Leis épicas da narrativa folclórica

Content

As leis épicas da narrativa folclórica foram uma série de princípios identificados por Axel Olrik para entender a estrutura e a forma dos contos folclóricos e têm um significado fundamental nos estudos europeus do folclore.

A formulação de Olrik de suas 'leis épicas' foi inspirada por uma idéia de Moltke Moe, mas enquanto Moe procurou derivar regras para o desenvolvimento histórico de narrativas, a abordagem de Olrik se concentra na estrutura da narrativa oral. Os princípios foram articulados em várias publicações, o primeiro proeminente aparecendo em dinamarquês em 1908. No mesmo ano, Olrik apresentou os princípios em alemão em um Congresso Interdisciplinar em Berlim.

O pensamento de Olrik sobre 'leis épicas' fazia parte de um projeto mais amplo, desenvolvido com Kristian Erslev, para entender a narrativa oral (que Olrik chamou de Sagn em dinamarquês), incluindo também princípios para o estudo de fontes e uma teoria da transmissão. Embora Olrik tenha se baseado em material não europeu, seu foco estava explicitamente na narrativa folclórica européia.

Resumo das leis

Este resumo é baseado na numeração do artigo dinamarquês de 1908, e a terminologia em inglês é o mais longe possível da tradução em inglês de 1965 do artigo alemão de 1909.

#Key Danish termUsual English term1overskuelighedsimplicityThe story has few characters or other agents.2sceniske totalslovthe law of two to a sceneOnly two characters act at a time.3sagnet skematiserer sit stofschematic storytellingDialogue is, for example, repeated verbatim as far as possible.4sagnets plastikthe use of tableaux scenesImages are clear; outer behaviour is consistent with inner motivation.5sagnets logiklogicThe story generally incorporates only elements necessary for the action: plausibility is determined more by the internal logic of the plot than by external reality.6enkelt begivenhedunity of plotThe action coalesces around a single event; only that which is necessary to it is included in the story.7episke handlingsenhedepic unityEach development of the story builds clearly towards an event which the listener can foresee right from the beginning.8handlingens ligeløbthe law of the single strandEvents occur sequentially and in order of causation. Synchronous events are avoided.9midtpunktslovenconcentration on a leading characterThe story is organised around a single central character.10to hovedpersonertwo main charactersThe central character can manifest as a duo (often a man and a woman, often with the woman subservient to the man).11modsætningsloventhe law of oppositionWhen two characters are on stage, they are often opposite in character and are in opposition in the story: bad/good, poor/rich. big/small, stupid/wise, young/old.12modsat karakterthe law of contrastSecondary characters have characteristics which contrast with the main character.13tvillingeloventhe law of twinsWhen two people perform an action jointly, they prove weaker than the character who performs the action alone.14tretalsloven og gentagelsesloventhe law of 3 and the law of repetitionThere is frequent repetition, usually in threes.15bagvægtthe law of final positionWhen several similar situations are presented in sequence, the main emphasis is on the final one.16reglen om forvægtthe law of initial positionThe first person listed in a sequence is of the highest status, but we will sympathise most with the person listed last.17indledningsloventhe law of openingThe story moves from the mundane to the exciting.18hvileloventhe law of closingThe story does not end abruptly with the climax, but always with some epilogue or closing formula.

Principais publicações

'Episke love i folkedigtningen', Danske Studier, 5 (1908): 69–89.‘Epische Gesetze der Volksdichtung’, Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und Deutsche Literatur, 51 (1909), 1–12, translated into English by Jeanne P. Steager as ‘Epic Laws of Folk Narrative’, in The Study of Folklore, ed. by Alan Dundes (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1965), pp. 129–41, OCLC 523555.Nogle grundsætninger for sagnforskning. Efter forfatterens død udgivet af Dansk folkemindesamling, ed. by Hans Ellekilde (Copenhagen: Det Schønbergske forlag, 1921), translated into English as Principles for Oral Narrative Research, trans. by Kirsten Wolf and Jody Jensen (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992), ISBN 0253341752.