process , then, implies a bas ic assumption t h a t a t a l e i s an e n t i t y w i t h a h i s t o r y and an o r ig in . 54 More w i l l be s a i d about archetypes i n the

discussion of the historic-geographic method below. Thompson wrote about the d i f f i c u l t y determining j u s t what po in t i n a t a l e i s important enough t o use i n i t s c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ; he emphasized t h a t t a l e types grouped together by sub jec t i n the index do not necessa r i ly have any genet ic r e l a t i o n - sh ip to each other-- that i s the job f o r the f o l k l o r i s t to f i n d out through exact ing me thodology and comparative ana lys i s . 55

Thompson re ta ined Aarne's c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of the t a l e s i n t o animal t a l e s , ordinary t a l e s , and jokes and anecdotes, but he added sec t ions on formula t a l e s and miscellaneous t a l e s . He omitted l i t e r a r y c o l l e c t i o n s and l o c a l legends. The second rev i s ion (1961 ) , f irst proposed i n the Lund Conference i n 1935, expanded the index t o incorporate new c o l l e c t i o n s and surveys. There were a few minor chan e s i n organizat ion a s wel l . I n a l e t t e r to Chr is t iansen f August 18,1957--Lilly c o l l e c t i o n ) Thompson l i s t e d the c r i t e r i a he used i n checking each archive before making the r ev i s ion ; how many of each type d id the archive possess; what types not i n the index were i n the archives ; and what changes i n the desc r ip t ions of the types would the archives suggest. Bibliographies and motif numbers a r e included i n both ed i t ions . Students using the index should read the in t roduct ion c a r e f u l l y and check the l i s t of abbreviat ions used i n the work i n order t o l o c a t e types e f f e c t i v e l y and t o understand the na ture of the genres and a r e a s d e a l t with. The T ~ s e s of the Folk ta le i s an index only f o r the f o l k t a l e regions from "India to I r e l and ;" Thompson bel ieved t h a t o t h e r l a r g e a reas should be indexed separa te ly . I d e a l l y , separate indexes f o r each genre should be wr i t t en .

The Mo t i f - Index of Folk-Literature - The Mo t i f - Index (two e d i t i o n s ) i s Thompson's most

monumental f o l k l o r e work, embodying a t l e a s t f o r t y years of research. I t i s the publ ica t ion which Thompson refer red t o most f requent ly i n h i s a r t i c l e s . Thompson was impressed by the world-wide s i m i l a r i t i e s i n f o l k l o r e matifs--some of them the r e s u l t of independent invent ion from the universa l na ture of human experience, some of them the r e s u l t of d i f fus ion . He noted t h a t over one-half of the t a l e types i n Aarne's index cons is ted of only one motif , and t h a t t h e i r exis tence as independent f o l k l o r e elements should be documented. The Motif-Index i s a p r a c t i c a l l i s t i n g of motifs f o r the scho la r t o use i n s t u d i e s of the o r i g i n and dissemination of t a l e s . Motifs a r e grouped by sub jec t , and, as i n the type index, Thompson did n o t in tend to imply a r e l a t i o n s h i p among mot i fs appearing together . I t i s a s i e n t i f i c c l a s s i f i c a t i o n system l i k e t h a t used by b io logis t s .58 Though previous

at tempts had been made by severa l scholars (such as von Hahn, J. Jacobs, KBhler) to cons t ruc t such l is ts , they had been too narrow i n d e f i n i t i o n and scope.57 Thus the index was no t meant to be an end i n i t s e l f , but only the foundation f o r f u t u r e research--par t icu lar ly h i s t o r i c - geographic study.

"In f o l k l o r e , the term motif i s used to designate any one of the p a r t s i n t o which an item of f o l k l o r e can be analyzed," s a i d Thompson. I t may be an i n c i d e n t , a s h o r t , simple s t o r y i n i t s e l f , a background o b j e c t , an imaginary world, a charac ter . A motif must have some- th ing unusual about i t t h a t enables i t t o p e r s i s t i n t r a d i t i o n . Whereas the Finnish f o l k l o r i s t s who developed the historic-geographic method bel ieved t h a t each m o t i f was o r i g i n a l l y p a r t of j u s t one t a l e , Thompson a s s e r t e d t h a t mot i fs a r e independent elements which may be universal i n d i s t r i b u t i o n o r widespread i n p a r t i c u l a r t a l e types over l a r g e a r e a s , i 8 but not necessa r i ly a t tached i n o r i g i n to a s ing le t a l e .

I n assembling mate r i a l f o r the index, Thompson used both l i t e r a r y and o r a l sources , because of the d i f f i c u l t y i n separa t ing the constant flow of elements between the two t r a d i t i o n s , Narrative elements of myths, f a b l e s , f o l k t a l e s , f ab l i aux , medieval romances, exempla, j e s t - books, and l o c a l t r a d i t i o n s were included, the legends being given the l e a s t considerat ion. No s u p e r s t i t i o n s , customs, proverbs, o r r i d d l e s were surveyed. The index conta ins both general and regional b ib l iographies , twenty-three chapters of motif c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s (each with i ts own synops is ) , cross-references, and a s i x t h volume which i s an index to the index, The s tudent should check the i n t r o d u c t i o n c a r e f u l l y before t r y i n g t o use e i t h e r ed i t ion .

The rev i s ion of the Motif-Index was begun i n 1947, and i t w a s published i n 1955-58, I t represents a more than f i f t y percent expansion over the f irst e d i t i o n , incorpora t ing the more recen t c o l l e c t i o n s and s t u d i e s n o t previously ava i l ab le . Neither the type index nor motif-index was s o l e l y the work of one person, The correspondence f i l e s i n the L i l l y Collect ion reveal t h a t Thompson received suggestions and m o t i f s from numerous scholars , not the l e a s t of whom was Archer Taylor, who had advised Thompson on the indexes from t h e i r beginnings. For the second e d i t i o n Thompson was a b l e to use a s s i s t a n t s and s e c r e t a r i e s funded by the University. The Motif -Index insp i red o the r w r i t e r s t o make to make regional and genre indexes based upon the same system--for example, Frank Hoffman's index of e r o t i c f o l k l o r e elements. Thompson purposely

excluded e r o t i c mot i fs from h i s index. H i s rep ly to a l e t t e r from Gershon Legman request ing information on e r o t i c ba l l ads was b r i e f , simply s t a t i n g t h a t he had no i n t e r e s t i n the "pornography" of folklore.59

C. The Indexes of Ind ic Tales

Thompson discounted Theodor Benfey's theory t h a t European f o l k t a l e s came from Ind ia , but he recognized t h a t i t w a s an important a r e a i n fo lk lo re dissemination which deserved separate study. The most important l i t e r a r y c o l l e c t i o n s , he noted, came from India an were e spec ia l ly i n f l u e n t i a l i n Europe i n the Middle Ages.80 Thompson began research on the f o l k t a l e s of Ind ia i n 1938. H i s o r i g i n a l i n t e n t i o n was to wr i t e a type index of the t a l e s , but because of the formless nature of the n a r r a t i v e s he found i t necessary to wr i t e a motif index f i r s t . This index, e n t i t l e d The Oral Tales of Ind ia , was published with Jonas Balys i n 1958, followed by the type index, Types of Ind iq Folk ta les (with Warren ~ o b e r t s ) i n 1960. Both indexes follow the schemes and numerical organizat ions of Thompson's previous indexes. No at tempt w a s made t o include l i t e r a r y c o l l e c t i o n s , however, and the researchers used only those c o l l e c t i o n s ava i l ab le i n the United ~ t a t e s . ~ 1 Again, these works were intended t o be t o o l s f o r f o l k l o r e research.

4. The Study and Description of Folklore

The next two books to be considered contain Thompson's own t h e o r e t i c a l and methodological statements as well a s evaluat ions of p a s t and present t rends i n fo lk lo re scholarship. J& Folkta le , published i n 1946, i s a good in t roduct ion t o the theor ie s of the f o l k t a l e u n t i l the time of i t s publ ica t ion , and to the broad concerns of the author. Through h i s discussion of f o l k t a l e scholarship, Thompson unfolds h i s plans and hopes f o r the fu tu re of h i s d i s c i - p l i n e , the mistakes of the p a s t , and the methods of the present . The majori ty of Thompson's a r t i c l e s dea l with one o r more sub jec t s discussed i n The Folkta le- -e i ther as s t e p s i n the development of h i s convict ions, o r as modi- f i c a t i o n s o r e labora t ions of them.

Although he w a s aware of new t rends i n f o l k l o r e scholarship, Thompson changed few of h i s ideas a f t e r 1946, devoting more of h i s time to organiza t ional work than t o the cons t ruc t ion of theor ies . I n a 1965 correspondence with Alan Dundes, Thompson s t a t e d some of h i s doubts about s t r u c t u r a l and psychoanalytic analyses of f o l k l o r e , and and concluded t h a t he himself was a representa t iye of the p a s t attempting t o give the advice of experience t o the new generation.62

Thompson wrote t o A.H. Gayton on October 26, 1946 concernin the methodology, production, and goals of The Folk ta le $ L i l l y Col lec t ion) . I n t h i s l e t t e r , he s t a t e s t h a t he o f f e r s t o the i n t e l l i g e n t reader a book synthe- s i z i n g the accomplishments of f o l k t a l e scholarsh ip , and p resen t s a not ion of the a c t u a l content of a l a r g e por t ion o f t a l e s from the European, A s i a t i c , and North American Indian t r a d i t i o n s . I n the f i r s t p a r t of the book, Thompson d iscusses s t o r y t e l l i n g and the var ious forms of the f o l k t a l e , including legends, novel las , myths, and hero t a l e s , among o thers . He summarizes p a s t s t u d i e s of genres and types and t r i e s t o give an idea of h i s t o r i c a l connections, developments, and the dissemination of f o l k t a l e s . Tradi t ion i s the key c r i t e r i o n i n Thompson's d e f i n i t i o n of f o l k l o r e , whether i t be a n a r r a t i v e , song, dance, b e l i e f , custom, o r item of ma te r i a l cu l tu re . "The co,mon idea . . . i s t h a t of t r a d i t i o n , something handed down from one person t o another and preserved e i t h e r by memory o r p r a c t i c e r a t h e r than w r i t t e n record. $163 This process of transmission of f o l k l o r e i tems i s more c r u c i a l than o r i g i n s i n def in ing them a s fo lk lo re . Thompson noted t h a t f o l k l o r e i s charac ter ized by the s t a b i l i t y of i t s e s s e n t i a l content i n t r a d i t i o n and the v a r i a t i o n s produced by the laws of transmission; a s an o r a l phenomenon i t has no s t dard forms such as a r e found i n l i t e r a r y t r a d i t i o n . $$

Thompson began h i s f o l k t a l e i n t e r e s t s a s a s tudent of l i t e r a t u r e , and he cons tant ly emphasized the i n t e r - r e l a t i o n s h i p s of o r a l and w r i t t e n n a r r a t i v e versions. L i t e r a t u r e and o r a l l i t e r a t u r e a r e a c t u a l l y very d i f f e r e n t , each following d i f f e r e n t laws of transmission, but they may seem a l i k e on the su r face , s ince there has been an interchange o f content , even s t y l e , be t w e e ~ ~ t h e m s ince the very beginnings of w r i t t e n l i t e r a t u r e .

Three f u r t h e r po in t s about Thompson's ideas should be made here. F i r s t , Thompson regarded genre d i s t i n c t i o n s l a r g e l y as a mat ter of convenience f o r s tudy, i n the same manner as the types and mot i fs of h i s indexes should be used. One should look a t the genre d e f i n i t i o n s of each c u l t u r e i n regard t o i t s own f o l k l o r e , e s p e c i a l l y i n prin&tive c u l t u r e s where n a r r a t i v e d i s t i n c t i o n s a r e vague. Secondly, the s i m i l a r i t i e s of bas ic human s i t u a t i o n s and experiences, and the nature of human thought have produced p a r a l l e l s i n fo lk lo re types and motifs through independent invent ion. One must not be too has ty i n assuming d i f fus ion between two s i m i l a r motifs i n separa te p laces before the possib l i t y of polygenesis has been adequately considered. b7 Third, Thompson re-emphasizes i n t h i s s e c t i o n the u n i v e r s a l i t y of the a r t of s t o r y t e l l i n g , p a r t i c u l a r l y among p r e - l i t e r a t e

peoples f o r whom i t i s an e s s e n t i a l means of transmission of information and entertainment. Laws of r e a t i o n and transmission a r e the same i n a l l cu l tu res . 68

The second p a r t of The Folkta le i s a discussion of the e s s e n t i a l t a l e types of the India-Ireland t r a d i t i o n drawn from the content of the Aarne-Thompson index. S imi lar ly , the t h i r d sec t ion dea l s with pr imi t ive f o l k t a l e s , and i t p a r a l l e l s much of the content of Tales of the North American Indians. These aspec t s of h i s work have already been considered above. The las t p a r t , on studying Zhe f o l k t a l e , has been reviewed a l t e r n a t e l y as the b e s t 9 and the worst7O sec t ion of the book, depending upon whether the reviewer a s soc ia tes himself with the theor ie s o r methods which Thompson accepts o r r e j e c t s .

