Story, Performance, and Event : Contextual Studies of Oral Narrative (Cambridge Studies in Oral and Literate Culture)

Rating:
Summary: Good Application of Research
Review: Richard Bauman presents a collection of essays that employ the use of performance theory. He analyzes a range of topics, and my favorite essays deal with tall tales and narratives told by coon-hunters in Texas. The work is solid scholarship, and he provides empirical ways of researching and interpreting various forms of verbal expression. The collection may be most useful as models for additional studies, and there is a great variety of research topics evoked what Bauman discusses. At times, however, the conclusions are less-than earth-shattering, and the theoretical apparatus tends to get in the way of developing important conclusions and offering insight into why these conclusions are significant. Despite the limitations, this is a good volume of articles on folklore.