Synopses & Reviews
This is the first definitive reference work to address the substantive elements of oral storytelling, a form of communication that dates back to the dawn of humanity. It is an A to Z collection of over 700 entries covering such major storytelling elements as motifs, character types, tale types, place names, and creation mythologies and storytelling techniques of cultures around the world. Examples of subjects covered are the contributions of pioneering folklorists and mythologists such as: Franz Boas, Stith Thompson, and Joseph Campbell; descriptions of such well-known Western tales as Cinderella, the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter, and the story of Exodus; as well as tales from Native American, African, and Asian cultures, including Indra and the Ants, tales of Anansi, the spider-trickster of the Ashanti, and the Cherokee Bear-man.
Review
...provides an excellent, broad basis for understanding the topic of multiethnic storytelling.Come-All-Ye
Review
...a valuable source on various aspects of folklore and storytelling around the world from early times to the present. It should prove of interest to librarians, teachers, students, and others interested in the subject.Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
Review
What a good idea! A comprehensive sourcebook in ONE VOLUME!....It's interesting reading. If you are a writer of original tales, this can be your Bible, your main reference.The Story Bag: A National Storytelling Newsletter
Review
Even when they turn to it to verify a fact, the Storytelling Encyclopedia will give students of folklore, anthropology, and literature insights into the ways societies have affirmed cultural identity and transmitted values through the storytellers art.Rettig on Reference
Review
...what is contained in this wide-reaching volume is a treasure indeed and more than enough to keep devotees of storytelling and folklore busy for quite some time.The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
...this 560-page compendium is a gem for teachers and "word weavers" alike.Teaching Tolerance
About the Author
DAVID ADAMS LEEMING is professor emeritus of English and comparative literature at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where he has taught since 1969.
Table of Contents
CONTRIBUTORS vii
PREFACE ix
PART ONE
Once Upon a Time David Adams Leeming 3
Building Bridges with Stories Melissa Heckler and Carol Birch 8
American Oral Tradition Emory Elliott and Jackie Stallcup 16
The Utopian Tendency of Storytelling: Turning the World Upside Down Jack Zipes 27
PART TWO
A-Z Entries 35
Selected Bibliography 509
Index 519