Proverb-Antiproverb: Wolfgang Mieder's Paremiological Approach

Abstract

Wolfgang Mieder's scholarly activities can be divided into two major projects. On the one hand his work encompasses a multitude of detailed studies in the field of proverbs and sayings, and on the other it is marked by the endeavor to develop an overall framework for this research area. In doing so, Mieder often went well beyond the traditional borders of linguistics and extended his research into the field of cultural studies. Consequently Mieder combines the search for paremiological principles with the analysis of all aspects of individual structures. The basic groundwork of the approach is witnessed by his German publications such as Ergebnisse der Sprichworterforschung (Results in the Research of Proverbs, 1978), Deutsche Sprichworter and Redensarten (German Proverbs and Sayings, 1979), and Sprichwort, Redensart, Zitat (Proverb, Saying and Quotation, 1985). Mention must also be made of his research into the history of the paremiological discipline, as exemplified by his anthology Deutsche Sprichworterforschung des 19. Jahrhunderts (German research into Proverbs in the 19th Century, 1984). In the United States too, essential works have been published. An outstanding study is Proverbs in Nazi Germany: The promulgation of Anti-Semitism and Stereotypes through Folklore (Journal of American Folk lore 95, 1982). In this work the author draws our attention to the methods which were used by the Nazi propaganda to take advantage of folklorist language. This study has recently been supplemented by a collection of essays entitled The Holocaust: Introductory Essays, which Wolfgang Mieder edited together with David Scrase (The University of Vermont, 1996). The book not only describes the history of the liquidation of the Jewish people but also shows ist repercussions on language, literature and philosophy. However, Mieder has not confined his scope to the German proverb. He has also considered the paremiological issue in the United States. Among the comprehensive studies published by Mieder are American Proverbs. A Study of Texts and Contexts (Bern 1989) which discusses the use of proverbs as it is typical in the United States, and Proverbs of the Native Americans: A Prize Competition (Western Folklore 48, 1989). Here the author shows that proverbs were not unknown to the native population of the American continent. Finally, mention should be made of the collections of proverbs which Mieder dedicated to the country he adopted many years ago: Vermont. Talk less and say more: Vermont Proverbs (Shellburne, 1986) and As Sweet as Apple Cider: Vermont Expressions (Shellburne, 1988) introduce us to the people's wisdom of Vermont. The climax of this strand of his work is certainly embodied by The Dictionary of American Proverbs (sew York 1992, 1996 paperback), which Mieder completed in cooperation with Stewart A. Kingsbury and Kelsie B. Harder. The dictionary contains thousands of proverbs which previously were only partly known in written language. The proverbs were collected during thirty years of fieldwork, carried out by the American Dialect Society By virtue of the references, variants and geographical specifications it provides, the dictionary has become a standard work in the field of American language and culture. As he pursued his project, Mieder soon became aware of the usefulness and necessity of bibliographical records, not only of published collections of proverbs, but also of the scientific literature in the field. This enterprise was not restricted to certain particular languages such as English or German, but was instead to comprise all languages which possess printed evidence of their proverbial wisdom. Mieder began very early to put such bibliographies together. His first production within an international framework is entitled International Proverb Scholarship. An Annotated Bibliography and was published by the New York-based publisher Garland in 1982. The Bibliography contains references to 2 100 studies published over the past 200 years, and includes a critical commentary. …