Synopses & Reviews
The only Freudian to have been originally trained in folklore and the first psychoanalytic anthropologist to carry out fieldwork, Gza Rcheim (1891-1953) contributed substantially to the worldwide study of cultures. Combining a global perspective with encyclopedic knowledge of ethnographic sources, this Hungarian analyst demonstrates the validity of Freudian theory in both Western and non-Western settings. These seventeen essays, written between 1922 and 1953, are among Rcheim's most significant published writings and are collected here for the first time to introduce a new generation of readers to his unique interpretations of myths, folktales, and legends.
From Australian aboriginal mythology to Native American trickster tales, from the Grimm folktale canon to Hungarian folk belief, Rcheim explores a wide range of issues, such as the relationship of dreams to folklore and the primacy of infantile conditioning in the formation of adult fantasy. An introduction by folklorist Alan Dundes describes Rcheim's career, and each essay is prefaced by a brief consideration of its intellectual and bibliographical context.
Synopsis
These seventeen essay, written between 1922 and 1953, are among Roheim's most significant published writings and are collected here for the first time to introduce a new generation of folklorists and anthropologists to his unique interpretations of myths, folktales, and legends.
Synopsis
"For those who have not previously read Róheim and who have at least an open mind on the possibility of applying psychoanalytic theory to folklore, you have an exciting intellectual treat in store for you. Once having read Róheim, you will never be able to look at folklore again as you did before exposure to these remarkable essays."--Alan Dundes, from the Introduction
Synopsis
The only Freudian to have been originally trained in folklore and the first psychoanalytic anthropologist to carry out fieldwork, Gza Rcheim (1891-1953) contributed substantially to the worldwide study of cultures. Combining a global perspective with encyclopedic knowledge of ethnographic sources, this Hungarian analyst demonstrates the validity of Freudian theory in both Western and non-Western settings. These seventeen essays, written between 1922 and 1953, are among Rcheim's most significant published writings and are collected here for the first time to introduce a new generation of readers to his unique interpretations of myths, folktales, and legends.
From Australian aboriginal mythology to Native American trickster tales, from the Grimm folktale canon to Hungarian folk belief, Rcheim explores a wide range of issues, such as the relationship of dreams to folklore and the primacy of infantile conditioning in the formation of adult fantasy. An introduction by folklorist Alan Dundes describes Rcheim's career, and each essay is prefaced by a brief consideration of its intellectual and bibliographical context.
Synopsis
"For those who have not previously read Róheim and who have at least an open mind on the possibility of applying psychoanalytic theory to folklore, you have an exciting intellectual treat in store for you. Once having read Róheim, you will never be able to look at folklore again as you did before exposure to these remarkable essays."--Alan Dundes, from the Introduction
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | |
| Introduction | |
Ch. 1 | Psychoanalysis and the Folktale | 3 |
Ch. 2 | The Significance of Stepping Over | 11 |
Ch. 3 | Magic and Theft in European Folklore | 19 |
Ch. 4 | Myth and Folktale | 29 |
Ch. 5 | Saint Agatha and the Tuesday Woman | 43 |
Ch. 6 | The Story of the Light That Disappeared | 59 |
Ch. 7 | The Thread of Life | 87 |
Ch. 8 | The Bear in the Haunted Mill | 103 |
Ch. 9 | Culture Hero and Trickster in North American Mythology | 115 |
Ch. 10 | Tom, Tit, Tot | 123 |
Ch. 11 | Fire in the Dragon | 129 |
Ch. 12 | Mythology of Arnhem Land | 139 |
Ch. 13 | Fairy Tale and Dream | 147 |
Ch. 14 | The Wolf and the Seven Kids | 161 |
Ch. 15 | Hansel and Gretel | 167 |
Ch. 16 | The Language of Birds | 171 |
Ch. 17 | Dame Holle: Dream and Folktale (Grimm No. 24) | 181 |
| Index | 193 |