Russian Folk Lyrics

by Reeder, Roberta

• ISBN13: 9780253207494
• ISBN10: 0253207495
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1992-12-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

Propp's essay in Russian Folk Lyrics extends beyond the formalistic analysis of folklore outlined in his classic The Morphology of the Folktale. In this study, newly translated by Roberta Reeder, Propp considers the Russian folk lyric in the social and historical context in which it was produced.Reeder supplements Propp's theoretical presentation with a comprehensive anthology of examples. Some songs were imitated by or appear in the works of Russia's major writers, such as Pushkin and Nekrasov. Here we find the customs of Russian peasant life expressed through the ritual of song. Whether the songs are about love, labor, or children's games; whether they are sad, humorous, or satiric in tone, Russian folk lyrics are rich in metaphor and symbolic meaning. In addition to the editor's notes to the text and songs, Reeder supplies a bibliography of Propp's sources as well as an extensive selected bibliography.

Author Biography

ROBERTA REEDER, Research Fellow at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, is editor of the Slavic and East European Newsletter for the American Folklore Society. She has edited a volume of Akhmatova's complete works.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Editor's Introduction	xi
The Russian Folk Lyric	1	(56)
V. Ja. Propp
Editor's Notes to The Russian Folk Lyric	57	(26)
PEASANT SONGS	83	(84)
Ritual Songs of the Agricultural Calendar	85	(20)
Songs of Peasant Slavery	105	(4)
Vocal Songs about Love	109	(5)
Xorovod, Game, and Dance Songs about Love	114	(7)
Wedding Songs	121	(9)
Vocal Songs about Family Life	130	(4)
Xorovod, Game, and Dance Songs about Family Life	134	(4)
Joking and Satirical Vocal Songs: Xorovod, Game, and Dance Songs	138	(9)
Children's Songs	147	(2)
Barge Hauler Songs	149	(2)
Robber Songs	151	(4)
Soldier Songs	155	(6)
Songs of Prison, Penal Servitude, and Exile	161	(6)
WORKER SONGS	167	(14)
Propp's sources of Folk Lyrics	181	(2)
Selected Bibliography	183	(4)
Index	187