EPUB Accessibility Report

TOC Outline

1. Cover
2. Dedication
3. Contents
4. Acknowledgements
5. Foreword
6. Preface to the 1977 edition
7. Preface to the 2025 edition
8. 1. Introductory
   1. 1.1 The importance of oral poetry
   2. 1.2 Some forms of oral poetry
   3. 1.3 What is ‘oral’ in oral poetry?
   4. 1.4 The ‘poetry’ in oral poetry
   5. 1.5 Performance and text
9. 2. Some approaches to the study of oral poetry
   1. 2.1 Romantic and evolutionist theories
   2. 2.2 The ‘historical-geographical’ school
   3. 2.3 Sociological approaches and the sociology of literature
   4. 2.4 Two ‘ideal types’ of society and poetry
10. 3. Composition
    1. 3.1 Is memorisation the key factor?
    2. 3.2 Composition-in-performance and the oral-formulaic theory
    3. 3.3 How valid is the oral-formulaic theory?
    4. 3.4 Prior composition, memorisation and performance
    5. 3.5 Conclusion
11. 4. Style and performance
    1. 4.1 The relevance of style and performance
    2. 4.2 Prosodic systems
    3. 4.3 Repetition, style and structure
    4. 4.4 Language and diction
    5. 4.5 Performance
    6. 4.6 Is there a special oral style?
12. 5. Transmission, distribution and publication
    1. 5.1 Oral transmission over space and time: some striking cases
    2. 5.2 Inert tradition, memorisation or re-creation?
    3. 5.3 How do oral poems reach their audiences?
    4. 5.4 ‘Oral transmission’ and writing
    5. 5.5 Conclusion
13. 6. Poets and their positions
    1. 6.1 The poet: five examples
    2. 6.2 Some types of poets: specialists, experts and occasional poets
    3. 6.3 Are oral poets anonymous?
    4. 6.4 The poet as seer
    5. 6.5 The poet as individual genius
14. 7. Audience, context and function
    1. 7.1 Some types of audience
    2. 7.2 The effect and the composition of audiences
    3. 7.3 The purpose and meaning of poetry: local theories
    4. 7.4 Some effects of oral poetry
15. 8. Poetry and society
    1. 8.1 The link between poetic and social institutions
    2. 8.2 Does one type of poetry always go with a particular form of society? ‘Heroic age’, ‘ballad society’ and ‘oral culture’
    3. 8.3 Literature as the reflection and consequence of social forms
    4. 8.4 Literature as social action
16. Concluding comment
17. Afterword
18. Web links
19. Bibliography
20. List of Illustrations
21. Index
22. About the Team
23. This book need not end here…
24. You may also be interested in:
25. Back cover

Headings Outline

• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Preface to the 1977 edition
• Preface to the 2025 edition
• 1. Introductory
  • 1.1 The importance of oral poetry
  • 1.2 Some forms of oral poetry
• Dic, Christi veritas,
• Dic, cara raritas,
• Dic, rara caritas
• Ubi nunc habitas?
• Tell me, you truth of Christ,
• Tell me, dear rareness,
• Tell me, rare dearness,
• Where are you now?
  • 1.3 What is ‘oral’ in oral poetry?
  • 1.4 The ‘poetry’ in oral poetry
  • 1.5 Performance and text
• 2. Some approaches to the study of oral poetry
  • 2.1 Romantic and evolutionist theories
  • 2.2 The ‘historical-geographical’ school
  • 2.3 Sociological approaches and the sociology of literature
  • 2.4 Two ‘ideal types’ of society and poetry
• 3. Composition
  • 3.1 Is memorisation the key factor?
  • 3.2 Composition-in-performance and the oral-formulaic theory
  • 3.3 How valid is the oral-formulaic theory?
  • 3.4 Prior composition, memorisation and performance
  • 3.5 Conclusion
• 4. Style and performance
  • 4.1 The relevance of style and performance
  • 4.2 Prosodic systems
• O ṣe é!
• Yẹru Ọ̀kín | Ọlọfa Mọjọ̀.
• Ọlalọmi mi ni ó làre | mo diju ng tó la `ṣu.
• Ọkan o gbọdọ jù’kan l’Ọfà.
• B’ọkan jù’kan | b’ọkan jù’kan | nwọn ni ọba ní kó wọn róro.
• Ọba o ko iran anmi ri | ni lee Lalọmi.
• Ija u pẹurẹu | abẹ òwu | ti nwọn jà l’Ọfà.
• Loju u Lalọmi | soju uru uwa ii náà ni.
• Ó ṣ’ ojú ebè l’ Ọ́fà.
• O ṣ’ oju u poro `nú oko.
• O ṣ’ oju agbelẹyaràrá.
• Ó ṣ’ ojú u láporubukánúoko | tí jẹ́ àgùnmọ̀nà l’ Ọfà.
  • 4.3 Repetition, style and structure
  • 4.4 Language and diction
  • 4.5 Performance
  • 4.6 Is there a special oral style?
  • 4.7 Conclusion
• 5. Transmission, distribution and publication
  • 5.1 Oral transmission over space and time: some striking cases
  • 5.2 Inert tradition, memorisation or re-creation?
  • 5.3 How do oral poems reach their audiences?
  • 5.4 ‘Oral transmission’ and writing
  • 5.5 Conclusion
• 6. Poets and their positions
  • 6.1 The poet: five examples
  • 6.2 Some types of poets: specialists, experts and occasional poets
  • 6.3 Are oral poets anonymous?
  • 6.4 The poet as seer
  • 6.5 The poet as individual genius
• 7. Audience, context and function
  • 7.1 Some types of audience
  • 7.2 The effect and the composition of audiences
  • 7.3 The purpose and meaning of poetry: local theories
  • 7.4 Some effects of oral poetry
• 8. Poetry and society
  • 8.1 The link between poetic and social institutions
  • 8.2 Does one type of poetry always go with a particular form of society? ‘Heroic age’, ‘ballad society’ and ‘oral culture’
  • 8.3 Literature as the reflection and consequence of social forms
  • 8.4 Literature as social action
• Concluding comment
• Afterword
• Web links
• Bibliography
• List of Illustrations
• Index
• About the Team
• This book need not end here…
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• You may also be interested in:
• Contents
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