I n the first chapter of P a r t 4, Thompson evaluates the p a s t theor ie s of the f o l k t a l e . These include:

a. The broken-down myth theory of f o l k t a l e o r i g i n s supported by the Grims which assumed a common Indo-European mythology;

b. The theor ie s of the comparative mythologists, l e d by Max MUller and George Cox, who bel ieved t h a t these Indo-European myths were a l l e g o r i e s of c e l e s t i a l phenomena;

c. The I n d i a n i s t theory of Theodor Benfey, Reinhold Kdhler, and o the r s , which assigned primary importance to Ind ia as a source of European and A s i a t i c f o l k t a l e s ;

d. The evolutionary anthropological theor ie s of the fol lowers of E.B. Tylor and Andrew Lang, who supported the not ion of uniform evolutionary s tages of cu l tu re and independent invent ion of f o l k l o r e items;

e. The r i t u a l i s t t heor ie s which assumed t h a t a l l n a r r a t i v e genres a r e derived from pr imi t ive r i t u a l .

Thompson concludes t h a t each of these theor ie s may be appl icable t o c e r t a i n s i t u a t i o n s and t a l e s , but t h a t one cannot genera l ize and at tempt t o explain a l l of o r a l t r a d i t i o n by one formula. 71 I n r e j e c t i n g these encompassing theor ie s , Thompson demonstrates the goal of h i s scholarship --one cannot speculate on the meaning o r u l t imate o r i g i n of fo lk lo re forms u n t i l one has examined the ava i l ab le f a c t s concerning the h i s t o r y of each item. 72

I n a word, the goal of the scho la r of fo lk- l o r e i s a thorough knowledge of a l l the circumstances concerning every p a r t i c u l a r i t e m of f o l k t r a d i t i o n . This means not only the h i s t o r y of the p a r t i c u l a r item but a l s o an a n a l y s i s of i t , so a s t o understand i ts t r u e nature. 73

The chapter on "The I n t e r n a t i o n a l Organization of Folk ta le Study" i s a compilation of information based upon Thompson*~ researches and personal f a m i l i a r i t y with European and American scholarship. He d iscusses the development of f o l k l o r e as a d i s c i p l i n e i n most European coun t r i e s and i n the United S t a t e s , with emphasis upon the cont r ibut ions of the Finnish f o l k l o r i s t s . This s e c t i o n , combined with some of Thompson's a r t i c l e s and personal correspondence, adds t o the p i c t u r e of the i n t e r a c t i o n of men and ideas , the changing t h e o r i e s and d e f i n i t i o n s of the f i r s t p a r t of t h i s century mentioned above i n the discussion of h i s reminiscences. ?4 Thompson s t a t e d i n a 1932 a r t i c l e t h a t he bel ieved t h a t the ch ie f developments of the f i r s t f o r t y years of f o l k l o r e scholarsh ip were: 1. the annotat ion of the Grim c o l l e c t i o n by Bolte and Polivka, who brought together every s i g n i f i c a n t c o l l e c t i o n ; 2. the development of f o l k l o r e a rchives ; 3. the compilation of b ib l iographies and encyclopedias; 4. the establishment of the Folklore Fellows Colnmunications as an instrument of c o l l e c t i o n , organiza t ion , and pub l i ca t ion of ma te r i a l of i n t e r n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s . 75

Thompson c r e d i t s the Finns with providing the impetus f o r comparative f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s and s c i e n t i f i c methodology, not ing the succeses of the archives , c l a s s i f i c a t i o n systems, journals (e.g. m), and methods, p a r t i c u l a r l y the historic-geographic method developed by J u l i u s and Kaarle Krohn.

A f i n a l development of f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s which Thompson d iscusses i n t h i s chapter i s the i n t e r n a t i o n a l organiza t ion of f o l k l o r i s t s i n t o a s soc ia t ions and con- g resses , such as the Lund and Edinburgh congresses. Although the information he g ives i s very genera l , i t i s a use fu l in t roduct ion t o the organiza t ional forms of the d i s c i p l i n e . Thompson's p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n these i n s t i t u t i o n s i s discussed f u r t h e r below.

The next chapter , "Collect ing Folklore," i s , i n a sense, a r e t u r n t o the bas ic s t e p s of scholarship. Thompson emphasized severa l a spec t s of co l l ec t ing . F i r s t , he s t rongly advocated f a i t h f u l recording of t e x t s and the maintenance of the a u t h e n t i c i t y o f the o r a l form. 76 Second, he f requent ly discussed the l o c a t i o n of informants v i a u n i v e r s i t i e s , l o c a l s o c i e t i e s , and schools. Elder ly and middle-aged people usual ly make the b e s t informants. School ch i ld ren should not be used a s informants but may be he lp fu l i n loca t ing o l d e r people.77 Third, Thompson evaluated the techniques, advocating the use of a shorthand o r a recording machine to k ep the i n t e r - viewing s i t u a t i o n a s n a t u r a l as possible.78 A thorough knowledge of l o c a l mot i fs and p l o t s can be used by the

c o l l e c t o r t o s t imula te h i s informants. F ina l ly , Thompson suggested t h a t Arnerican c o l l e c t o r s use the experiences of European c o l l e c t o r s , p a r t i c u l a r l y the I r i s h , a s guide l ines . The I r i s h Folklore Commission, which u t i l i z e s fu l l - t ime and part-t ime c o l l e c t o r s as well as chi ldren , was one of Thompson's f a v o r i t e examples, e spec ia l ly s ince he had had the opportunity t o observe i t f i r s thand. American c o l l e c t o r s need more organizat ion, a broader f o l k l o r e background, and a c e n t r a l o r regional guidebook. 79

The chapter on "Classifying Folk Narrative" contains an o u t l i n e of e a r l y at tempts a t l i s t i n g and cataloging t a l e s p r i o r t o Thompson's own indexing work, i n which he drew upon these preceding e f f o r t s . Again he po in t s out the p r a c t i c a l value of l i s t i n g types and mot i fs p r i o r t o making f u r t h e r analyses and surveys of t a l e s , t a l e a reas , and genres.

"The Li fe History of a Folktale" dea ls with the historic-geographic method developed by Finnish scholars . Thompson modified the method (as have most s tudents who have used i t ) ; he demonstrated i t i n h i s a n a l y s i s of "The Star-Husband Tale ," and he helped propagate i t s usefulness mong scholars by wr i t ing f requent ly about i t and encouraging h i s own s tudents t o employ it. H i s indexes were used as t o o l s by historic-geographic researchers . Thompson c red i t ed the development of a more s c i e n t i f i c approach to f o l k l o r e with taking the "study of o r a l na r ra t ive from a purely specula t ive s t a g t o one where r e s u l t s a r e based upon ascer ta ined f a c t s . ~ 8 0 The method involves the d e t a i l e d a n a l y s i s of the h i s t o r y of a complex t a l e to der ive i t s hypothet ica l o r i g i n a l form. The f o l k t a l e can revea l the c u l t u r a l values of i t s c r e a t o r s , s a i d Thompson; i t i s more than j u s t a surv iva l from the pas t . However, i n order to der ive much meaning from i t , one needs t o know the probable o r i g i n a l form and the h i s t o r y of i t s dissemination.

Thompson d iscusses the method thoroughly i n t h i s chapter , i n h i s a n a l y s i s of "The Star-Husband Tale ," and i n Four S~mposia . Since the method i s based upon l o g i c , i t must be modified t o the p a r t i c u l a r t a l e and s i t u a t i o n one i s working with. I d e a l l y , one should have a t l e a s t seventy-five vers ions of the t a l e , f o r the more versions one uses , the s a f e r a r e one's conclusions. The t a l e should be complex so t h a t i t can be broken i n t o traits. 'These a r e not mot i fs , bu t r a t h e r the po in t s of va r i a t ion . 'Oral versions should be arranged geographically4 l i t e r a r y versions chronologically. The t a l e should be divided i n t o t rai ts , mapped, analyzed by s t a t i s t i c a l counts, and

evaluated by c e r t a i n c r i t e r i a enumerated by ~ h o m ~ s o n . ~ ~ Gradually one can cons t ruc t hypothet ica l sub-types which seem to be l o c a l developments of h i s t o r i c a l and geo- graphica l processes.

These sub-types must be ascer ta ined before one con- s t r u c t s the archetype, which is , e s s e n t i a l l y , the probable o r i g i n a l form from which the sub-types could have developed. I t i s a l o g i c a l cons t ruc t ion with h e u r i s t i c va lus , n o t merely a t abu la t ion of the most f requent ly found t r a i t s O 8 2 Since the concept of archetype has been f requent ly m i s - understood, Thompson emphasizes t h a t i t i s no t the a c t u a l o r i g i n a l form, merely a hypothet ica l one which can be used t o expla in the v i c i s s i t u d e s of the t a l e a s i t t r a v e l l e d . One cannot know the exact p l a of o r i g i n of the t a l e , only its e a r l i e s t known home. 8g One assumption of the methodology i s t h a t the home a r e a of t h t a l e w i l l r e t a i n a form c l o s e s t t o the or ig ina l .88 Af ter the groundwork i s done, one can hypothesize about the laws of o r a l transmission which a f f e c t e d the spread and v a r i a t i o n of the t a l e . Thompson summarizes some of h i s reasons f o r using the method:

If the t r a d i t i o n i s purely o r a l , i t i s cont inual ly i n f l u x and the vers ions one has before him each represent only the form i n which a p a r t i c u l a r t e l l e r a t a p a r t i c u l a r place on a p a r t i c u l a r day t o l d the s tory . There i s of course no ques- t i o n of the recons t ruc t ion of the s tandard t e x t , f o r the t a l e changes from day to day. The most t h a t the s tudent can hope f o r i s t h a t on the b a s i s o f a very extensive sampling he may be a b l e t o d i sce rn the elements i n t h i s f l u i d t r a d i t i o n and i f he i s fo r tuna te , to say something i n t e l - l i g e n t about the general place o f o r i g i n and the form of the t r a d i t i o n before i t s t a r t e d on i t s long journey over the world.86

Thompson w a s c a r e f u l t o consider the c r i t i c i s m s d i rec ted a t the Finnish methodology, reminding h i s readers t h a t through evaluat ion of these c r i t i c i s m s one could improve the methods. Alber t Wesselski argued f o r the predominance of the l i t e r a r y over the o r a l t r a d i t i o n throughout h i s to ry . Thompson thought t h a t Wesselsky w a s too narrow-minded, but he acknowledged the importance of l i t e r a r y inf luences and the need t o do more research on on the problem. C.W. von Sydow argued aga ins t the theory of wave-like d i f fus ion o f f o l k t a l e s supported by many his tor ic-geographic scholars , poin t ing out t h a t d i f f u s i o n i s the r e s u l t of the a c t i v i t i e s of a few g i f t e d t e l l e r s

only and i s therefore e r r a t i c . He a l s o emphasized the importance of l i n g u i s t i c and geographical boundaries i n hampering d i f fus ion; l o c a l redact ions of t a l e s , he argued, a r e not sub-types derived from a disseminated archetype, b u t a r e separa te regional developments from a common d i s t a n t ances tor (oikotypes) . Thompson admitted the need f o r more s t u d i e s of transmission, but bel ieved t h a t the completed t a l e monographs amply demonstrated the d i f fus ion of t a l e s over l i n g u i s t i c and geographical boundaries. H i s ana lys i s of "The Star-Husband Tale" w a s an attempt to demonstrate the v a l i d i t y of the method i n a s i t u a t i o n where the re were no w r i t t e n inf luences and where the above boundaries were neg l ig ib le ( t h e t r a d i t i o n of the North American 1ndians)--perhaps the same s i t u a t i o n which ex i s t ed i n peasant , p r e - l i t e r a t e Europe. This demonstration does no t , however, e l iminate the v a l i d i t y of the c r i t i c i s m s i n studying o the r t a l e s i n o the r s i t u a t i o n s . 87

The las t chapter of The Folkta le dea l s with the f o l k t a l e as l i v i n g a r t , and although the a e s t h e t i c study of the f o l k t a l e was no t Thompson's s p e c i a l t y , he recognized the importance of the f o l k t a l e i n cu l tu re . One can make comparative stiudies of transmission and of s t y l i s t i c devices, and one can specify s o c i a l and ps chological a spec t s of performance wi th in the c u l t u r e .58 Thompson gave a t l e a s t two po in t s of advice i n regard to s t y l i s t i c and f u n c t i o n a l i s t s tud ies . F i r s t , one should maintain the a u t h e n t i c i t y and i n t e g r i t y of the t e x t s , o r one's c o n c l u s i o ~ w i l l no t be va l id . Second, one should not be too has ty i n genera l iz ing about the meaning of t a l e without adequate background research and considerat ion.f9

Most of Thompson's major t e n e t s have been mentioned. A b r i e f r e i t e r a t i o n of h i s p lan f o r f o l k l o r e scholarship w i l l help t o place them i n perspect ive. He g ives the following s t e p s of f o l k t a l e research leading to the discovery of o r i g i n s and d i s t r i b u t i o n s :

1. Col lec t ion 2. C l a s s i f i c a t i o n 3. Cataloging 4. Elaborat ion of techniques f o r study 5. The wr i t ing of monographs on indiv idual

t a l e s . 90

Once these s t e p s have been taken, one can proceed t o study the f o l k t a l e as an a r t , and, f i n a l l y , discover i t s meaning.91 Inlihis l e t t e r to Gayton i n 1946, Thompson s t a t e d t h a t he d id no t f e e l t h a t fo lk lo re was as se r ious o r as s c i e n t i f i c as it should be. He emphasized the need f o r a knowledge of h i s t o r y , l i t e r a t u r e , sociology, anthropology--all d i s c i p l i n e s r e l a t e d to fo lk lo re . Folklore, l i k e the o the r s o c i a l

sc iences , should be a poin t of view on soc ie ty and cu l tu re . A f o l k l o r i s t needs a working knowledge of major European languages, along with any o t h e r s he may be working with, and he must have a p r a c t i c a l mastery of the theor ie s and techniques of h i s d i s c i p l i n e .

