Fairy Tales: A Selective Annotated Bibliography

[by William Leonard]

A child cries in the dark afraid of the monsters underneath his bed.  Then the child’s mother arrives, carrying with her a simple reading light, and a book entitled The Bedtime Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm tucked under her arm, sitting in the chair beside the bed.  She turns on the light, and thumbs through the yellowed pages as she consoles the child, finds the right page, and begins with a phrase older than the world, “Once upon a time…”

How many people have such memories?  True, the means may change, such as the child being a teenager picking up an interesting book at the local library, or a newly married couple watching the new show on the television, or any number of grandparents reading to a small child.  Fairy tales have been around longer than anyone can remember, and the idea of them has been for longer than recorded history- they just change form.  But recently, some people have begun to ask, “Where have these stories gone?”  The fact is they are still around though it may take some looking, and they are still a major influence, if a little more subtle than in prior years.

Unfortunately, there are too many potential means of portraying the influence of these tales to include in one short work.  Keeping this limitation in mind, the following is a fairly selective annotated bibliography including a wide variety of sources on how Fairy Tales continue to influence literature and the modern world, and their manifestations, particularly those either taken from or in some way influenced by the Brothers Grimm.

Works included refer to several varieties of application- scholastic sources best suited for proper application in any school paper, the informal means intended more as springboards for finding casual sources and connecting with the reading audience, and others providing evidence for multiple points of view in regards to the history and methods of influence to allow greatest versatility in any work based off these sources.  These sources range from academic journals, such as Notes on Contemporary Literature, to common websites including Fanfiction.com, to individual books beginning with The Annotated Brothers Grimm.  They are of use to any to describe the influences of fairy tales in many fields, or as a brief discussion in other fields, such as a paper on child psychology (seeing as children are the primary audience of Fairy Tales throughout history).  As such, these sources are best applied by a student for a paper focusing on the influences of Fairy Tales in the modern world, though others can benefit; such people would include those involved in the field of literature studies as a teachers or potential authors seeking inspiration in the form of Fairy Tales.

Tatar, Maria.  The Annotated Brothers Grimm.  New York: W.W. Norton and Company,Inc, 2004.  Print

The Annotated Brothers Grimm is actually a rare example of a complete and relavent title-this work is a collection of the Fairy Tales collected by the Brothers Grimm,kept in their (at least mostly) original form instead of attempting to modernize them.  For instance, in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl is naïve and is eaten by the wolf, then released when the huntsman takes scissors and slices the wolf’s belly open, filling it with stones.  Each of the stories has a number of annotations, numbered according to the quality of the tale, which details differences in portrayals, and potential meanings behind these variations.  An excellent start to the study of Fairy Tales, as they are the rough origionals.

Klima, John.  Happily Ever After.  New York City: Night Shade Books, 2011.  Print.

Happily Ever After is a collection of retold Fairy Tales, including story form (such as My Life as  Bird by Charles de Lint, He Dies that Day, In Thirty Years by Will McCarthy, and The Rose Garden by Michelle West), and a dramatic script (in Gregory Maguire’s “The Seven Stage Comeback,” a 1 Act play with 6 Scenes).  Included before each story is a brief annotation about the authors in question, which grants minor details about prior works (such as Gregory Maguire’s work on the book Wicked, now a Broadway Musical, which details the life and times of Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West).  A good read for fun, and an excellent record of modernized Fairy Tales.

Nayar, Pramod K.  “The Sense of Horror; Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’”.  Notes on Contemporary Literature 38.1 (2008): 4.  Students Resources in Context.  Web.

This is an article written by a professor employed at the University of Byderabad in India focusing on The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter.  This is an excellent example of academic essays written on the subject, as well as the simple scope of distance that the structure of Fairy Tales has spread, despite the “traditional stomping grounds” of Europe that claim this structure.  In these, he writes on the stimulation of horror, or fear, that is created, “not by appealing to the reader’s intellect by rather by stimulating bodily sensations in terms of colour, temperature, and haptic (sense of touch) conditions.”  It is an examination in detail of that horror, and of the exact effects upon the reader.  This is an excellent source when searching for the direct form of influence between reader and book in modern Fairy Tales.

