UGC NET – FOLK LITERATURE (Code 71)

Unit-wise Syllabus with Summaries and Official Content

UNIT 1: Folklore – Definition, Concept and Classification

This unit introduces the basic foundations of folklore studies. It explains who the “folk” are, what folklore and folklife mean, and how folklore exists within family, kinship, and social organization. The unit also explains how folklore is classified into genres and what functions folklore performs in society.

Who are the Folk? – Concepts of Folklife and Folkloristics – Ethnicity – Family types: Natal, Conjugal, Nuclear, Extended (Generational and Polyandrous) – Types of relationships in Family: direct, shared, sexual and descent – Functions of Family – Kinship Terminology: Types of Kinship, Role of Kinship – Social Categories and Social Organization in the creation, transmission and sustenance of Folklore /Folklife.

Conceptual shift from “Popular Antiquities” to “Folklore” – Genres and Functions of Folklore: Ethnic Genres and Analytical Categories – Classification of Folklore: Verbal, Nonverbal and Intermediary Genres – Genre Theory: Alan Dundes, Richard Dorson, Dan Ben-Amos, Richard Bauman, Roger Abrahams – Functions of Folklore: William Bascom, Lauri Honko – Characteristics of Folklore.

UNIT 2: Historiography of Folkloristics

This unit traces the history and development of folklore studies as an academic discipline. It explains how folklore was collected, studied, and interpreted over time, and how ideas about folklore changed due to nationalism, colonialism, and modern scholarship.

European and American Traditions of Folklore Studies – Growth of Folklore as a Discipline – Early Folklore Collection and Documentation – Romantic Nationalism and Folklore – Colonial Contexts and Folklore Studies – Development of Folkloristics in the Twentieth Century – Shift from Collection to Interpretation – Major Trends and Contributors in the History of Folklore Studies.

UNIT 3: Folk Narrative and Folk Poetry

This unit studies stories and poetic forms in folklore. It focuses on myths, legends, folktales, epics, songs, ballads, riddles, and proverbs, and explains how these forms function socially, culturally, and aesthetically within communities.

Folk Narrative: Myth, Legend, Folktale – Characteristics and Functions of Folk Narratives – Motifs, Themes, and Tale Types – Oral Epics and Ballads – Folk Poetry: Songs, Riddles, Proverbs and Lullabies – Performance and Variation in Oral Traditions – Narrative Techniques and Poetic Devices in Folk Literature – Social and Cultural Functions of Folk Narratives and Poetry

.UNIT 4: Theories of Folklore – I (Diachronic Approaches)

This unit introduces early theories that study folklore through its origin, history, and spread. These theories try to explain where folklore came from and how it travelled across cultures.

Evolutionary Theories – Unilinear and Multilinear Evolution – E. B. Tylor and the Concept of Survivals – Devolutionary Theories – Comparative Method – Myth–Ritual Theory – Solar Mythology – Diffusion Theories: Monogenesis and Polygenesis – Indianist Theory (Benfey) – Egyptian School – Historical–Geographic Method (Finnish School) – Psychic Unity Theory – Romantic Nationalism – Critique and Limitations of Diachronic Approaches.

UNIT 5: Theories of Folklore – II (Synchronic Approaches)

This unit focuses on modern folklore theories that study folklore as a living system of meaning. It explains how folklore works in society, how meaning is created, and how folklore functions during performance.

Structuralism: Ferdinand de Saussure, Vladimir Propp, Claude Lévi-Strauss – Functionalism: Bronislaw Malinowski, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown – Psychological Approaches: Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung – Contextual and Performance-based Approaches – Verbal Art as Performance – Ethnography of Speaking: Dell Hymes – Oral-Formulaic Theory – Semiotics – Post-Structuralism – Feminist and Gender Approaches – Discourse Analysis.

UNIT 6: Folklife and Cultural Performances

This unit studies folklore as performance and everyday cultural practice. It focuses on rituals, festivals, theatre, dance, and social interaction, showing how culture is enacted rather than just spoken.

Concept of Folklife – Culture as Performance – Cultural Performance: Milton Singer – Rites of Passage: Arnold van Gennep – Liminality and Communitas: Victor Turner – Dramaturgical Approach: Erving Goffman – Performance Theory: Richard Bauman and Richard Schechner – Ethnography of Performance – Role of Performer, Audience, Space, and Context.

UNIT 7: Public Folklore and Mass Media

This unit examines folklore in public, institutional, and media spaces such as museums, festivals, tourism, films, television, and digital media. It also discusses ethical issues related to representation and cultural ownership.

Public Folklore and Applied Folklore – Folklore in Museums and Cultural Institutions – Festivals, Fairs and Cultural Tourism – Folklorism – Commodification of Folklore – Folklore and Popular Culture – Media Folklore – Urban Legends – Digital and Internet Folklore – Representation, Ethics, Cultural Appropriation and Intellectual Property Rights.

UNIT 8: Folk Traditions of India

This unit explores the rich regional and tribal diversity of Indian folk traditions. It studies folk narratives, songs, rituals, dances, theatre forms, and belief systems from different parts of India.

Regional, Linguistic and Tribal Folk Traditions of India – Folk Narratives, Songs, Dances and Rituals – Folk Theatre Traditions – Oral Epics – Devotional and Bhakti Traditions – Tribal Myths and Beliefs – Folk Religion and Local Deities – Ecology, Occupation and Folk Culture – Unity and Diversity in Indian Folk Traditions.

UNIT 9: Fieldwork, Documentation, Ethics and Methodology

This unit teaches how folklore research is conducted. It focuses on fieldwork methods, documentation techniques, ethical responsibilities, and collaboration with communities.

Fieldwork in Folklore Studies – Participant and Non-participant Observation – Interview Techniques – Recording, Transcription and Translation – Archiving and Documentation – Classification and Indexing – Insider and Outsider Perspectives – Ethics of Fieldwork – Informed Consent – Intellectual Property Rights – Community Collaboration and Reciprocity.

UNIT 10: Comparative Folklore, Global Perspectives and Contemporary Issues

This unit places folklore in a global and comparative framework. It discusses folklore across cultures, migration, globalization, digital media, postcolonial perspectives, and contemporary challenges.

Comparative Folklore – Cross-Cultural Studies – Global and Transnational Folklore – Folklore and Migration – Diaspora and Digital Folklore – Globalization and Cultural Change – Postcolonial and Decolonial Approaches – Indigenous Methodologies – Cultural Appropriation – Sustainability and Safeguarding of Folklore Traditions.