The l a s t work discussed here , Four S~mpos ia on Folklore, i s a t r a n s c r i p t i o n of the discussions of the Mid-century Folklore Congress held i n Bloomington i n 1950. Four broad top ics served as guide l ines f o r the symposiat c o l l e c t i n g f o l k l o r e , a rchiv ing f o l k l o r e , making m a t e r i a l s a v a i l a b l e t o the publ ic and to scho la r s , and the study of fo lk lo re . Few, i f any, of the i s s u e s were resolved; they a r e of continuing i n t e r e s t to s tudents of fo lk lo re . Each symposium w a s divided i n t o four sec t ions , and the remarks of each p a r t i c i p a n t were noted. Of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t i s the comparison between American and European fo lk lo re developments and theor ie s . Most of Thompson's major ideas about f o l k l o r e study i n America were discussed i n some aspec t i n the symposia, and may be b r i e f l y summarized as follows:

1. Racial , reg ional , e thn ic , and Anglo f o l k l o r e should be co l l ec ted and s tudied , both as p a r t of American f o l k l o r e and as elements i n i n t e r - na t iona l t r a d i t i o n s . 92

2. More systematic c o l l e c t i n g , organ- i zed on s t a t e and l o c a l l e v e l s , i s needed, including t r a i n i n g of co l l ec - t o r s by u n i v e r s i t i e s and l o c a l soc ie t i e s .93

3. Increased use of ques t ionnai res and maps, such as those used by var ious European coun t r i e s , would be he lp fu l i n l o a t i n g f o l k l o r e a r e a s i f used properly.9 8

4. More f o l k l o r e museums a r e badly needed.95 5. The Library o f Congress Folklore

Sect ion should a c t a s a clearinghouse f o r American fo lk lo re . Small a rchives should be copied on microfilm and the ma te r i a l made a v a i l a b l e to scholars . The I r i s h and Swedish systems should serve a s models f o r c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of mater ia l . 96 9 97

6. Folklore should be presented t o the publ ic through the media, through f o l k f e s t i v a l s , and so on, only i n i t s pure, o r a l form. Folklore i tems already dead should no t be revived, because they no longer have a place i n cu l tu re . I f i tems a r e to be revived, they must be brought back i n t o contac t with a l i v i n g t r a d i t i o n . 98

Sthth Thompson wrote numerous book reviews, and though m o s t of them seem t o be f a i r and comprehensive, few contain much over t c r i t i c i sm. H i s regard f o r complete, rkgorous scholarship i s obvious, and when a book i s c r i t i c i z e d , i t i s ueual ly on the grounds of i n s u f f i c i e n t research o r l ack of comparative nota t ion . Thompson w a s impressed by scholars with extensive knowledge i n t h e i r f i e l d s and the a b i l i t y to s t imula te , encourage, and organize the e f f o r t s of s tudents and assoc ia tes . He admitted t h a t he used the work of some of these men as models f o r h i s own scholarship. I n the l e t t e r t o Gayton (1946) r e fe r red to above, Thompson a s s e r t e d t h a t the techniques of s o c i a l research have been b e s t exemplified by Franz Boas, Johannes Bolte , Kaarle Krohn, C.W. von Sydow, and t h e i r followers.

Thompson g& Folklore Organization

1. The United S t a t e s

The f i r s t experience Thompson had with f o l k l o r e organiza t ion w a s h i s work as Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas Folklore Society and e d i t o r of i t s f i r s t pub l i ca t ion ( rep r in ted i n 1935 as Round the ~ e v e e ) .99 From t h a t time f o r t h he f requent ly at tended many l o c a l s o c i e t i e s as a member o r gues t l e c t u r e r and he was a c t i v e i n encouraging t h e i r development.106 I n h i s autobiography he mentions the meetings he at tended i n connection with h i s p o s i t i o n a t Indiana Universi ty , p a r t i c u l a r l y a s Dean of the Graduate School.

The na t iona l organizat ions i n which Thompson was most a c t i v e were the American Phi losophical Socie ty , the Modern Language Association (he w a s once chairman of the Popular L i t e r a t u r e s e c t i o n ) , and the American Folklore Society. He w a s e l ec ted President of the l a t t e r organiza t ion i n 1936, and he considered i t to be an important s t e p i n h i s career . The Society w a s then a t a l o w ebb; i n 1937, a t i t s 50th Anniversary meeting, Franz Boas spoke about i t s p a s t , and Thompson about i t s f u t u r e . l O l I n h i s speech, Thompson encouraged the members t o broaden the i n t e r e s t s of the Society, t o explore the var ied and r i c h he r i t age of the country, to maintain t i e s with fo re ign scholars , and to jo in the e f f o r t of E the scho la r , the amateur c o l l e c t o r , and the fo lk .1 2

Thompson organized the f irst S m e r Folklore I n s t i - t u t e i n Bloomington i n 1942, with the p lan of holding it every f o u r years f o r e i g h t weeks during the summer. Students , c o l l e c t o r s , and professors met together f o r coursework and informal discussion. The repor t of the F i r s t I n s t i t u t e w a s published, 103 and the l e c t u r e notes of a s tuden t a t the Second I n s t i t u t e (1946) have been multigraphed ( these a r e a v a i l a b l e i n the Indiana Universi ty ~ i b r a r y ) . lo4 These l e c t u r e notes include a d iscuss ion of the his tor ic-geographic method by Thompson, and a s h o r t course on the d e f i n i t i o n of fo lk lore . The s m e r i n s t i t u t e s gradual ly faded ou t as more and more courses i n f o l k l o r e were of fered a t Indiana during the regular academic year--The Fo lk ta le and Al l i ed Forms, L i t e ra ry Origins , and English and S c o t t i s h Popular Ballads were the f i r s t graduate courses Thompson taught. A Ph.D. i n Folklore w a s o f fered a f t e r 1950, with s tudents f i l l i n g i n t h e i r c u r r i c u l a with courses from r e l a t e d d i s c i p l i n e s .

2. I n t e r n a t i o n a l Organizations

According t o manuscripts i n h i s personal c o l l e c t i o n , Thompson took s ix teen t r i p s abroad and at tended a t l e a s t s ix teen i n t e r n a t i o n a l congresses. He held memberships i n the na t iona l academies of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, and was an honorary member of the f o l k l o r e s o c i e t i e s of t h i r t e e n countr ies . H i s f i r s t e l e c t i o n to a f o r e i learned soc ie ty (Gustav Adolphus Akademi of Swedenacame i n 1935 when he w a s f i f t y years old--much of h i s i t i n e r a n t fo lk lo re ca ree r took place i n the l a t t e r years of h i s l i f e .

Only three congresses w i l l be discussed herer they represent the f i rs t i n t e r n a t i o n a l organizat ions Thompson at tended, and he described t h e i r importance i n g r e a t d e t a i l i n seve ra l a r t i c l e s and manuscripts. He believed t h a t they helped t o break the b a r r i e r s between l i t e r a r y and anthropological scholars . Thompson and Archer Taylor were the only Americans i n v i t e d to a t t e n d the conference of f o l k t a l e s p e c i a l i s t s a t Lund, Sweden, i n 1935. They discussed the c o l l e c t i o n , c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , and comparative study of f o l k t a l e s , and proposed the formation of an I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e f o r Folklore and Anthropology of Northern Europe and the European Populations of America. Its immediate goal was to e s t a b l i s h a c e n t r a l European archive and a journal ( ~ o l k ) . An expanded i n t e r n a t i o n a l conference was planned f o r Edinburgh, Scotland i n 1937.105 Thompson admitted t h a t he f e l t naive among so many dis t inguished scholars , y e t he w a s pleased t o be recognized f o r h i s own work; both he and Seamus O'Duilear a were made members of the Swedish learned society. 906 He w a s ab le t o g e t valuable feedback on the recept ion of h i s indexes, and he, i n tu rn , encouraged the f o l k l o r i s t s to expand t h e i r i n t e r e s t s beyond Northern ~ u r o p e .I 07

Indeed, a t Edinburgh i n 1937 the scope of the new organizat ion d id broaden, and the new I n t e r n a t i o n a l Association f o r European Ethnology and Folklore was formed. Plans were discussed f o r the new archive and f o r the establishment of the journal, Folk, an Thompson was made a member of the planning co,mmittee. He f e l t t h a t the meeting served to s t imula te S c o t t i s h i n t e r e s t s i n t h e i r own fo lk lo re , l09 j u s t as the P a r i s Congr6s of August, 1937--held i n conjunction with the P a r i s Expo- s i t ion--did f o r the French.

Thompson w a s impressed by the e f f o r t s of the P a r i s f o l k l o r i s t s t o encompass a l l of t r a d i t i o n a l l i f e , and the ~ o n g r s s was divided i n t o two sec t ions : desc r ip t ive f o l k l o r e , and fo lk lo re as appl ied to s o c i a l l i f e . They agreed t o jo in with the new I n t e r n a t i o n a l Association f o r European

Ethnology and Folklore, adopted Folk-Liv as the organ of both con resses , and planned a second meeting i n Stockholm i n 1940 f subsequently cancel led because of the war). Thompson joined the committees on permanent organiza t ion and f o r a s s i s t ance on the annual Volkskundliche Bibliographic compiled a t Basel.110 I n a l e t t e r t o the U.S. Secre tary of S t a t e , w r i t t e n on September 26,1937 ( L i l l y ~ o l l e c t i o n ) , Thompson described the a c t i v i t i e s of the 1937 congresses and expressed h i s pleasure a t the s p i r i t of i n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation.

On a t r i p to Europe i n 1952, Thompson became i n t e r - e s t ed i n another i n t e r n a t i o n a l f o l k l o r e organizat ion, the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Comiss ion f o r the Popular A r t s and Folklore (CIAP), a d i v i s i o n of UNESCO. He served as i t s Vice- Pres ident from 1954-64. However, he admitted discourage- ment with i t s l imi ted funct ions. A l e t t e r from R.Th. Chr is t iansen on Apr i l 27, 1958 ( L i l l y c o l l e c t i o n ) r e f e r s t o remarks Thompson had made about the cumber- someness o f the organizat ion; evident ly i t s only a c t i v i t y a t the time w a s t o publ ish the annual b i b l i o - graphy. CIAP was reorganized i n 1962 a t a meeting i n Antwerp, and i n 1964 it was again reorganized and renamed the Socie ty f o r Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF). 111 Thompson played no a c t i v e r o l e i n the new organizat ion.

3. South American Folklore Organization

Thompson's journeys t o South America i n 1947, 1954, and 1960-61 were mentioned above i n the context of h i s career . H i s i n t e r e s t i n La t in America seems to have been sparked by a v i s i t t o Mexico Ci ty f o r New Year's i n 1942, when he met Vicente Mendoza and l ec tu red to the Mexican Folklore Society. He taught himself Spanish and began t o correspond w i t h Mexican and South American f o l k l o r i s t s , some of whom he had met a t the Ei hth American S c i e n t i f i c Congress i n Washington i n 1940.flf During h i s 1947 t r i p he v i s i t e d a l l the count r ies i n South America, l e c t u r i n g and meeting f o l k l o r i s t s and en thus ias t s , and c o l l e c t i n g books and journals. This new a r e a of i n t e r e s t seems t o have been a g r e a t s t imula t ion f o r him; there a r e numerous l e t t e r s , programs, and photographs i n h i s personal c o l l e c t i o n s , as well as d i a r i e s kept by h i s wife , t o document h i s i n t e r e s t and enthusiasm i n the en te rp r i se . A t t he i n v i t a t i o n of the Venezuelan Ministry of Education, he ou t l ined a successful program f o r a Folklore Service.

Although Thompson w a s impressed with the work of c e r t a i n ind iv idua l s , l o c a l s o c i e t i e s , and museums i n South America, he found the f o l k l o r e work i n many coun t r i e s poorly organized and hampered by p o l i t i c a l and e thn ic d i f f i c u l t i e s . The use of f o l k l o r e as

propaganda i n South America and Europe during World War I1 dis turbed him, and he wrote about i t with sorne dismay i n h i s autobiography. Through h i s l e c t u r e s , a r t i c l e s , correspondences, and Summer I n s t i t u t e s , however, Thompson helped t o spread a network of co~munica t ions among f o l k l o r i s t s i n Europe and the Americas.113

Thompson and the C r i t i c s

Most evaluat ions of S t i t h Thompson have been made i n connection with h i s l books; i t i s therefore appropr ia te t o mention some of the a p p r a i s a l s made of h i s f o l k l o r e books and t o at tempt to s m a r i z e b r i e f l y the types of c r i t i c i s m s given. Some evaluat ive remarks a r e t o be found i n the L i l l y Col lec t ion correspondences. However, with the exception of those persons Thompson w a s on c lose p e r s ~ n a l terms with, most remarks a r e e i t h e r very genera l and non- c r i t i c a l , o r a r e suggestions concerning re levant ma te r i a l s . Indeed, there remains a s c a r c i t y of f a i r c r i t i c a l evalu- a t i o n s of h i s works and a c t i v i t i e s . Most of the a v a i l a b l e reviews a r e of the Tales of the North American Indians , The Types of t h e Folk ta le , The Motif-Index of Folk- L i t e r a t u r e , and % Folkta le .