Talor, Patricia R.  “Criminal Appropriations of Shakespeare in Jasper Fforde’s Something Rotten.”  College Literature 37.4 (fall 2010): pg 23.  Print.

This is a critical essay written on the subject of a book written by jasper Fforde entitled Something Rotten, which is a parody of Shakespeare’s work.  Fforde writes many parodies, with examples listed in the text (including The Eyre Affair in 2001, Lost in a Good Book in 2002, The Well of Lost Plots in 2003, Something Rotten in 2004, and First Among Sequels in 2007); these books employ many of Shakespeare’s characters in appropriation in ‘displays of destructive power; for example police incarcerate actors for poorly performing Twelfth Night…’  This essay argues that violent appropriations can be constructive rather than oppressive.  A reliable source more for the journal in which it appears, which is the triennially published College Literature Journal, though this essay can also serve in the act of examining differences of perspectives regarding venerable Shakespeare, and the comedic side of Fairy Tales in remembering one thing-many such tales were written as counterpoints to major or venerated subjects.

Hume, Kathryn.  “Voice in Kathy Acker’s Fiction” Contemporary Literature.  Volume 42 issue 3 (2001) pages 485-513.  Print.

This is an article describing the use of voice in the fiction of Kathy Acker, voice being defined as “a combination of verbal flavor, attitude, and subject matter designed to display the attitude and encourage it in readers.  Voice in this sense resembles the orchestration and preferred tonalities that let one identify a couple measures of Tchaikovsky from the Russian intervals…The voice in Acker’s fiction is similarly individual to her, and paying attention to it helps uncover her assumptions about character and understanding what she is reacting against.”  This article is meticulously detailed, and as such is a solid source for the identification of individual styles, an integral part of understanding Fairy Tales and fiction, which Kathy Acker writes.

Cashdan, Sheldon.  The Witch Must Die:  The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales.  New York City: BasicBooks, 2000.  Print.

This book was written by a professional psychologist, as an in-depth examination of the “classic” mentality of the most prominent audience of fairy tales- children.  As such, it has many parts that have reference to the psychology of children, and the application of these stories to those children.  It is worth noting, though, that Cashdan did commit one failure-the assumption that these tales were always meant for children, which did not happen until roughly the Victorian Age, several hundred years after their creation.  The originals were folk and morality tales enhanced by the upper class and collected by scholars for that upper class, and as such one must remember this pitfall.  That aside, it is a good look at the formulaic mindset behind their examination- apply story X to child Y for condition Z and the child is fixed, which has some merits, though it is not the be-all and end-all of the stories.

Tatar, Maria.  The Grimm Reader: The Classic Tales of the Brothers Grimm.  New York: W.W. Norton and Company,Inc, 2004.  Print

This is a book written by the chair of the Program in Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University, and as such is as close to a scholastic source as you will get to the ideals.  This book has in it annotations and a preface to provide readers with the historical and cultural context to understand what these stores meant and their contemporary resonance. The book includes some of the more famous stories in world literature, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and other stories less known, such as The Seven Ravens

Maguire,Gregory.  Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.  New York City: Harper Collins, 1995.  Print.

Wicked, written by Gregory Maguire, is a good example of another phenomenon regarding Fairy Tales.  Normally, Fairy Tales are read as short bedtime stories, ending in less than 10 pages, but since books have become popular and public libraries almost common in cities, the tales have been lengthened to become true novels.  Wicked focuses on the life of Elphaba, known to the world at large as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (which by itself is a wonderfully structured Fairy Tale), and in particular it is an examination of that society through the eyes of a cynic, providing the views of realism to such a story.  For example, in the begging of the book, when Elphaba is born, people react with revulsion and shock to her skin color, despite the relative oddity (to the reader in the real world) of having talking animals.  A good look at the effects of reality in Fairy Tales, and the lengthening of those stories.

Goldman, William.  The Princess Bride.  New York City: Bloomsbury, 1973.  Print.

The Princess Bride, originally written by William Goldman, is a prodigiously popular example of Fairy Tales influencing the modern world through alternate mediums, particularly film.  Fairy Tales were originally spread by word of mouth, then through script, finally through media in the modern day.  No one who has read this book can state it is not a Fairy Tale, and a wonderfully written one at that.  A wonderful example of modern media portrayal of Fairy Tales.

