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Prayers shrieked to heaven: humor and folklore in contemporary American Indian literature

Article Abstract:

Native American authors writing in the late 20th century use humor to celebrate their culture and protect it from the appropriation by white mainstream America. Native American history is marked by events often treated as tragedy and deserving much respect. Native American authors such as James Welch and Louise Erdrich simultaneously subvert and honor such treatment with humor. In so doing they expand the traditional portrayals of Native Americans.

Usage, Humor, Native American authors, Native American writers, Wit and humor in literature, Native American literature

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The influence of diversity on folklore studies in the decades of the 1980s and '90s

Article Abstract:

Folklorists struggling with the diversity of postmodern thought may arrive at a synthesis which integrates the seemingly contradictory strains of relativism and universalism. The emergence of diversity, as a response to pluralism, has created new territory for the folklorist to cover, as those in the discipline try to view topics from different perspectives.

Social aspects, Folklore, Intercultural education, Multicultural education

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Tradition and the individual talent in folklore and literature

Article Abstract:

The relationship between tradition and individual talent in folklore and literature is studied. Literary artists and literary critics consider tradition as something belonging to the past and do not consider it as a heritage but they believe that tradition is a dynamic process that involves what is given and what is accepted.

Services, not elsewhere classified, Literature, Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers, Evaluation, Ability, Tradition

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