1. Tales of the North American Indians

This book w a s well-received upon i t s publ ica t ion , because i t f i l l e d a need f o r a survey of North American Indian f o l k l o r e , which had not y e t been attempted; i t brought together the c o l l e c t i o n s made by anthropologis t s , pr imar i ly Franz Boas and h i s s tudents . Boas s t a t e d t a t i t i s an indespensable a i d to d i s t r i b u t i o n s tud ies . 11); Its comparative notes and bibliography have b en pointed ou t as being p a r t i c u l a r l y use fu l to scholars . f l 5 However, s ince t h e book presents only a l imi ted number of wel l- told vers ions of t a l e s , and i n English t r a n s l a t i o n , r v'ewers have noted i t s inadequacy f o r s t y l i s t i c s tud ies . 718 Thompson never intended i t t o serve such a puepose; bu t he d id withdraw the manuscript f r o m the Universi ty of Chicago Press when they asked him t o rewri te the t a l e s i n h i s own s t y l e .

2. The Types of the Folk ta le

John Spargo, i n reviewing the first e d i t i o n of the index, p ra i sed Thompson's a n a l y t i c powers, h i s "philo- sophical sense" of the f o l k t a l e , and h i s use fu l expansion of Aarne's index i n t o a more understandable p r a c t i c a l guide. Spargo mentions a few omissions ' in the index, and suggests t h need f o r a c l e a r d e f i n i t i o n of "typen from Thompson.llF Warren Roberts, too, emphasizes i t s value as a bas ic research t o o l and as a model f o r f u t u r e indexes.l18 One of the most negat ive evalua t ions w a s de l ivered b Bengt Holbek i n a r t i c l e s w r i t t e n i n 1962 and 1965.115 Holbek c r i t i c i z e s the theor ie s behind the index and the his tor ic-geographic method. There is no "ur-form" o r "normal form," he says ;

t a l e s do not conform to t h e i r desc r ip t ions i n the index. The indexes do no t help s tudents who a r e i n t e r e s t e d i n the reasons why t a l e s devia te from pa t t e rns . Holbek expresses g r e a t disappointment with the second rev i s ion of the book, a s s e r t i n g t h a t Thompson has deviated from Aarne's o r i g i n a l i n t e r e s t s , shown no c l e a r p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n , and ignored d i f ferences between o r a l and w r i t t e n t r a d i t i o n . Holbek be l i eves t h a t such i l l o g i c a l indexes as t h i s one a r e only a hinderance t o research, and he suggests a new c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of f o l k l o r e ma te r i a l s based upon thematical ly coherent groups of tales--a concept which he defines as vaguely as he accuses Thompson of def ining h i s .

3. The Motif -Index of Folk-Li t e r a t u r e

Among the first evaluat ions of the index w a s t h a t made of the o r i g i n a l 400-page d r a f t by Kaarle Krohn, and conveyed t o Thompson by Archer Taylor i n a l e t t e r i n 1925 ( L i l l y Col lec t ion) . Krohn bel ieved t h a t Thompson d id not always d i s t ingu i sh c l e a r l y among motif , t r a i t , episode, theme, t a l e , and cycle . He urged Thompson to concentrate on the ma te r i a l s possessed i n co,mon by the North American Indians and Europeans, suggested o t h e r works which should be surveyed, and advised c e r t a i n s t y l i s t i c changes. I n a second l e t t e r (Apr i l 8, 1925) Taylor conceded t h a t he d id not think t h a t Krohn had r e a l l y grasped the idea.

When the first volume of the f i r s t e d i t i o n of tke index appeared i n 1932, i ts recept ion w a s favorable , and, l i k e the type index, it w a s held t o be an invaluable research a i d and a model f o r fu tu re s tud ies . Kurt Ranke c a l l e d i t a "Grand piece of humanistic research ," e s s e n t i a l f o r h i s t o r i c a l and comparative fo lk lo re studies.120 C.H . Gerould acclaimed i t a s an ind i s - pensable guide, a framework f o r f u t u r e s t u d i e s , and an a s s e t i n t h ' n t e l l i g e n t study of f o l k l o r e i n t e r - r e l a t ionsh ips . f 2 i

Both the f i r s t and second e d i t i o n s were a l s o sub jec t t o some negative c r i t i c i s m s , p r i n c i p a l l y concerning e r r o r s of omission i n the t e x t o r bibliography. A.H. Gayton f e l t it did not meet the needs of studying the North American Indians ; 122 o t h e r c r i t i c s s i m i l a r l y noted c u l t u r e a r e a s no t f u l l y represented. S.E. Hyman, i n a sensa t ional review of the Motif-Index and The Folkta le , c a l l e d the index "Unrepresentative," wUndiscriminating," hnd munscient i f ic ."123 Ranke pointed out t h a t some of the sources were unpublished o r inaccess ib le , though t h a t could hardly be c a l l e d a c r i t i c i s m of the index i t s e l f . He a l s o s t a t e d t h a t the s e l e c t i o n c r i t e r i a f o r bibl iographic references were too vague, and the bibliography too b r i e f .1z4

Many c r i t i c i s m s have been based upon misunderstandings of the purpose of the index. I n a l e t t e r t o Thompson dated November 19 , 1953 ( L i l l y c o l l e c t i o n ) , Martha Beckwith c r i t i c i z e d him f o r l i s t i n g mot i fs with no r e a l connections, and f o r g iv ing no idea of the number of times a motif occurs. Presumably, Beckwith w a s r e f e r r i n g t o the number of times a motif occurred i n Thompson's sources. A s f o r connections, Thompson s t a t e s i n h i s in t roduct ion t o the indexes t h a t no genet ic r e l a t i o n s h i p between mot i fs l i s t e d together can be assumed without research t o support the hypothesis.

The Folk ta le 4. - When i t was published i n 1946 t h i s book w a s a l s o

well-received, though i t w a s sub jec t t o more c r i t i c i s m than the indexes, mainly i n r eac t ion to Thompsonts own c r i t i c i s m s of f o l k l o r e theor ie s . Roberts, one of Thompson's own s tuden t s , ha i l ed i t a s the b e s t survey of f o l k t a l e scholarship y e t published ( a s of 1946) i n English; i t was a unique and comprehensive approach to the f ie ld .125 Sven L i l jeblad, whom Thompson had supported i n coming t o the U.S:, and with whom he w a s a personal f i r e n d , wrote especially p r a i s e f u l l y o f Thompson's work;

I n h i s l a t e s t book, he r e l a t e s with c l a r i t y and elegance the kaleidoscope h i s t o r y of what has now become a duly cons t i tu ted science, and the indisputable f a c t s i t has es tabl i shed .

Thompson has learned from masters i n h i s f i e l d , s a i d L i l j e b l a d ; h i s knowledge o f the f o l k t a l e i s unsur assed, S and h i s sound judgement i s a model f o r research.1 7

Though p r a i s e o f the book w a s general ized, the c r i t i c i s m , a s usual , was more s p e c i f i c . S .E . Hyman i n a review e n t i t l e d , "Some Bankrupt Treasuries , "126 made scathing statements about Thompson's s t y l e , h i s poin t of view, h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s . Thompson r e j e c t s ma te r i a l f o r unsa t i s fac to ry reasons, Hyman a s s e r t e d ; he " s tud ies so much and knows so l i t t l e . " Playing upon Thompson's i n t e n t i o n s to wr i te f o r the general reader , Hyman contended t h a t the book was badly wr i t t en . "The book shares a l l the s t e r i l i t y , point lessness , and Nordic-centered chauvinism of the B i n n i s h l school (with i ts bland assumption t h a t any i n t e r e s t i n g o r complex t a l e must be of European, probably Northern, o r i g i n ) . " l 2 9 The l a t t e r s ta tement , probably a reference t o Thompson's d iscuss ion of the h i s t o r i c - geographic method, cannot be taken too se r ious ly ,

i n s o f a r as Hyman w a s a t t ack ing the scholars who d i sc red i t ed h i s own r i t u a l i s t t heor ie s and t h e i r methods a s much a s he w a s c r i t i c i z i n g Thompson's work.

Alexander Krappe, l i k e Hyman, sharply c r i t i c i z e d Thompson's s t y l e , which he f e l t underestimated the i n t e l l i - gence of h i s readers . I n h i s review, Krappe pointed out mistakes i n a s soc ia t ions , o r i g i n s , and d i s t r i b u t i o n s of t a l e s , accused Thompson of de l iver ing a " sa les t a lk" f o r the historic-geographic method, and asse r t ed t h a t Thompson overlooked important i s s u e s of f o l k l o r e study ( i . e . , s t r u c t u r e , funct ion , meaning of t a l e s ) .I30 One must remember, however, t h a t Thompson d id no t be l ieve t h a t f o l k l o r e scholarship was ready to explore these i s sues , and f e l t it was not h i s purpose to d iscuss them.

I n summary, the following kinds of evaluat ions have been made of Thompson's book by h i s contemporaries;

1. H i s comprehensive, thorough research w a s considered to be a model f o r se r ious f o l k t a l e scholarship.

2. He produced valuable t o o l s f o r the more s c i e n t i f i c f o l k l o r e s tudies .

3. H i s books a r e guides f o r f u r t h e r f o l k t a l e study, e spec ia l ly i n the c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of f o l k t a l e s .

4. Thompson's s t y l e w a s c r i t i c i z e d as being unscholarly i n some of h i s wri t ings.

5. He r e j e c t e d a l l po in t s of view but h i s own. 6. He was not a c o l l e c t o r and was f a r removed from

h i s sources. 7 . He ignored funct ion , performance, meaning,

s t y l i s t i c s , and s t r u c t u r e of f o l k t a l e s i n favor of o r ig in . and d i f fus ion .

8. There were mistakes and dmissions i n h i s books, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the indexes.

9. H i s c l a s s i f i c a t i o n system was a r b i t r a r y and vaguer This i s one of the s t ronges t , most v a l i d , and most f requent ly c i t e d c r i t i c i s m s . Indexing is , as Thompson admitted, a subjec t ive process.

10. The indexes have been shown t o have l imi ted value t o s tudents who a r e n o t employing the h i s t o r i c - geographic method.

11. The performance-minded f o l k l o r i s t s bel ieve t h a t Thompson's emphasis on t r a d i t i o n i n the d e f i n i t i o n of fo lk lo re w a s too l imi ted ; he ignored f o l k l o r e as a "performance event. "131

12. Because of h i s support of the historic-geographic method, Thompson received numerous c r i t i c i s m s which were a c t u a l l y d i rec ted a t the methodology: i t s l ack of s i g n i f i c a n t conclusions, i t s requirements f o r comprehensive da ta c o l l e c t i o n ( I d e a l l y , a l l vers ions of a t a l e should be col lec ted) . , i t s mechanical na ture ,

i t s l i m i t e d usefulness i n genres o t h e r than the c o ~ p l e x t a l e and b a l l a d , i t s excessive l abors and o f t e n se l f -evident r e s u l t s . Thompson's study of "The S ta r - Husband Tale" has been c r i t i c i z e d f o r these reasons. Frank Young has accused Thompson of looking a t the t a l e a t o m i s t i c a l l y , f o r descr ibing but no t explaining o r a l transmission and change. 132

Evaluation S t i t h Thompson and - h i s - Work

One cannot f a i r l y c r i t i c i z e the scholar of the p a s t on the b a s i s of new knowledge gained o r new methods developed. S imi lar ly , one cannot a t t a c k him f o r not doing what he never intended to do. Thompson himself , i n a l l h i s wr i t ings , w a s caut ious i n h i s evaluat ions and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of f o l k l o r e and fo lk lo re researches. He repeatedly warned aga ins t reaching conclusions too soon without examining a l l ava i l ab le da ta . So, too, one cannot be too has ty i n c r i t i c i z i n g any but the most over t mistakes and omissions. Thompson s e t h i s own standards of scholarship based on the accomplishments of European masters and worked accordingly. One can f i n d i n h i s a r t i c l e s and books frequent recognit ions t h a t o the r types of f o l k l o r e s tudies--em g., funct ional- i s t studies--can and w i l l be made, be he did not attempt t o dea l with them. Admittedly, Thompson had s t rong reserva t ions about some theor ie s of fo lk lo re i n t e r p r e t a t i o n ; but i t w a s h i s hope t h a t eventual ly , a f t e r years of c o l l e c t i n g , c l a s s i f y i n g , and analyzing p a r t i c u l a r t a l e s , fo lk lo re scholarship would be a b l e t o understand the a r t and funct ion of s t o r i e s and s torytel l ing--perhaps even t h e i r meaning. I n h i s 1964 l e t t e r t o Gayton, Thompson expressed the hope t h a t f o l k l o r e would never c r y s t a l l i z e i n t o divergent schools, but i n h i s l a t e r wr i t ings he acknowledged t h a t f o l k l o r i s t s a r e developing separa te po in t s of view, and t h a t he could only reco,mend the b e s t examples of p a s t scholarship as guide l ines .