Authors: Global Population.  Fanfiction.com.  Facebook.  Web.  27 September 2013.

This is a website, though not scholastic, which demonstrates perfectly the idea of fairy tales of all sorts influencing the modern world.  Fanfiction is when fans of whatever subject (movies, books, etc) write on that subject with their own twists-some good, some bad, some just because.  In particular, these influences are in versatility, specifically the individual stories.  Themes and other aspects of note are part and parcel, and while the meanings can be changed by different authors, they tend to be at least similar.  Examples include Mythology at 3K entries, Greek Mythology at 2.8K entries, Kingdom Hearts (which has its own story roots in many fairy tales) at 70.2K entries, and Fairy Tales as a search entry at 7,628 entries.  Not recommended as a true scholastic source, but as an effective springboard for the mind.

Origins and Alterations in Arthurian Folklore

From the Round Table to tales of conquest and discovery, stories of King Arthur and his knights have captivated audiences for generations.  Sir Percival had his hunt for the Holy Grail in Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, ou le Conte del Graal, and Sir Gawain had his journey to escape certain death in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, among many other legends and folklore. Stories of battle and glory, of uniting communities under the banner of Arthur, and of cutting down the enemies of the Britons with the fabled sword Excalibur have thoroughly permeated Western culture.

But where did it all come from?  How did King Arthur come to be?  From where did he amass his fabled knights?  More importantly, though:  how has this story changed as it’s been told from person to person?  There is not any particularly central tale regarding King Arthur and his knights.  Rather, authors add on to the tale with their own unique works, introducing new characters to the mythos and altering old characters in varying degrees.  As to what effect these authors have on the canon of Arthurian Folklore, there are plenty of opinions on the matter.

The following annotated bibliography contains a broad variety of sources attained from various journal articles and reviews regarding and focusing on the topic of Arthurian lore, ordered alphabetically.  More specifically, some of these sources note thematic changes that have occurred throughout the timeline of stories related to King Arthur and his knights.  For the purposes of study, this annotated bibliography would be useful to those students studying Arthurian folklore in general, but it’s especially useful to those studying the origins of the tales of King Arthur and the specific details of how new content has flavored his legend’s canon over the years.

Bruce, J. Douglas. “The Development of Arthurian Romance in Mediæval France.” The Sewanee Review 13.3 (1905): 319-35. JSTOR. The John Hopkins University Press. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

In depth with his explanations of past conventions and etiquettes, Bruce details potential origins of the Arthurian legend and changes made between Arthur as both a king and a leader of the Briton forces during war with the Saxons.  He also explains how conceptions of chivalry traveled to Northern France to redefine Arthur and future characters as the traditionally gallant nobles and knights, among several other observations.

Campbell, T. M. “The Arthurian Dramas of Eduard Stucken.” Sewanee Review 21.2 (1913): 210-22. JSTOR. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.

This article, found in the Sewanee Review, describes the works of Eduard Stucken and how he thematically altered some Arthurian works for the purposes of relating to a changed audience.  Though the article is largely a lauding of Stucken and his works, the mentions of his work give him some credit as an author of Arthurian drama and detail some of the aspects of his work.

Gilbert, Elliot L. “The Female King: Tennyson’s Arthurian Apocalypse.” PMLA 98.5 (1983): 863-78. JSTOR. Modern Language Association. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.

This source describes the work of one Alfred Lord Tennyson, a man who published much poetry depicting the lives of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot, and hardly in a flattering fashion.  It also takes the story of Guinevere’s unfaithfulness and thematically links that to other subjects, such as the connection between traditional sexual roles and the health of one’s nation, as well as the dangers of sexual role reversal.

Greenhalgh, M. J. “Arthurian Legend?” The Musical Times 112.1546 (1971): 1168-170. JSTOR. Musical Times Publications, Ltd. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

This review covers King Arthur, a form of Arthurian tale told in semi-opera form originally written by Dryden and Purcell and adapted by Colin Graham and Philip Ledger.  Though the majority of the review is a scathing criticism of the changes made to the original work, it makes several references to the original work, as is appropriate for one properly critiquing any particular work.  These references disclose their fair portion about another Arthurian work that’s worth looking into as an additional source.

