Vol. 83 No. 1 – Winter, 2024
Articles
A Tale of Three Snow Whites: Examining the Modern Female Archetype through Contemporary Adaptation
Kerry A. Olivetti
ABSTRACT: Using Steven Swann Jones&s structural analysis of the innocent persecuted heroine, this essay examines the trio of films released in 2012 based on the tale of “Snow White,” and considers the film‘s relationship to the version produced by Walt Disney in 1937. It explores the innovations the films make to the narrative and their implications regarding the tale‘s underlying theme of the development of young women. KEYWORDS: persecuted heroine, gender, princess culture, Snow-White, Disney
The Wild Man and the Image of Wilderness: Historical Examples in Italian Alpine Folklore and Art
Michele Tita
ABSTRACT: The folkloric figure of the wild man (and wild humans, more broadly) exists in different cultural contexts worldwide. This work focuses on the historical examples of the wild man in Italian Alpine folklore, mainly in local art and folk narrative. The analysis of these examples suggests a deep connection between the wild man and the local image of wilderness, in opposition to the anthropic domain of the Alpine villagers. KEYWORDS: wild man, wilderness, folklore, narrative, art
De-sacralization and Re-sacralization of Folk Rituals: Drowning Marzanna/Drowning Death (topienie Marzanny/śmierci) in Polish Culture
Piotr Grochowski
ABSTRACT: This article analyzes the ritual of drowning Marzanna/drowning death (topienie Marzanny/śmierci) and identifies factors responsible for changes in it and for its exceptional vitality. Four historical phases are described: a) the late Middle Ages, when it was seen as a remainder of the religion of pagan Slavs; b) the turn of the twentieth century, when it functioned in folk culture as a kind of magical purifying and vegetative practice; c) the second half of the twentieth century, when it was introduced to schools as a sort of educational play; and d) the beginning of the twenty-first century, when it has undergone revitalization in the religious practices of contemporary paganism. KEYWORDS: folk rituals, purifying and vegetative magic, de-sacralization, re-sacralization, contemporary paganism
Dan Ben-Amos (1934-2023)
Juwen Zhang
Dan Ben-Amos: A Bibliography
Review Essays
Reviews
Jeff Sellars and Kevin C. Neece, Rags and Bones: An Exploration of The Band
Reviewed by James I. Deutsch
Robert Lemon, The Taco Truck: How Mexican Street Food is Transforming the American City
Reviewed by Zackary Gregory
Patricia A. Turner, Trash Talk: Anti-Obama Lore and Race in the Twenty-First Century
Reviewed by Steven T. Lee
Adrienne Mayor, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws and Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities
Reviewed by Megan Miller
Jeana Jorgensen, Folklore 101: An Accessible Introduction to Folklore Studies
Reviewed by Mikkilynn Olmsted