S t i t h Thompson contr ibuted t o the study of f o l k l o r e i n a t l e a s t th ree important aspects . F i r s t , he s e t high standards of research and a n a l y s i s f o r himself, and encouraged many o t h e r s to follow. Second, he s e t preced- e n t s f o r fu tu re comparative f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s , e spec ia l ly c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s tud ies . He followed Krohn's example i n the United S t a t e s by helping t o br ing f o l k l o r e study from a specula t ive i n t e r e s t t o a s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e based on c o l l e c t i o n , c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , and publ ica t ion of empir ical data--the foundation of research i n any d i sc ip l ine . Third, Thompson's en thus ias t i c organizat ion of s tudents and scholars of f o l k l o r e i n the United S t a t e s and abroad brought a g r e a t e r un i ty to t h e i r i n t e r e s t s , enhanced cooperative e f f o r t s , and helped smooth the way f o r world-wide comparative f o l k l o r e research. I n s h o r t , one must acknowledge the scope and p r a c t i c a l value of h i s work i n assembling f o l k l o r e ma te r i a l ; and if fo lk lo re scholarship has subsequently taken new d i r e c t i o n s , t h a t i s no c r i t i c i s m of Thompson and h i s work i n h i s own time

and according to h i s own purposes, i n which he seems t o have succeded remarkably well .

There a r e seve ra l more s p e c i f i c po in t s t o consider i n accordance with the evalua t ions of Thompson's work given abover

1. Thompson's s t y l e i s usual ly smooth, e f f o r t l e s s , l u c i d , sometimes modest, sometimes extravagant--perhaps the r e s u l t of h i s work i n English composition. I t does tend a t times t o be s i m p l i s t i c and s u p e r f i c i a l , p r imar i ly i n l e c t u r e s and a r t i c l e s intended f o r a non-academic audience.

2 . Thompson d id no t dea l s u f f i c i e n t l y i n any of the works surveyed with the i s s u e of su rv iva l s and rev iva l s . H i s i deas on which f o l k l o r e i tems have survived, and which should o r should n o t be revived, a r e unclear . . . 3. Thompson's b e l i e f t h a t s t o r y t e l l i n g i s e s s e n t i a l l y a dead a r t i n Western soc ie ty i s debatable. Some forms of t r a d i t i o n a l f o l k t a l e s ( a s he defined them) may now be l o s t , bu t s t o r y t e l l i n g i t s e l f i s a process independent of any p a r t i c u l a r genre o r n a r r a t i v e form.

4. Thompson w a s a t times caut ious to the po in t of being inconclusive, pr imar i ly i n h i s a r t i v l e s meant f o r the genera l reader . One o f t e n has doubts a s t o the na ture of the ideas behind h i s statements. Admittedly, he w a s more a proponent of methodology (with an i m p l i c i t theory) than of theory i t s e l f .

5. Thompson o f t e n d id ignore the ind iv idua l t e l l e r i n t r a d i t i o n , f a i l i n g t o ground h i s statements i n the r e a l i t y of p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n s and contexts . However, he q u a l i f i e d himself as a scholar , not as a f ie ldworker o r performer.

6. Thompson was i n t e r e s t e d i n almost anything new he encountered, but h i s r e f u s a l t o take the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of myth and f o l k t a l e beyond the m o s t obvious meaning only would seem to be an avoidance of c r u c i a l a spec t s of fo lk lo re and fo lk lo re i n v e s t i g a t i o n which need no t await the completion of d i f f u s i o n i s t s tud ies .

7. I n s p i t e of the general inconclusiveness of the his tor ic-geographic method, the r igorous study i t inspired i n the first ha l f of t h i s century must be admired. Nevertheless, the value of the method a s a p r e r e q u i s i t e f o r o the r kinds of f o l k l o r e s t u d i e s has been overestimated. Since these s t u d i e s a r e seldom done anymore, Thompson's indexes no longer serve a s a t o o l f o r t h a t methodology, but they do serve as references f o r the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n and l o c a t i o n of fo lk lo re i tems. S imi lar ly , The Folkta le i s outdated i n i t s approach and t h e o r e t i c a l b i a s , but the informa- t i o n and bibliography contained i n i t a r e s t i l l valuable i n a review of the p a s t and--to a l e s s e r extent--present scholarship.

NOTES

Notes

The following journal abbreviat ions a r e used i n the notes:

JAF - Journal of ~ m e r i c a n Folklore

PMLA - Publicat ions of the Modern Language Association of America - .

ski Southern Folklore Q u a r t e r l y

1. S t i t h Thompson, Fo lk lo r i t 's Progress (Bloomington: P r iva te ly Multigraphed, * 195 , pp. 3-13.

2. Ib id . , p. 20.

3. Ib id . , p.23.

4. Ib id . , p. 26.

5. Ib id . , p. 29.

6. Ib id . , pp. 34-35.

7. H a r i Upadhyaya, "Reminiscences of an Octogenarian F o l k l o r i s t , " Asian Folklore Studies 27 (1968), 227.

Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress, p. 39.

9. Autobiographical Manuscript, L i l l y Collect ion.

10. S t i t h Thompson, "Paul Bunyan i n 191 0, " - JAF 59 (1946), 134-35.

11. Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress, p. 48.

12. See "A Humanist's Creed," Bloomington: Unitar ian Unive r sa l i s t Church, Sermon Ser ies .

13. Upadhyaya, "Reminiscences," p. 109.

1 I n a l e t t e r t o Clyde Hyder, October 8 , 1955 ( L i l l y Co l l ec t ion) , Thompson expressed dismay t h a t Kit t redge had not been aware of Aarne's work and had no t informed him of it.

1 S t i t h Thompson, "Recollections o f an I t i n e r a n t F o l k l o r i s t , " i n Mesquite Willow, eds. M.C. Boatr ight , W.M. Hudson, and A . Maxwell (Dallas8

Southern Methodist Universi ty P ress , 1 9 5 7 ) ~ pp. 118-19.

S t i t h Thompson, Manual & Notebook for English Composition (with J. F. R o y s ~ i c a g o r Scot t - Foresman, 1916); P rac t i ce Sheets for English Composition (with J. F. Roy-(chicago r Scot t - Foresman, 1918) ; English Poems (with Cosette ~ a u s t ) (Chicago t Sco tt-Foresman, 1918) ; Guide to Composition (with J. F. Royster) (Chicago : ~ c o t F Foresman, 1918).

Laurens J. M i l l s , " S t i t h Thompsonr Authority on the Habits of the Kwakiutl and the Tsimshians," The Rainbow of Delta Tau Delta 60 (1937), 227.

Thompson, "Recol lect ions," pp. 122-23.

Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s P r o ~ r e s s , p. 79.

I b i d . , p . 81.

Statement found i n a MS i n the L i l l y Collect ion.

Robert E. Harris, "Archdeacon of Coma Hounds: M Friend S t i t h Thompson, " Vagabond 3 r 3-4 (19263, 70.

Undated l e t t e r from Archer Taylor i n 1925, and a l e t t e r from Taylor dated Apr i l 8 , 1925 ( L i l l y Col lec t ion) .

Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress, p a 105.

I b i d . , pp. 112-18.

P r i n c i p a l l y his tor ic-geographic me thodology and indexing techniques.

Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress, p a 120.

I b i d . , p. 29.

L e t t e r to Archer Taylor dated Apr i l 11, 1939 ( L i l l y c o l l e c t i o n ) .

S t i t h Thompson, - The Folk ta le (New York: Dryden Press , 1946). Lecture notes f o r t h i s seminar were published as "Informal Notes on Transactions and Lectures of Second Folklore I n s t i t u t e of America" (Bloomington: Indiana Universi ty , P r i v a t e l y Multigraphed, 1946 ) .

31. S t i t h Thompson, "Folklore i n South America," JAF 61 (1948), 256-60; "Visits t o South American F o l k l o r i s t s , " JAF 74 (1961)s 391-9'7. -

32. The L i l l y Col lec t ion contains a f o l d e r of correspondences and documents concerning the establishment of the Indiana Universi ty Press .

33. Warren Roberts was the f irst s tudent to obta in a Ph.D. i n Folklore. He l a t e r taught Thompson's " course on "The Folktale and Al l ied Forms" when Thompson r e t i r e d .

34. S t i t h Thompson, - Four Smposia on Folklore, Indiana University Publ ica t ions Folklore S e r i e s , no. 8 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press , 1953).

35. Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress, p. 278.

36. Upadhyaya, "Reminiscences," 125-26.

37. Thompson a l s o had Honorary Doctor of L e t t e r s degrees from the Universi ty of North Carolina a t Chapel H i l l , Colorado College, Indiana Central College, and the University of Kentucky. Information contained i n MS i n L i l l y Collect ion.

38. John T. Flanagan, "Review of One Hundred Favori te Fo lk ta le s , " Comparative L i t e r a t u r e Studies 6 (1969), 342-43

39. Manuscript, L i l l y Collect ion.

40. S t i t h Thompson, "The Idea of the Soul i n Teutonic Popular Tales and Popular Bal ladsw (Master of A r t s Thesis, Universi ty of Ca l i fo rn ia , 1912), p. 44.

41. S t i t h Thompson, European Tales Among the North American I dians: A Study i n the Migration of Folk ta les F Colorado Springsr Colorado College Publ ica t ions , no. 54, 1919); "Sunday School S t o r i e s Amon Savages," Texas Review 3 (January, % 1918)s 109-1

42. S t i t h Thompson, "The Transmission of Fo lk ta le s , " i n The Charles M i l l s Gayley Anniversary Papers (New - Yorkr Haskell House Publ i shers , 1922) , p. 136.

43. Warren E. Roberts, " S t i t h Thompson: H i s Major Works and a Bibliography,' ' ma T i d s k r i f t for Nordisk Folkminnesforskning 21 (1965), 5.

44. I b i d . , p. 7.

5 Archer Taylor, "Review of Tales of the North ~ m e r i c a n ' ~ n d i a n s , IF American L i t e r a t u r e 1 ~9m,'159-54.

46. Erna Gunther, "American Indian L i t e r a t u r e , " Folk- Say' (1930), 408-10; Franz Boas, "Review of Tales of the North American Indians ," JAF 43, 223- --

47. S t i t h Thompson, "The Challenge of Folklore, 'I PMLA 79, 359.

- 48. Taped interview loca ted i n the Indiana Universi ty

Folklore Archives.

49. S t i t h Thompson, "Folk ta le , " i n Dictionary of World L i t e r a t u r e , ed. J. Shi l e y (New York: The Phi losophica l Library, 1943 7 , p. 246. Also from a l e t t e r t o A.L. Kroeber, January 20, 1959 ( L i l l y Col lec t ion) .

50 S t i t h Thompson, "The P r e h i s t o r i c Development of S a t i r e , " Publ ica t ion of the Folklore Society of Texas 1 (1916),.

51. Margaret M. B r a n t , "Review of The Folk ta le , Western Folklore 7 (19 $ 8 ) , 311-121 S t i t h Thompson, "Myths and Fo lk ta les , " JAF 68 (1955), 485.

52. Thompson, "Myths and Fo lk ta les , " 487.

53. Thompson, " InformalNotes ," pp. 8-9.

54. S t i t h Thompson, "Type, " i n Standard Dictionary of Folklore, my tho lo^^, and Legend, vol . 2, ed. ~ a x a -ew York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1950) , pp. 1137-38.

55. S t i t h Thompson, "Advances i n Folklore S tud ies , " i n A n t h r o ~ o l o ~ v Today: Encyclopaedic Inventory, ed. A.L. Kroeber (Chicago: Universi ty of Chicago Press , 19531, P * 594.

56. S t i t h Thompson, " I n f o r m a l N o t e s , " p . 9 ; S t i t h Thompson, "Purpose and Importance of an Index of Types and Motifs ," Folk-Liv 1 (1938), 107-8.

57. Thompsonl "Purpose and Importance, p. 103.

58, S t i t h Thompson, "Motif, " i n Standard Dictionary of - Folklore , Mythology, and Legend, vol . 2, p. 753.

L e t t e r dated Apr i l 12, 1955.

S t i t h Thompson, "Problems i n Folklore, " i n In t ro - duction to Research in English L i t e r a r y His tor , ed. Chauncey Sanders (New Yorkr Macmillan, 1952 pp. 259- 60.

7TY Upadhyaya, "Reminiscences, " pp. 125-26

L e t t e r dated October 12, 1965.

S t i t h Thompson, "Folklore, " Standard Dic t i o n a r of Folklore, Mythology, - and Legend, vol . -7T$.- 1, p

S t i t h Thompson, "American Folk Tradi t ion ," The Review 6286 (1964), 7-8.

S t i t h Thompson, "Comparative Problems i n Oral L i t e r a t u r e , " Yearbook of Comparative General L i t e r a t u r e 7821 (1958), 10-11.

Thompson, "Problems i n Folklore, " pp. 275-76.

S t i t h Thompson, "Narrative Motif Analysis as a Folklore Method," Folklore Fellows Co~munications (m) 161 (19551, 4. Thompson, "The Challenge of Folk lore ," pp. 357-58.

Sven L i l j e b l a d , "Review of The Folk ta le , " 11 (1947), 158.

Alexander Krappe, "Review of The Fo lk ta le , " JAF 60 (1947)s 428.

Thompson, The Folkta le , p - 388-

Thom son, "Folk ta le ," Dictionary of World L i t e r a t u r e , E p. 2 7.

S t i t h Thompson, "Folklore and Folk F e s t i v a l s , " Midwest Folklore 4 (1954), 10.

These l e t t e r s a r e loca ted i n the L i l l y Collect ion.

S t i t h Thompson, "The Folk ta le Since Bas i le , " i n The Pentamerone of Giambattiste Bas i l e , ed. N.M. - Penzer (New Yorkr E.P. Dutton, lmPp. 290-91.

Thompson, "Folklore and Folk F e s t i v a l s , " pp. 6-7.

