A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO ORAL LITERATURE

Abstract

Oral literature is considered by historical-philogical folklorists as a cultural artifact wich is of the nature of a survival, and by anthropological folklorists as a contemporary reflection of the culture of its bearers, i.e., it is considered as a means to investigue this society. The present paper takes an eclectic standpoint, claiming for oral literature the status of an artistic product in its literary form and in its function in society, and proposing a synchronic approach on the basis of already-existing research.