Abstract style of folk tales

Author	Comment
ChrisCalabrese Registered User (7/4/02 7:08:04 am)	Abstract style of folk tales Max Luthi in The European Folktale describes a consistency of style among folk tales which leads its figures from point to point without pausing to describe anything at length. He then writes: 'The stories of the Arabian Nights likewise tend to lose themselves in descriptions of the fabulous palaces and the towns made of stone into which the hero makes his way, and this they attain a fullness that bewilders.' I would greatly appreciate other opinions about this. Chris
isthmus nekoi Registered User (7/5/02 10:46:17 am)	Re: Abstract style of folk tales If you don't mind a sort of Jungian spin on things read on... To paraphrase Marie Louise von Franz: fairy tales are sort of a 'bare bones' map of the psyche, and the characters are often not developed in terms of detailed characterizations (although this is often not the case w/modern retellings) which gives fairy tales their abstract and highly symbolic quality. Although myths are also highly symbolic, the settings of myths are often 'fleshed out' and the main characters are rooted in the real world as their characterization is a major aspect of the myth. In fairy tales, characters may not even have names! sigh Apologies if this doesn't make much sense, but I don't have her book w/me to quote.