Lacy, Norris J. “From Medieval to Post-Modern: The Arthurian Quest in France.” South Atlantic Review 65.2 (2000): 114-33. JSTOR. South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Though not specific in its Arthurian content, this South Atlantic Review article explains some key themes of several adventure tales, including the importance of ordeal, as explained through the character of Sir Galahad.  It is also a fairly modern article, as well as the only one recent enough to reference and justify Monty Python and the Holy Grail as a part of the Arthurian mythos.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Arthurian Tradition and Folklore.” Folklore 69.1 (1958): 1-25.JSTOR. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

This 25-page article sorts out the question of whether King Arthur was based upon a real person or was perhaps the result of a conglomeration of general folklore of the regions in which his legend grew.  He references several key themes of Arthurian tales (such as the Beheading Game and hags who turn into beautiful maidens with a kiss) and relates them back to much older tales already in existence as his evidence.  Overall, it’s an enlightening article.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Geoffrey of Monmouth and Arthurian Origins.” Speculum 3.1 (1928): 16-33. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Found on the database JSTOR, this article by the same author behind “Arthurian Tradition and Folklore” offers and challenges the opinions of one referred to as “Mr. Gerould” as he draws parallels between the mythical King Arthur and the conqueror Charlemagne. He also covers and disputes the claim that Geoffrey of Monmouth was responsible as the originator of Arthurian Folklore.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. “Some Names in Arthurian Romance.” PMLA 45.2 (1930): 416-43.JSTOR. Modern Language Association. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

Another article by the prolific Roger Loomis, this source takes names both common and uncommon from the Arthurian canon and identifies both their roots and their variants in various, international tales potentially based off of the old legends.  Though lengthy and boasting a high vocabulary, it holds valuable information for those looking to examine the history of some Arthurian stories, as well as stories branching out from the source.

Maynadier, G. H. “The Evolution of Arthurian Romance by James Douglas Bruce.” Modern Language Notes 39.8 (1924): 482-87. JSTOR. The John Hopkins University Press. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

A meta-critique of sorts, Maynadier’s 6-page review of The Evolution of Arthurian Romance pays respects to the late author while covering the important aspects of his work. He lays out the time period that was covered by the author, mentions specific, well-known works both included and excluded from the work, and details what would be a good additional source for material on Arthurian folklore.

Millican, Charles Bowie. “Spenser and the Arthurian Legend.” The Review of English Studies 6.22 (1930): 167-74. JSTOR. Oxford University Press. Web. 03 Oct.

A source derived from JSTOR, this article mainly involves details of the author Spenser and his work “The Faerie Queene” and how the work itself ties in with Arthurian legend.  However, it also speaks at length about translations of other works, including many French translations and works.  The reading can be confusing at times, as the author uses several lengthy quotes that take up anywhere from five lines to a third of a page, but much of it is necessary for understanding the author’s point.

Mythological Heroes in Modern and Contemporary Literature

Introduction

    Golden Fleeces to recover, body parts to rediscover, and mazes to navigate. Mythological references litter everyday phrases and products. People use mythology everyday without realizing it. The mythology of the world surrounds everyone, and affects everything they do. Mythology most importantly affects literature. Authors have been using myths to influence and inspire their writing for inspiration and illusions for centuries.

    Mythology seems so far away and inconsequential at times. Why is it important to know who defeated the Minotaur in the labyrinth and how many children were sacrificed to it? Why is it so important to know that Loki was not only the god of mischief but also the god of illusions and riddles? Because they reappear today in contemporary literature such as in The Hunger Games, and in graphic novels, such as the  character the Joker from the Batman universe. It goes much farther back than that too. Knowing that these allusions exist gives the literature an entirely new depth.

    The sources in this bibliography focus on mythology and its influences on the modern world, specifically that of literature. Works include those that focus on a specific piece and the mythology that is at play there, and a few that deal with the idea of mythology as a whole. A few deal with mythology’s influence on a particular field of study. These ten  sources are organized alphabetically according to MLA standards.

