Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales

Traditional folktales are an essential part of the Spanish folklore heritage. Folktales have echoes of the ancient mythological worldview and people’s experience accumulated over centuries. In Spanish, the term cuento is used in combination with the following adjectives: cuento folclórico, cuento po...

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Main Author: A. V. Bakanova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) 2024-09-01
Series:Ибероамериканские тетради
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/643
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author A. V. Bakanova
author_facet A. V. Bakanova
author_sort A. V. Bakanova
collection DOAJ
description Traditional folktales are an essential part of the Spanish folklore heritage. Folktales have echoes of the ancient mythological worldview and people’s experience accumulated over centuries. In Spanish, the term cuento is used in combination with the following adjectives: cuento folclórico, cuento popular, cuento tradicional. The traditional features of a folktale include a concise prosaic form, fantastical elements, a special chronotope, static characters, a fixed composition, language rich in traditional elements and mnemonics. Animal tales are considered the most ancient, then other types of folktales arose. Spanish folklorists distinguish such genres as cuentos novelescos, cuentos maravillosos, cuentos humanos varios, chistes y anécdotas, cuentos ejemplares y morales, cuentos religiosos, cuentos de nunca acabar, cuentos de fórmulas fijas. Spanish researchers’ interest in folktales grew in the 19th century, when a substantial body of folklore was accumulated thanks to the work of costumbrists and positivists. The philological study of Spanish folktales begins with the collections of A.M. Espinosa. Animal tales, as well as magical ones, are similar to the texts of the European tradition. The former often have a plot derived from antiquity and medieval bestiaries, while the latter share a unique compositional structure analyzed by V. Propp. The language of Spanish folklore is rich in formulas. The initial formulas open the world of the folktale, the intermediate ones serve to develop the plot, and the final ones emphasize the fictional features of the story. Household tales highlight national peculiarities the most as they depict traditional Spanish occupations and details of everyday life, explore moral issues and popular humor.
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spelling doaj-art-de734fb6579a432897b3022381d5efc02025-08-03T13:29:38ZrusMoscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)Ибероамериканские тетради2409-34162658-52192024-09-01123587910.46272/2409-3416-2024-12-3-58-79594Traditional Features of Spanish FolktalesA. V. Bakanova0Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityTraditional folktales are an essential part of the Spanish folklore heritage. Folktales have echoes of the ancient mythological worldview and people’s experience accumulated over centuries. In Spanish, the term cuento is used in combination with the following adjectives: cuento folclórico, cuento popular, cuento tradicional. The traditional features of a folktale include a concise prosaic form, fantastical elements, a special chronotope, static characters, a fixed composition, language rich in traditional elements and mnemonics. Animal tales are considered the most ancient, then other types of folktales arose. Spanish folklorists distinguish such genres as cuentos novelescos, cuentos maravillosos, cuentos humanos varios, chistes y anécdotas, cuentos ejemplares y morales, cuentos religiosos, cuentos de nunca acabar, cuentos de fórmulas fijas. Spanish researchers’ interest in folktales grew in the 19th century, when a substantial body of folklore was accumulated thanks to the work of costumbrists and positivists. The philological study of Spanish folktales begins with the collections of A.M. Espinosa. Animal tales, as well as magical ones, are similar to the texts of the European tradition. The former often have a plot derived from antiquity and medieval bestiaries, while the latter share a unique compositional structure analyzed by V. Propp. The language of Spanish folklore is rich in formulas. The initial formulas open the world of the folktale, the intermediate ones serve to develop the plot, and the final ones emphasize the fictional features of the story. Household tales highlight national peculiarities the most as they depict traditional Spanish occupations and details of everyday life, explore moral issues and popular humor.https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/643spanishspanish folklorefolktalesmagical talesanimal taleshousehold talesnovelistic talestraditional formulas
spellingShingle A. V. Bakanova
Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
Ибероамериканские тетради
spanish
spanish folklore
folktales
magical tales
animal tales
household tales
novelistic tales
traditional formulas
title Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
title_full Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
title_fullStr Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
title_full_unstemmed Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
title_short Traditional Features of Spanish Folktales
title_sort traditional features of spanish folktales
topic spanish
spanish folklore
folktales
magical tales
animal tales
household tales
novelistic tales
traditional formulas
url https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/643
work_keys_str_mv AT avbakanova traditionalfeaturesofspanishfolktales