Abstract
Dagara folktales, like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance. This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales. The methodology used is based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of selected Dagara folktales gathered through fieldwork. The focus of the paper is on the structure and the language of Dagara folktales. The argument of this paper is grounded on the Structuralist Theory as seen in Gerard Genette’s Narrative Discourse which offers the basic constituents and techniques of narrative. Genette proposes various categories of narrative which cover Time, Mood and Voice. Genette’s narrative structure suggests that the various categories and subcategories emphasise that the narrative is a complex structure in which the narratee is largely present in the various strata of the structure. Genette is concerned with the macro-text of the recit, that is, the ordering of events in the narrative. The study revealed that there are similarities and differences in the structure and the language of Dagara folktales in relation to other African folktales. Keywords: Dagara People, Folktale, Literary Aesthetics, Performance, Structuralist Theory
Highlights
This introduction serves as background knowledge on the aesthetics approach in literature and the narration of folktales
Like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance
This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales
Summary
This introduction serves as background knowledge on the aesthetics approach in literature and the narration of folktales. The various modes through which the folktales appeal to the aesthetic sensibilities of the audience are examined Some of these include the manipulation of the invariant structure, the integration of songs, voice modulation, body movement and gestures. 141) has the following to say: after the narrator’s beautiful voice, skilful use of language and effective manipulation of his body have attracted the attention of the audience to the narrative experience, the narrator still needs to retain or hold this attention till the end of the story. The technique of allusion can help people improve their language by borrowing from other images and ideas from imaginative literature such as folktales Another device that plays an important role in the narration of stories is symbolism. Some of these ideas include knowledge, wisdom and mystery as characters are destroyed magically and revived under mysterious circumstances (Kyoore, 2009, pp.18-28)
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