Thompson, The F o l k t a l e , p . 407.

Thompson, "Problems i n Fo lk lo re , " pp. 257-58.

I b i d . , ppa 258-59.

I b i d . , p. 272; Thompson, "Informal Notes," p . 99.

Thompson, The F o l k t a l e , p. 433.

S t i t h Thompson, "Hypothetical Forms i n F o l k t a l e Study," i n VolksUberlieferungc F e s t s c h r i f t f u r Kurt Ranke (Gbtt ingenr Verlag Otto Schwartz, l m ) , p. 370.

Thompson, "Hypothetical Forms, " p. 371 ; Thompson, "Comparative Problems i n Oral L i t e r a t u r e , " p . 14.

Thompson, Four Symposia on Folk lore , p . 299.

Thompson, "Comparative Problems i n Oral L i t e r a t u r e , " pp. 13-14.

I b i d . , p . 12.

S t i t h Thompson, "The Star-Husband Ta le , " S t u d i a S e p t e n t r i o n a l i a 4 (1 953) , 93-163; S t i t h Thompson, Review of C.W. von Sydow, Se l ec t ed Papers on Fo lk lo re , JAF 64 (1951) , 332; S t i t h Thompson, "Folklore and L i t e r a t u r e , " PMLA 55 (1940) , 873.

Thompson, "Informal Notes, " p a 14.

S t i t h Thompson, "The Study of P r imi t ive S t o r y t e l l i n g : Its Presen t S t a t u s and Future D i rec t ions , " Folk-Liv 21-22 (1957-5819 1 8 8 -

Thompson, "The F o l k t a l e Since B a s i l e , " p. 294.

Thompson, "Fairy Ta le , " Standard Dic t ionary of and Leaend, vo l . 1 , p. 3 6 . Fo lk lo re , Mytho lo~y , -

Thompson, "American Folk T r a d i t i o n , " pp. 1-13 ; S t i t h Thompson, "The F o l k t a l e i n t he Middle West," Hoosier Fo lk lore B u l l e t i n 1 t 2 (1942) , 39; S t i t h Thompson, "Prepared Comment on 'A Theory o f American Folk lore ' by Richard M . Dorson," JAF 72 (1959) f 232-

Thompson, "Advances i n Folk lore S t u d i e s , " pp. 592- 93; Thompson, "Informal Notes," pp. 103-5.

94. . Thompson, Four Symposia on F o l k l o r e , pp. 4-5, 46-47; S t i t h Thompson, "Fo lk lo re a t Midcentury ," Midwest F o l k l o r e 1 (1951 ) , 1 0 ; Thompson, l'Problems i n F o l k l o r e , " pp. 256-57.

95. Thompson, Four Symposia, pp. 183-84; Thompson, "Advances i n F o l k l o r e S t u d i e s , " p. 590.

96. Thompson, "Problems i n F o l k l o r e , " pp. 258-59; S t i t h Thompson, "American F o l k l o r e A f t e r 50 Years , JAF 51 (1938) , 4-5; Thompson, " F o l k l o r e and Folk F e s t i v a l s , " p. 8.

97. Thompson, Four Symposia, pp. 95-96; S t i t h Thompson, "Fo lk lo re i n South America, " p. 260.

98. Thompson, "Fo lk lo re and Folk F e s t i v a l s , " pp. 11-15.

99. Thompson, " In fo rmal Notes ," p. 203.

100. Thompson, " F o l k l o r e a t Midcentury ," p. 7.

101. Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s P r o g r e s s , p . 156.

102. Thompson, "American F o l k l o r e A f t e r 50 Years , " 1-6.

103. S t i t h Thompson, ed. ! F o l k l o r e I n s t i t u t e of America: F i r s t Repor t (Bloomlngton: I n d i a n a u n i v e r s i ' m 3 ) .

104. Thompson, " I n f o r m a l N ~ t e s . ~

105. S t i t h Thompson, "Congress f o r t h e S tudy o f t h e F o l k t a l e a t Lund, " American A n t h r o p o l o g i s t 38 (1936) , 687.

106. S t i t h Thompson, "Pe r sona l Notes on a F o l k t a l e Congress , "

I n d i a n a U n i v e r s i t y Alumni Q u a r t e r l y 23 (1 936) , 6-13.

107. I b i d . , p. 9.

108. S t i t h Thompson, "Fo lk lo re News, " JAF (1938) , 98-99.

109. S t i t h Thompson, "The I n t e r n a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n of F o l k l o r e , " 2 (1938) ; 196.

110. I b i d . , p a 198 ; Thompson, " F o l k l o r e News," 95-96.

111. Upadhyaya, reminiscence^,^ 129.

112. Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t ' s P r o g r e s s , pp. 165-66, 182.

Thompson, "Folklore i n South America," 256-60; Thompson " V i s i t s t o South American F o l k l o r i s t s , " 391-97.

Boas, "Review of Tales of the North American Indians ," 223-24.

A.H. Gayton, "Review of Tales of the North American Indians , " American ~ n t h r o p o l o ~ i s t 3 ' ( 1 9 3 4 ) r

Gunther, "American Indian L i t e r a t u r e , " 408-9; Boas, "Review of Tales of the North American Indians , " 223-24; Taylor, "Review of Tales of the North American Indians," 453-54.

John W . Spar O , "Review of Types of the Fo lk ta le , " JAF 43 (1930 , 443-44. - 'j Roberts, " S t i t h Thompson," 9.

Bengt Holbek, "On the C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Fo lk ta le s , " i n IVth I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conpress for Folk-Narrative Research in Athens: Lectures and Re o r t s , ed. -+ Georgios Megas (Athens : Laographia, 19 5 ) , pp. 158-61; Bengt Holbek, "Review of Types of the Folk ta le , " ARV: T i d s k r i f t f o r Nordisk Folkminnes- forskning 18-19 (1962-63), 408-15.

Kurt Ranke, "Review of Motif-Index of Folk-Literature , 2nd e d i t i o n , " JAF 71 (1958), 81.

G.H. Gerould, "Review of Motif-Index of Folk- L i t e r a t u r e , " JAF 49 (19361, 275-76.

A.H. Gayton, "Review of Motif-Index of Folk- L i t e r a t u r e , " American Anthropologist 36(1934), 480.

S.E. Hyman, "Some Bankrupt Treasur ies ," Kenyon Review 10 (1948), 495.

Ranke, "Review of Motif-Index," pp. 81-82.

Roberts, " S t i t h Thompson," p. 11.

Margaret M . Bryant, "Review of The Folkta le ," Western Folklore 7 (1948), 308.

Sven L i l j e b l a d , "Review of The Folk ta le , " pp. 161-62.

Hyman, "Some Bankrupt Treasuries , " 495-96.

129. Ib id . , 495.

130. Krappe, "Review o f - Fo lk ta le , " 426-28.

131. Americo Paredes and Richard Baman, eds.! Toward New Perspect ives i n Folklore (Austin: University of - Texas Press , 1 9 7 2 r pp. i x , x i , 8.

132. Frank W. Young, "A F i f t h Analysis of the Star-Husband Tale," E t h n o l o a 9 (1970), 405-10.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE PRINCIPAL WRITINGS OF STITH THOMPSON

CONCERNING FOLKLORE

The P r i n c i p a l Writings of S t i t h Thmpson Concerning -

Folklore

References a r e l i s t e d chronological ly f o r convenience. They a r e separated i n t o Books, A r t i c l e s , Reviews by S t i t h Thompson, Reviews of Thompson's Writings, and Secondary Sources. Sources not a v a i l a b l e i n Indiana Univer- s i t y Main Library a r e ind ica ted by Cs ' r ) .

Thesis

"The Return from t h e Dead i n Popular Ta le s and R a l l a d ~ . ~ ' Bachelor of A r t s Thesis, Univers i ty of Wisconsin. 1 t a b l e . Bibliography.

154 pp.

Thesis

"The Idea of t h e Soul i n Teutonic Popular Ta les and Popular Ballads." Master of Arts Thesis , Unlvers i ty of Cal i forn ia . 3 t ab l e s . Bib- l iography. 113 pp.

A r t i c l e

':Local Meeting of t h e Texas Polk-Lore Society." Journa l - of American Folklore 28: 307.

Book

(Edi tor ) Publ ica t ions of t h e Folk lore S o c i e t r of Texas. No. 1. Reprinted a s ~oundthe ' '1 ;evee. F u b l i c a t i o n ~ o ? thk Texas Folklore --- Society 1, 1935. Preface. Tndex. 111 pp.

Ar t i c l e

"The P r e h i s t o r i c Development of Sa t i re . t t Publ ica t ions of t h e Folk lore -- Socie t of T e a s 1 : 78-95. A--

(managing Ed i to r ) Texas Review, 1917-1918.

8918

A r t i c l e

"Sunday School S t o r i e s among Savages." - Texas Review 3 {January): 109-16.

Book

European Tales amdng t h e North American Indians: A Study i n t h e Migration ---- - * " bf Polk iTales . Colorado Springs : Colorado co l l ege Pub l i ca t i ons ,no. 54. -

2 Tables , Tntroduction. Bibliography. Index. 152 pp.

Articles

nThe rndian Legend o f Hiawatha." Pub l i ca t i ons of t h e Modern Language -- - Associat ion 37:,126-40.

"The Transmission of Folk Tales," i n The Charles M i l l s GayLey Anniversary - Papers. New York: Haskell House Publ i shers , Ltd. , pp.131-36.

1926

Secondary Source

Har r i s , Robert E. "Archdeacon of Comma Hounds: My Friend S t i t h Thompson." The Vagabond 3(34I :68-73. -

Book

The Types of t h e Fo lk t a l e : A n t t i Aarne's "Verzeichnis de r ~ z r c h e n t ~ ~ e n , " ---- - - Trans la ted - a-ed. el- low^ Caws~ammnnl"cat i ons , No. 74. Preface. L i s t of Abbreviations. Bibliography. lhdex. 279 pp.

Book

Tales of t h e North American Indians. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard ---- Univers i ty Press . Preface. Ih t roduc t ion . Notes. Bibliography. Map of T r ibes and Cul ture Areas. 386 pp.

Reviews

"Jan de Vr ies , Volksverhalen u i t 0ost-1ndi;. Journa l of American Folk lore - - 42: 79-80.

"Jan d e Yries, D l e ~ g r c h e n von klugen ~ a " t s e l l 8 s e r n . ~ ~ Journa l of - - . C

Amepican Folk lore 42: 7 c 8 0 .

Review

"Archer Taylor, The Black Ox: A Study i n t h e H i s to ry of a Polk-Tale." --- - -- -- Journa l of Piinerican Polk lore 43 : 122-25.

Reviews of Thompson's Writings

Boas, Franz. " S t i t h Thompson, Ta les of t h e North American Indians." ---- Joa rna l of American Folk lore 43: 223-24. -

Gunther , Erna. "American Indian L i t e r a tu re . " Folk-Say 09301: 408-10.

Spargo, John Webster. " S t i t h Thompson, The Types of t h e Folktale ." - -- Journa l of American Folk lore 43: 443-44. -

Taylor, Archer. " S t i t h Thompson,Tales of t h e North American Indians." ---- American L i t e r a t u r e 1: 453-54.

Books

Motif-Index of Folk-Li terature: A C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Nar ra t ive Elements T k y a l e s , - Bal lads , ~y-txs , Fables , fled f e z 1 Romances, Exempla,

Fabliaux , Jest-Books , and Local Legends. 6 v o l s . m i , Finland : -- Folk lore Fellows Communications. 1932-1937. Also ~ u b l i s h e d simultaneously Bloominton, rndiana: Indiana Univers i ty Studies . I n t ro - duct ion. General Synopses. L i s t of Abbreviations. Bibliography. Vol. 6 is General mdex.

Articles

"The Fo lk t a l e Since B a s i l e Y n i n The Pentamerone of Giambat t i s te Bas i le , - ed. by N.M. Penzer. New York: E.P. Dutton AZ Co., pp. 286-304.

"Motifs i n t h e P e n t a m e r ~ n e , ~ ~ ib id . , pp. 305-19.

"Tale Types i n t h e Pen tamer~ne ,~ ' i b i d . , pp. 320-21.

A r t i c l e s

Beginning of a series o f twelve a r t i c l e s i n ~andw8r t e rbuch - d e s -deutschen ~ z r c h e n s , ed by Lutz Mackenson. 2 vo l . Be r l i n and LeQzi'g: Walter D e Gruyter and Co., 1930-1933.

Reviews of Thompson s Writings

Gayton, A. H. " S t i t h Thompson, 'Tales of t h e North American Indians .'I ----- American Anthropologist 36: 479-80.

A r t i c l e s

"Congress f o r t h e Study of t h e Folk-Tale a t Lund." American Anthro- p o l o g i s t 38: 687.

"Folktale Congress i n Sweden." Journa l of American 'Folklore 49: 171. - .

"Personal Notes on a Folk ta le Congress." Ihdiana Univers i ty Alumni Ouar te r lv 23 (Winter. 19361: 1-17.

Reviews of Thompsonts Hr i t i ngs

Gerould, G.H. " S t i t h Thompson, Mctif-Index of Polk-Literature." Journa l of American Folk lore 49: 275-76. -

Reviews

"Walter Anderson, Studien zur H o r t s i l b e n s t a t i s t i k der g l t e r e n es tn ischen - ~ 0 1 k s l i e d e r . ~ ~ - 3 American Folk lore 50: 102.