    This bibliography can be used by a wide range of scholars. Anyone from students, teachers, and those that are just curious about  mythology. The bibliography is a general overview of sources that can be building blocks for others in this topic. The resources here may also lead researchers down a different path, like Mythology in feminist texts. What appears here is just a small scratch of the things mythology has touched.

Bahun-Radunović, Sanja, and V. G. Julie. Rajan. Myth and Violence in the Contemporary Female

             Text: New Cassandras. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011. Print.

Bahun-Radunović edited this collection of articles that discuss the different types and uses of mythology in modern texts, specifically those by females. The articles within this book are divided into three parts: “Myth, Violence, Border-Crossing: Global Expressions of Self and Society”    , “Of Archetypes, Creativity, and Ethics: Inscribing the Feminine in Mythology”, and “Instead of an Afterword”. These articles discuss the use of Mythology in Novels, Poems, and Drama. The authors even mention multiple mythological heroes and their effect on Modern works. There are Indian, Greek, and Chinese mythologies at work in these articles.

Berndt, Katrin, and Lena Steveker. Heroism in the Harry Potter Series. Farnham: Ashgate,

             2011.   Print.

    Berndt and Steveker have gatheres articles for a book of that dissects Harry Potter and the type of heroism used in it. In the first part of the book there is an article by Lisa Hopkins, called “Rowling’s Web of Illusions”. This article discusses the similarities in Harry Potter and Homer’s The Iliad. In the second and third part of the book other authors mention that Harry becomes a hero through many trials, and that in some ways he reflects the persona of a Mythological  Hero. This book has a vast index that is easy to use and can help someone navigate the book.

Galloway, David. The Absurd Hero in American Fiction. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,

1970. Print.

In this book by Galloway the American hero is explored in chapters like: “ The Myth of the Absurd” and “The Absurd Man as the Tragic Hero” This work discusses the use of the hero in the American novel, the development of the character, and the history of the character. There are a few instances when it becomes clear that the Modern American heroes are based on some Mythological heroes. Hercules and Oedipus can both be found in the extensive index.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY: Warner, 1999.

          Print.

    This book is one of the leading resources on mythology. Hamilton is a renowned researcher in this field. This book makes a fantastic addition to any research because it covers a wide range of mythology. It spans from simple myths around the world to in depth hero analysis.There are some specific chapters on each  Greek hero including ones on : “Jason”, “Hercules”, and “Perseus.” This book gives a very general and diverse view of mythology.

Magoulick, Mary. What Is Myth? N.p., 2003. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

    This website is written to explain the different types of myths and the ways that they can and are used. She explains that myths can be used to make better parallels in literature, but they are also used in day to day life also. The biggest part of the article is when she mentions different types of mythology and the influences they have. She discusses Greek, Native American, and Norse. The information here is an excellent stepping stone for being able to pinpoint mythology in literature when it is used.

Newell, Dianne, and Victoria Lamont. “Rugged Domesticity: Frontier Mythology in Post-

            Armageddon Science Fiction by Women.” Science Fiction Studies 97th ser. 32.3 (2005):

            423-42. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

    This journal article covers four science fiction novels from the years 1900-1999. These novels are all dystopian novels. They are based on the modern version of American’s civilization’s encounter with savagery that was identified by Rickard Slotkin. The novels that are discussed are Shadow on the Hearth by Judith Merril, Sunburst by Phylis Gotleib, The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett, and Dommsday Morning by C.L. Moore. The authors of the article explore the way these four authors employ mythology to make their novels more potent.

Peterson A, Dunworth D. Mythology In Our Midst : A Guide To Cultural References [e-book].

                   Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press; 2004. Available from: eBook Collection

                    (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 20, 2013.

     This eBook is written in a very sectional maner, everything is broken down into an almost list-like format. At the begining is a list of roughly 30 of the most common mythological references. Among these are, Gilgamesh, Loki, The tree of Life, Adam and Eve, and Pygmalion. Then within each of these refrences, the author defines the myth and mentions some modern uses. Sometimes Peterson will use Literature but he will also mention movies. In the Adam and Eve section he mentions the times in books when characters are tempted, is comparable to Eve in ways, and also a modern movie that uses it as a mythological influence is Weird Science.

