This engaging introduction to the Russian folktale considers the origin, structure, and language of folktales; tale-tellers and their audiences; the relationship of folktales to Russian ritual life; and the folktale types that will be presented in translation in subsequent volumes of The Complete Russian Folktale.

CONTENTS

I. The Folktale in Russia

What Is a Folktale? -- Kinds of Folktales

Structure -- Classification

The Narrative -- The Narrator -- The Audience

The Language of the Folktale

II. Recordings and Collections

III. Priests, Skomorokhs, and Tellers of Tales

IV. The...