"Walter Anderson, Zu Albert Vesselskis Angriffen auf d i e f i nn i sche - ---- f o l k l o r i s t i s c z Forschungsmethode. I t Journa l - of American Folk lore 50: 102.

"Ruth Benedict, - Zuni Mythology." American Anthropologist 39: 337-38.

"Fr iedr ich Ranke, Volkssagenforschung." Journa l - of American Folk lore 50: 103.

Secondary Sources

Mills, Laurens J. " S t i t h Thompson: Authority on t h e Habits of t h e Kwakiutl and t h e T s i m s h i a n ~ . ~ The Rainbow of Del ta Tau Del ta - ---- 60: 227.

A r t i c l e s

"American Folklore a f t e r 50 Years." Journa l of American Folk lore 51: 1-9. P r e s i d e n t i a l Address t o t h e ~ m e r ic= Folk lore Socie ty , 50th Anniversary Meeting .

' fFolklore Col lec t ing i n I r e l a n d e n Southern Folklore Quarter ly 2: 53-58.

"Folklore News.* Journa l of American Folk lore 51: 95-99. - " In t e rna t iona l Organization of Folklore ." Southern Folk lore Q u a r t e r l y

2: 195-98.

"Purpose and Importance of an Index of Types and Motifs." Folk-Liv 1: 103-8.

Review of Thompsonrs Writings

C i l le t , Joseph R. "St i t h Thompson, The Mot i f -Index of Folk-Li terature . " - - H i s ~ a n i c Review 6: 361.

Review

"Arnold van Gennep, Manuel de Folk lore Y r a n ~ a i s C ~ n t e m p o r a L n . ~ ~ i

Journa l of American ~oifI;Z'ork 52: 325-26. --

A r t i c l e s

l lFolklore and Li terature . ' ' Pub l i ca t i ons o f t h e Modern Language -7

Associat ion of America 55 : 866-74.

A r t i c l e s

"Folklore of t h e Americas: An Opportunity and a Challenge.n Transact ions of t h e Eighth American S c i e n t i f i c Congress 2: 245-51. --

"The M i l l e r ' s Tale." r n Sources - and Analogues of Chaucerrs Canterbury Tales , ed by W. F. Bryan and Germaine ~ e m F t e r . Chicago: The Univers i ty of Chicago Press,pp. 106-23.

Reviews

"H.M. Belden, Bal lads and Songs Collected % t h e Missouri Folklore -- - Society." Journal of English and Germanic ~ h l o l o g y 40: 576-77.

7 - "W.H. Entwis t le , European B a l l a d r ~ . ~ Journa l of American Folk lore 54:

54: 207-8.

"Some Recent Publ ica t ions from Argentina." Journa l - of American Folk lore 54: 86.

A r t i c l e s

Books

The Folk ta le . New York: Dryden Press . Also published simultaneously - i n New York: Holt , Rinehart , and Winston. Preface. Four P a r t s . Two Appendices: Important Works on t h e Fo lk t a l e , and P r i n c i p a l Col lec t ions of Folk ta les . Index of Tale Types. Index of Motifs. General Index. Three Tables acd Two Text Figures . 510 pp.

A r t i c l e s

"Motif-Index of Kota Tales." Univers i ty - of Ca l i fo rn i a Publ ica t ions i n L ingu i s t i c s 3: 336-58. -

"Type and Mot i f Analysis of Kota Tales . t' Universi ty - of Ca l i fo rn i a Pub l i ca t ions i n L ingu i s t i c s 3 : 359-73. -

"Paul Eunyan i n 191OYt' with Edward 0 . Tabor. Journa l - of Pmerican - Folk lore 59: 134-35.

"The Scholar i n a New World." Rainbow of Del ta Tau Delta 69: 59. ---- (Edi tor ) "Informal Notes on Tpansactions and Lectures of the Scccind

Folk lore I n s t i t u t e of America. Nimeographed . Bloomington: Indiana Universi ty .

t tDesarrol los Recientes de 10s es tud ios Folk lor icos en 10s Estados Unidos." Revista Venezolana - de Folklore 1 (2 ) .

"El Cuento Folklor ico." Revista de l a Universidad - de Buenos l i i r e s , (Apr i l - December, l S ~ ' % ~ 7 ~ ~


Krappe , Alexander H. t l S t i t h Thompson, - The ~ o l k t a l e . " Jou7na.l - cjf

American Folklore 60: 426-29. --

Li l j eb l ad , Sven. " S t i t h Thompson, - The Folk ta le . " Southern - Folk lore Quar te r ly 11: 157-62.

A r t i c l e s

"Folklore i n South America." Journal - of American - Folk lore 61: 256-60.

"John Avery Lomax, 1867-1948.'t Jou rna l of American Folklore 61: 305-6.

Reviews

"Chris t iansen, Lid, and Liestgfl , STudia Norvegica: E t h o l o g i c a - et P o l k l ~ r i s t i c a . ~ ~ Journa l of Americarl Fo lk lore 61: 404. -

t 'Os Melhores Contes Populares d e Portugal .* Journa l of American Folklore 61: 235-37.

"Rhys Carpenter, Folk Tale , F i c t i o n , and Saga i n t h e Homeric Epics." -- ---- Western Folk lore 7: 313-14.


Bryant, Margaret M. " S t i t h Thompson, The Fo lk t a l e . Western Folk lore - 7: 308-13.

Hyman,Stanley Edgar. "Some Bankrupt T r e a s u r i e ~ . ' ~ Kenyon Review 10: 484-97.

Secondary Source

"Indiana 's New Dean is Florld-Famous Scholar." Rainbow of Del ta Tau --- Delta 71: 217, 226.

A r t i c l e s

"Fairy Tale," "Finnish Polk lorew Cwith Jonas Balys l , " F ~ l k l o r e , ~ ~ l lFolktale . l l I n Funk and Wagnall 's Standard Dic t ionary of Folklore, -- Mythoiogy, and Legend, ed . hy Maria Leach. New York: F G ~ and - Kagnalls Company, pp. 365-66, 380-87, 403, 408-9.

"Folklore- C l a s s i f i c a ~ i o n and Then What?" Journal ef American Folk lore - 62: 423.

2kt1The Fuhure of Folk lore Research i n t h e United S ta tes . " Proceedings of - t h e American Phi losophica l Soc ie ty 93: 244-47. -

"Story Writers and Sto~y Tellers,"' I n Phi lo log ica : - The Malone Anniversary S tud ie s , ed b ~ r T. A Kerley and H.B. Woolf, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, pp.228-34.

A r t i c l e s

'' Folklore conferences a t Indiana Universi ty . "Journal - of American Folklore 63: 459.

"Motif," "Type." I n -- Funk and Wagnallls Standard Dict ionary of Folklore , Mvthology, and Legend, V O ~ . 2, ed i t ed by Maria Leach, NG York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, pp, 753, 1137-138.

"Milton Rugoff, A Harvest of World Folk Tales ." Western Fo lk lo re 9: - --- 181.

A r t i c l e s

"Folklore a t Midcentury," Midwest Fo lk lore 1: 5-12.

"La Mitologica." Fo lk lore Americas 11 ( 1 ) : 1-15.

Reviews

"C.W. von Sydow, Se lec ted Papers on Folk lore . " Jou rna l o f American - Folk lore 64: 332-33.

"Charles Haywood, A Bibliography of North American Folk lore and Folk- -- -- song. " ~ m e r i c a n Anthropologist 53 : 553-54. -

"E.M. B u t l e r , R i t u a l Magic." Modern Language Quar te r ly 12: 361.

"Grant Loomis, White Magic: An In t roduc t ion t o t h e Folk lore of Chris- -- - -- -- t i a n Legend." Modern Language Quar te r ly 12 : 108. -

"Seamas MacManus, Heavy Hangs t h e Golden Grain. Western Fo lk lo re 10: --- 343-44.

"T.H. Gas te r , Thespis : R i t u a l and Drama i n t h e Ancient Near East ." American Journa l of Archaeology 55: 412. -

A r t i c l e s

" E l Cuento Folk lor ico ." Fo lk lore Americas 12 ( 2 ) : 113-33.

"Folk ta les and Legends." I n - The Frank C. Brown Co l l ec t i on -- of North Caro l ina Folk lore , v o l . 1, e d . Paul G . Brewster, A . Taylor , B . J . Whiting, G.P. Wilson, and S. Thompson, Durham: Duke Un ive r s i t y P re s s , pp. 619-708.

!'Killed Up." American Speech 27: 235.

"La Leyenda." Fo lk lore Americas 12 ( 1 ) : 3-11.

"Problems i n Folk lore , " I n - An In t roduc t ion t o Research i n Engl i sh L i t e r a r y His tory , ed Chauncey s a n d e r s T ~ e w York: K c m i l l a n Co , pp. 253-76.

Reviews

"Archer Taylor , Engl i sh Riddles from Oral Trad i t ion ." Journa l of -- - English and Germanic Phi lology 51: 242-44. -

"W. Liungman, Sver iges Samtliga Folksagor i ord och Bi ld ." Jou rna l ---- of American Folk lore 65: 324. -

A r t i c l e s

"Advances i n Fo lk lore S tud ies . " In Anthropology Today: An Encyclopedic - - Inventory, ed A . L . Kroeber, Chicago: Univers i ty of Chicago P re s s , pp. 587-96.

"The S t a r Husband Tale." S tud ia S e p t e n t r i o n a l i a 4: 93-163. In t roduc t ion . Conclusion. Maps.

Obituary

"Knut L i e s t g l , 1881-1952." Journa l of American Folk lore 66: 332. - Books

(Ed i to r ) Four Symposia on Folk lore . IndianaUnivers i ty Publ ica t ions , - - Folk lore S e r i e s , no, 8. Bloomington: Indiana Univers i ty Press . Foreword. Notes. Index. 340 pp.

Reviews

"N. M . Penzer, Poison Damsels and o t h e r Essays i n Fo lk lore and Anthro- ---- - - p ~ l o g y . ~ l Jou rna l o f American Folk lore 66: 275. -

"R. Pe t t a zon i , M i t i e Leggenda." Midwest Fo lk lore 3: 252. --

A r t i c l e s

l fFo lk lore and Folk Fes t i va l s . " Midwest Fo lk lore 4: 5-12.

llFolk Tales from Korea, Modern Greek Fo lk t a l e s , Afr ican F o l k t a l e s and Sculpture ." Southern Folk lore Q u a r t e r l y 18: 194-97.

"Una Mirada Retrospect i v a a l a cooperacio/n I n t e rnac iona l en Folk lore . Fo lk lore Americano 2: 147-50.

Reviews

"John Greenway, American Folksongs of Pro tes t . I r American H i s t o r i c a l - Review 59: 454.

"T. H. Gas te r , The Oldest S t o r i e s i n t h e World. Jou rna l o f American - --- - Folk lore 67: 225.

Books

Motif-Index of Folk L i t e r a t u r e : A C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Na r r a t i ve Elements -- i n k t a l e s , - Bal lads , ~ ~ t h z , Fab les , ~ e d i e v x Romances, Exempla,

Fabliaux. Jest-Books. and Local Legends. 2nd r ev i s ed e d i t i o n . 6 - L, * vo l s . Bloomington: rndiana Un ive r s i t y P re s s , 1955-58. Also pub- l i s h e d s imultaneously Copenhagen: Rosenkilde and Bagger. Pre face . I n t roduc t i on . L i s t of Abbreviat ions . General Synopsis. Bib l io - graphy. Vol. 6 a General Index.

A r t i c l e s

"The Importance of Fo lk lore Study i n t h e Near East and i n I s r a e l . " Yeda'am 3: 3-4.

"The Ind ian Legends S ince Hiawatha." Michigan His tory 39: 462-63.

"Myths and Fo lk t a l e s . " Jou rna l o f American Folk lore 68: 482-88. - "Narrat ive Motif Analysis a s a Fo lk lore Method." Fo lk lore Fellows

Communications, no. 161, pp. 3-9.

Obituary

I1Sigurd B. Hustvedt, 1882-1954," Jou rna l of American Fo lk lo re 68: 200. -

Books

" F o l k l o r i s t ' s Progress . P r i v a t e l y Multigraphed. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana Univers i ty . 320 pp.

Reviews

"F. Coluccio, Fo lk lore de l a s Americas." Erasmus 9: 43. -- "Wilson D. Wal l i s and Ruth S. Wal l i s , - The Micmac Ind ians - of Eas te rn

Canada." Jou rna l of American Fo lk lo re 69: 398. -

A r t i c l e s

"Recol lect ions of an I t i n e r a n t F o l k l o r i s t . " I n Mesquite - and Willow, ed. M.C. Boa t r i gh t , W . M . Hudson, A. Maxwell, Pub l i ca t i ons of t h e Texas Folk lore Soc ie ty , no. 27. Dal las : Southern Methodist Un ive r s i t y P re s s , pp. 118-28.

"The Study of P r imi t i ve S t o r y t e l l i n g : I ts Presen t S t a t u s and Future Di rec t ions . " -- Folk-Liv 21-22: 185-90.

Secondary Source

Richmand, W. Edson, ed. S tud i e s i n Fo lk lore : I n Honor of Dis t in - --- guished Serv ice Professor ~ t T h Thompson. Indiana Univers i ty - Pub l i ca t i ons Folk lore S e r i e s , no. 9 . Bloomington: Indiana Univers i ty Press .

