African Oral Literature: Backgrounds, Character, and Continuity

Abstract

Preface Part One: Backgrounds and Resources 1. The Study of African Literature What Is Oral Literature? An Interest in Culture An Interest in Society An Interest in Literature Benefits of the New Trends 2. The Artist Training and Preparation Artists and Patrons The Artist as Maker The Personality of the Artist The Artis's Place in Society 3. The Performance Varieties of Performance Paralinguistic Resources Performer and Accompanist Performer and Audience Performer and Recorder Composition and Performance 4. Stylistic Qualities Repetition Parallelism Piling and Association Tonality Ideophones Digression Imagery Allusion Symbolism 5. Social Relevance Entertainment and Relaxation Asserting Interests and Outlooks Teaching Ideals and Conduct Recording Life Part Two: Types and Themes 6. Songs and Chants Problems of Classification The Nature of Songs and Chants Major Themes 7. Narratives Schools of Thought Categories of the Narrative Storytelling in Africa 8. Witticisms Proverbs Riddles Puns and Tongue-Twisters 9. Musical and Dramatic Forms The Poetry of Tone Instruments Ritual Drama Popular Drama Part Three: The Survival of Literature 10. Literature and Modern African Literature Translation Adaption Exploitation 11. Preserving Literature: Fieldwork and After Attitudes Preparations Meeting the Artist Recording the Artist Transcription and Translation Storage What Do They Get for Their Pains? 12. Suggested Further Work Fieldwork and Documentation The Urban Scene Biocritical Studies Other Specialized Investigations Notes Bibliography Index