Introduction
The aim of this paper is to review the book Folktales of India edited by Brenda E. F. Beck, Peter J. Claus, Praphulladatta Goswami, and Jawaharlal Handoo. The book was published by University of Chicago Press in Chicago in 1987. ISBN 0-226-04083-6. The book consists of 390 pages. Although the book was issued in 1985, the material presented in it will remain actual for a long time.
The Purpose of the Book
The purpose of Folktales of India is to present to the readers the amazing and multifarious world of the Indian folklore introducing the folktales collected in the different regions of India. The authors try to make us aware of the Indian culture and way of life because the folktales are one of the most important sources of knowledge about the life of people, their traditions and customs. Writing on this subject has helped the authors both to introduce the Indian culture and to present it in an interesting and captivating way.
The book itself represents the collection of folktales from different parts of India. The intended audience of the book is the students of the Asian studies, professors, teachers, and anyone interested in the folklore of the foreign countries. The authors have logically divided the collected folktales into the separate groups united by the common theme. This makes the presentation coherent and provides clarity to the assuming plot and moral of the folktale.
The General Impression about the Book
I found the book rather interesting. Furthermore, I consider that it should be read not only for studying purposes but also for spending your free time with pleasure. For me, I found the book of high quality for its following features: interesting theme, topical and coherent presentation, the vast diversity of the folktales.
In addition, the authors provided the Notes to the Tales as a separate chapter in which the additional information and details are given about each folktale. In particular, you can see by whom the tale was collected, when, where and who the translator was. For example, in the note to Love between Two Birds, we see that the tale was collected from Nagaland by Dulal Chaudhuri and J. T. P. Ao in the period of 1975-1977, and that the tale was translated by them (Beck et al., 1985).
The Theme and Thesis of the Book, and the Method of Development
The theme of Folktales of India is the Indian folklore. The thesis of the book is the folktales from different Indian regions, their plots, and general topics.
The combination of methods of development was used by the authors. Due to the fact that Folktales of India is the collection of the folklore artifacts, the primary method of development which the authors applied can be referred to the narration. The description was used for the introduction to the tales. As regards the chapter Notes to Tales, it was written by using exposition which can be described as the presentation of facts.
Evaluation of the Book
Folktales of India by Brenda Beck & Peter Claus and Praphulladatta Goswami & Jawaharlal Handoo represent the invaluable source of knowledge about Indian folklore and culture. The translation of the 99 folktales allowed grouping them into the seven distinct groups depending on the general theme.
The following themes can be found in the book: Suitors and Maidens, New Brides and Grooms, Parents and Children, Sisters and Brothers, Domestic Strife, Moral Virtue or Its Lack, Knowledge and the Fool, Origin Tales (Beck et al., 1985). Furthermore, the tales were collected in the different regions of India each of which had its own language. The tales presented in the book were translated from fourteen different languages1.
The book is helpful for the students of Asian studies. It provides them with the material for study and analysis. In addition, the book can be useful for the historians, anthropologists, and philologists because the folklore of the certain ethnicity represents the source of information about people’s history, the way of life, traditions, and language peculiarities. “Tales and myths are told in the same community in appropriately different contexts; they may express different worldviews” (Beck et al., 1985, p.18).
The lexical phrase and dialogues provide an insight into the manner of speech and behavior in India. Besides, I firmly believe that the tales presented in the book are interesting for children. The reading of the folktales will not only contribute to the development of their reading or listening skills, if the parents read them but also to their general education and learning of the world in which we live.
The analysis presented in the introduction to each chapter is the important source of information about the motifs of the tales for their in-depth understanding.
It can be said that Folktales of India is the significant collection of the Indian folktales thanks to the hard work of many people: the researchers, translators, and editors. The authors made a substantial contribution to the world heritage of the literature and folklore. They successfully summarized the vast layer of Indian folklore.
Vinay Lal in his review on the book mentioned that “Indian folklore constitutes the virtually unmapped territory of study” (Lal, n.d., 112). It is not surprising as the country has a long and rich history and the cultural peculiarities of the different regions of the country deserve special attention of the scholars.
“What is distinctive about Folktales of India is that unlike such earlier collections as Bihari Dey’s Folktales of Bengal (1883), Flora Annie Steel’s Tales of the Punjab (1894), or even most of twentieth0cnetury compilations, it puts together, within the confines of a single volume, tales that were all collected orally from many regions of India by local folklorists fully conversant with the speech dialogues and equally the customs of their respective areas” (Lal, n.d., 112).
To my mind, Folktales of India can provide an insight into the mindset and ethnical features of the Indian people. The folktales can tell us a lot about the traditional wedding, family relationships, children upbringing, and ethical values of the Indian people2. In my view, the publication of the book is a significant event in the world of culture. No doubt, the understanding of other cultures can help to understand our own one better.
Conclusion
Folktales of India by Brenda E. F. Beck, Peter J. Claus, Praphulladatta Goswami, and Jawaharlal Handoo represent the significant contribution to the study of the Indian culture. The authors summarized the 99 folktales grouping them under the common themes. The book is interesting for general reading as well as useful for foreign cultures studying. The material presented in the book should be used for further research and analysis.
References
Beck, B. E. F., Claus, P. J., Goswami, P., & Handoo, J. (1985). Folktales of India. Chicago, USA: University of Chicago Press
Lal, V. (n.d.). Review: Literature from below.