Morphology of the folktale cover

Morphology of the folktale

by Vladimir Propp

2015 Reprint of 1958 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This classic work was first published in Russian in 1928. Although it represented a breakthrough in both folklore studies and morphology and influenced Claude Lévi-Strauss and Roland Barthes, it was generally unnoticed in the West until it was translated in 1958. His character types are used in media education and can be applied to almost any story, be it in literature, theatre, film, television series, games, etc. Contents: On the history of the problem -- The method and material -- The functions of dramatis personae -- Assimilations: cases of the double morphological meaning of a single function -- Some other elements of the tale -- The distribution of functions among dramatis personae -- Ways in which new characters are introduced into the course of action -- On the attributes of dramatis personae and their significance -- The tale as a whole.

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🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
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  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?