Myth, Folktale and Children's Literature
Comparative Literature 234

Final Examination Review: some key terms and topics

You are responsible for all the material covered in lecture and assigned for specific lectures. As a study aid, here are a selection of key terms and topics from the second half of the semester. You may be asked to apply (not just define) these concepts on the exam.
 

domains; principle of one, principle of two; nature/culture; discursive domains

fire as divider of domains and founder of time; mediator

language of animals: benefits/liabilities

motivated/unmotivated sign; signifier/signified

contradictory or contrary relations and their effect on perspective

the "prescribed/forbidden/not prescribed/not forbidden" square in terms of particular tales

use value/exchange value/ sign value

image (functions in a story in relation to song, desire, fear); infanticide in the folktale; cante-fable

three spheres of power; unequal power relations; subaltern

accommodation, assimilation

ethical fairy tales; active obedience; "disponibilité" or availability

intertextuality, "teller," "account," subversive retelling

voice, personae, the pros and cons of silence

prices of contracts (marital or professional) in traditional tales