Books

Thompson, S t i t h , and Jonas Balys, The Oral Ta les of Ind ia . Indiana ---- Pub l i ca t i ons Folk lore S e r i e s , no. 10 . Bloomington: Indiana Univers i ty Press . Preface. Map of Ind i a . Regional and General Bib l iographies . Index. 448 pp.

A r t i c l e s

"Comparative Problems i n Oral L i t e r a tu r e . " Yearbook of Comparative - and General L i t e r a t u r e 7 (21) : 6-16. -

Reviews of Thompson ' s Writings

Coffin, Tr is t ram. " S t i t h Thompson, The Oral Ta l e s of Ind ia . " Southern ---- Folk lore Quar te r ly 22: 206-7.

Ke l l e r , John E. " S t i t h Thompson, The Motif-Index of Fo lk-Li te ra ture , - 2nd e d i t i o n . Southern Folk lore Quar te r ly 22 : 2 0 1 - 2 . -

Ranke, Kurt. " S t i t h Thompson, The Motif-Index of Fo lk-Li te ra ture , - 2nd e d i t ion. Jou rna l of American ~ o l k l o r e 7 1 : 81-83. - -

A r t i c l e s

"Prepared Comment on ' A Theory of American Folk lore ' by R. M . Dorson." Jou rna l of American Folk lore 72: 232. -

Review of Thompson's Wri t ings

Emeneau, M.B. " S t i t h Thompson, The Oral Ta les of India ." Journa l of ---- - American Folk lore 72: 252-53.

Books

Thompson, S t i t h , and Warren Roberts. Types of I nd i c Fo lk t a l e s : I n d i a , Pak is tan , and Ceylon. Fo lk lore Fellows Communications, no. 180. -. Hels ink i : Suomalainen ~ i e d e a k a t m c a d e m i i Sc i en t i t a r i um Fennica ) . Outl ine of C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Ta les , Regional and General Bib l io - g raphies . 181 pp.

A r t i c l e s

" F i f t y Yea-of Fo lk t a l e Indexing." In Humaniora: Essays i n L i t e r - a t u r e , Fo lk lore , Bibl iography ( F e s t s c h r i f t f o r Archer am Locust Val ley, N . Y . : J .J. Augustin, pp. 49-57.

"The S ign i f i c ance of Near Eas te rn Folk lore . " I n S tud i e s i n B i b l i c a l and Jewish Folk lore , ed R. P a t a i , F.L. Ut ley, Dov NG, Indiana - Univers i ty Pub l i ca t i ons Folk lore S e r i e s , no. 13. Bloomington: Ind iana Univers i ty P re s s , pp. 5-7.

Reviews

"Arthur M . Young, Legend Bui lders of t h e West." C l a s s i c a l Jou rna l - 55: 192.

"Katherine Briggs, - The Anatomy of Puck." Shakespeare Quar te r ly 11: -- 367.

Books

The Types of t h e Fo lk t a l e : A C l a s s i f i c a t i o n and Bibliography: A n t t i ---- Aarne ' s "Verzeichnis - d e r Marchentypen" Trans la ted and Enlarged. 2nd r e v i s i o n . Hels ink i : Fo lk lore Fellows Comunica t ions , no. 184. Pre face . L i s t o f Abbreviat ions . Out l ine of C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Tales . Bibliography. L i s t of Changes. Index. 588 pp.

A r t i c l e s

"Folklore Trends i n Scandinavia." Jou rna l - of American Fo lk lo re 74: 313-19.

k ta le . " I n In te rna t iona : "Report on t h e Revision of The Types of t h e Fol ----- Le Kongress - d e r Volkzerzahlungsforscher i n Kie l und Kopenhagen,

. - _ - - Suppleser ie zu Fabula, ed . Kurt Ranke, pp. 428-31.

" V i s i t s t o South American folklorist^.^' Jou rna l - of American Fo lk lo re 74: 391-97.

Reviews

"Susana Cher tud i , Cuentos Fo lk lo r i cos -- de l a Argentina," and "Yolando Pino-Saavedra, Cuentos Fo lk lo r i cos de Ch i l e , Tomo I." Jou rna l of -- -- - American Folk lore 74: 173-74.

A r t i c l e s

fiwArnerican Folklore" and "Fo lk t a l e s and Legends." I n Oxford J u n i o r Encyclopaedia.

"M. Luthi , Volksmklrchen und Volkssage." Jou rna l o f Engl ish and Germanic - - - - Philology 62: 889.


Holbek, Bengt. " S t i t h Thompson, The Types of t h e Fo lk t a l e , 2d r ev i s ion . " - -- ARV: T i d s k r i f t f o r Nordisk Folkminnesforskning 18-19 (1962-1963): - - 408-15.

A r t i c l e s

"American Folk T rad i t i on . " The Review: Ind iana Univers i ty B u l l e t i n s 62 ( 6 ) : 1-15. ~ e ~ r i n t e d x Folk lore --na Council of Teachers o f Engl ish - Ter re Haute), 1966.

"The Challenge of Folklore ." Pub l i ca t i ons of t h e Modern Language Assoc ia t ion -- of America 79: 357-65. Trans la ted i n t o Portuguese i n Revis ta - B r a s i l i e r a d e Folk lore 5 (11) : 33-48, and i n t o Flemish i n Volkskunda, - 1966.

"Folklore. I'

pp. 989-93. I n New Ca tho l i c Encyclopaedia, New York: McGraw H i l l , vo l . -

Reviews

"Laur i t s BQdker, C h r i s t i n a Hole, G . DtAronco ( e d s ) , European Folk Tales ." -- Jou rna l of American Folk lore 77: 273-74. -

"Zaide Macul de Cas t ro , D a n ~ a s do Norte e do S u l a t ' Western Folk lore 23: 59.

A r t i c l e s

$k"Folklore Typology and t h e P a c i f i c Area." I n Folk lore S tud i e s i n Honor of --- Arthur Palmer Hudson, Chapel H i l l : Univers i ty o f North Caro l ina P re s s , pp. 11-18.

Obituary

"J. Frank Dobie, 1888-1964." Jou rna l of American Folk lore 78: 62. - Reviews of Thompson's Wri t ings

Holbek, Bengt. "On t h e C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Fo lk ta les . " I n Fourth Sn t e rna t i ona l Congress f o r Folk-Narrative Research i n Athens: Lectures and Reports , ed - - Georgios Megas, L a o ~ r a p h i a 2%: 1 5 8 - 6 1 y

Roberts , Warren E. " S t i t h Thompson: H i s Major Works and a Bibliography." ARV: T i d s k r i f t f o r Nordisk Folkminnesforskning 21: 5-20. - -

Books C

Second Wind: A Sequel a f t e r 1 0 Years t o F o l k l o r i s t t s Progress . P r i v a t e l y - ---- ~ u l t igraphgd. Bloomington: rddiana Univers i ty . 59 pp. '4

Tales of t h e North American Ind ians . 2d e d i t i o n . Bloomington: Ind iana ---- Unive r s i t y Press . Midland Book Ed i t i on (Paperback). 386 pp.

A r t i c l e s

"A Humanist 's Creed." Bloomington: Un i t a r i an U n i v e r s a l i s t Church, Sermon S e r i e s .

A r t i c l e s

" I ce l and i c P a r a l l e l s among t h e Northeastern Algonquians." I n Nordica e t Anglica: S tud i e s --- i n Honor of S t e f an Einarsson, ed Allan H. orrick: The Hague: Mouton, pp. 133-39.

"Inger Margret Boberg." In Motif-Index -- of Ear ly I ce l and i c L i t e r a t u r e by I . M . Boberg, Copenhagen: Munksgaard.

" L i t e r a t u r e f o r t h e Unlettered.'! I n Comparative L i t e r a t u r e , ed N . S t a l l k n e c h t and Horst Frenz, Carbondale, I l l i n o i s : Southern I l l i n o i s Univers i ty P re s s , pp. 201-17.

"Planes P re l im ina re s para un S e r v i c i o de Folk lore i n Venezuela," Archivos Venezolanos de Folk lore 8 : 339-67. -

"An Of f i ce Boy Remembers 1902.11 Ind iana Univers i ty Bookman 8 (March, 1967): 7-9.

Books 4

One Hundred Favo r i t e Fo lk t a l e s . Bloomington: Indiana Un ive r s i t y P re s s . - I l l u s . by Franz Al t schule r . Foreword. Notes and Sources. 8 i l l u s .

4

439 pp.

A r t i c l e s

"Hypothet ical Forms i n F o l k t a l e Study." I n Volksllberlieferung: F e s t s c h r i f t f u r Kurt Ranke, Gbttifigen:: Verlag Otto Schwartz and Co., pp. 269-72. ---

Upadhyaya, Hari $. "~emin i scences of an Octogenarian F o l k l o r i s t . " Asian Fo lk lo re S tud i e s 27 ( 2 ) : 107-45.

Reviews

"H. Bausinger, Formen d e r Volkspoesie." Jou rna l o f Engl ish and Germanic - - - Philology 68: 373.

Review of Thompson's Wri t ings

Flanagan, John T. " S t i t h Thompson, One Hundred Favo r i t e folktale^.^^ Comparative L i t e r a t u r e S tud i e s 6 ( 3 ) : 342-43.

Secondary Source

" S t i t h Thompson." Di rec tory of American Schola rs , vo l . 2, 5 th ed, p. 540.

A r t i c l e s

"Analogues and Borrowings i n North and South American Indian Ta les . " In Languages and Cu l tu r e s of Western North America: Sven L i l j e b l a d - F e s t s c h r i f t , ed by ~ a r l y . Swanson, Poca t e l l o , Idaho: I.daho S t a t e Un ive r s i t y P re s s , pp. 277-88.

"Gordon Wilson." Kentucky Folk lore Record 16 ( 3 ) : 41-45.

"Unfinished Business: The Folk ta le . " In Medieval L i t e r a t u r e and Folk lore - Stud i e s , ed by Jerome Mandel and Bruce Rosenberg, New Brunswick, N . J . : Rutgers Univers i ty Press , pp. 213-21.

Review o f Thompson 's Wri t ings

Young, Frank W. "A F i f t h Analysis o f t h e Star-Husband Tale," Ethnology 9 ( 4 ) : 389-413.

A r t i c l e s

"Folk L i t e r a tu r e . " I n Encyclopaedia Macropaedia B r i t t a n i c a , vo l . 7 , pp. 454-61.

Review o f Thompson's Wri t ings

Paredes , Americo, and Richard Bauman, eds . Toward - N e w Pe r spec t i ve s - i n Folklore . Austin: Univers i ty of Texas P re s s , pp. ix, x i , 8 .

Secondary Souyces

" S t i t h Thompson, Father of Folklore ." I nd i anapo l i s - S t a r , January 12 , 1976, p. 23.

" S t i t h Thompson, F o l k l o r i s t , Dies." New York Times, January 12 , 1976, p. 30. ---

Unpublished Mater ia l

Papers o f S t i t h Thompson, 1911-1964, inc lud ing correspondence, fami ly genealogy, au tob iographica l m a t e r i a l , manuscr ipts , d i a r i e s , photographs. G i f t t o L i l l y L ibra ry , Ind iana Univers i ty , Bloomington, Ind iana , i n 1972.

Page 10, paragraph 2:



"universityies" should read "universities1'

''demans1' should read "demands"

"of folktales" should read "of folktales"

Number

P 7:l

T i t l e - Price Xei h t - A Adler, Thomas A,, I1Sunday Breakfast Was Always Special $2.25 7 0 ~ .

With Us: A Report on Foodways i n South Central Georgia," 72p.

Egblewogbe, E.Y., t t F o N o r e in the Novels of Chinua .50 2 It

hcnebe: An Xthnographic Approach," 15pe DLgh, Linda, "3iology of Storytelling,l1 19pe .65 3 " naring, Lee, "Tne Folklore Component in Xalagasay 055 2

History, lbp.

E l 4 h m . Hasan M. . The Sumrnatural Belief -Practice - - ~ ~ s t & -- of the ~ontem~o/ary - Folk ~ d t & e of ~ g y p t .

liartiin. Pee~v . S t i t h Thom~son: X i s Life a ~ i s Role - - in koUi-"" ~~~& p;- ---- ~ e r , Simon --+ J., Bib ~ o g r h of American Folk and +- -- Vernacular Art. Edwards, Jay D , , The Afro-American Tr icks ter Tale : - - - - -

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t o Magan Sisoko, 280 p. i n t w r v m Rikoon, J. Sanford, Guide -- t o the Indiana University

Folklore ~rchives.~. . rev. ed. - -. Lindahl, Carl, J. ahf ford Rikocn, and Elaine J. Lawless,

11 Basic Guide t o Fieldwork - f o r &?ginning Folklore ' S t ~ s x , ~ o . , 2nd ed.

~ l + T & s & M. ,' goth her - and S i s t e r (Type - 872*) : A Cognitive Behavioristic Analysis of a Middle Eastern - -- Oikotype, 68 p,

Roberts, iloderick J,, The Uses of an His tor ica l Legend: --- "The Powers Boys," 6 1 p .

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D Q ~ ~ , Linda, !!The Roammate's Death and Related Dormitory 045 2 " Stor ies i n Formation," from Indiana Folklore 2:2 (1969)~ 55-74.

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O i n a s , Felix, I1Historical I k a l i t y and Russian Supernatural Beings,ll lop.

Ketner, Kenneth, "A Prelimfnary Survey of t h e Grammar of Folklore: An Introduct ion t o Hoxai~ology,~~ 7p.

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Stith Thompson : xis Life and Xis Role in Folklore Scholarship

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