Potts, Stephen. “The Many Faces of the Hero in Lord of the Rings.” Twentieth Century Literary

                        Criticism. Vol 137. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 4-11. Literature Resources from Gale.

                      Web. 30 Sept. 2013

        This short article takes an in depth look at a contemporary trilogy and focuses on how it was created. Lord of the Rings is a very popular series and this article not only discusses the Mythology Tolkien based his characters on, but also the Mythology he created. This article draws focus on the hero, Frodo, and how he can be interpreted as a character based on the great heroes from other myths.

Pondrom, Cyrena. “The Role of Myth in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.”American

          Literature. 58.2 (1996): 181-202. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2013

    Pondrom argues in this article that most people pay attention to the use of racial issues in the novel,  and not the creative use of mythological elements, that give the novel a whole new life. This novel includes Isis and Osiris and Aphrodite and Hephaestus themes. That is two different culture’s mythologies at play in this work. She argues that these mythological elements when taken into account give the novel entirely new depth.

Rollins, Ronald. “Finn Again: O’Casey Resurrects Celtic Heroes in Red Roses for Me.”Drama

For    Students. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 52-58. Literature Resources from Gale.Web.

          30 Sept.   2013.

     Rollins’ essay focuses on one play and one culture’s mythology, and what is based on that mythology.This article focuses in on characters in the play and how they really reflect the characters of the myths. This is an essay pulled from a larger journal and since it is only six pages long it is very easy to navigate. It is a well done analysis of this play and its mythological background for “Drama for Students.”

Classical Mythology in Modern Day Literature and Theatre

A culture enthused by sex, wine, opium, death, gore, heroism, fighting, sacrifice, and war. This was the Greek way of living. These acts of violence and ecstasy were inspired by the Greek plays and literature of this time. The gods were flawed with the sins of mortals and committed the same horrible acts we did here on earth. They were jealous of each other to the point that there was a constant struggle for power. Zeus led the Olympians after defeating the Titans which included his own father and mother. These Olympians begin growing exponentially after the initial six began incestuously creating more gods.

These plays and literary works were very influential to this time period and are still studied by the masses today. The stories developed at this time gave us a new concept that is used in many movies, plays, and literature today, the selfless and brave hero. Because of these stories of heroes rising to the occasion to be forever remembered by mortals and gods we have adapted the myths into our modern day literature. There are adaptations of Greek myths in many works released in the past twenty years. Most recognizable would be movies like 300, Immortals, and Clash of the Titans. However, stage and literary adaptations have been made as well, The King Must Die, The Search for Odysseus, The Lightning Theif, and many more.

This short list of sources that have been compiled demonstrate examples of how Greek mythology has been adapted into newer works. Some sources show playwrights that have used Greek myths as the basis for their theme and adapted some concepts to fit their own era of entertainment. Then there are sources covering literary works that have adapted Greek mythology to make new stories out of older texts. The ones that made it into the Annotated Bibliography were great resources for learning about Greek Mythology through a new perspective. Some will have Homer or Hesiod in them but they will also have the author’s interpretations of these works. Some are just stories retold in a different way so that there is new life brought to the story.

This compiled group of sources can be used to help scholars, students, teachers, or just the curious to find Greek works adapted to fit a newer style of entertainment. As a document the sources provide an area to retrieve the information pertaining to adapted Greek mythology and the annotations provide a summary of what these works will cover. This document can also be used for leads on more information to broaden the understanding of adapted Greek myths.

Renault, Mary. The King Must Die. Don’t know: Vintage, 1988. Print.

Renault completely remodels the myth of Theseus and king Minos to resemble something that could actually happen. She uses Theseus as the narrator to portray his life story from his perspective. She researches the history of that area and utilizes a variety of historical traditions and locations to make the story come to life. Some areas of the story are changed around to be more logical such as Theseus’ ability to sense out earthquakes. Theseus gets anxious any time an earthquake is about to happen. This seems more realistic than Poseidon telling him that he is about to make an earthquake.

Campbell, Peter Andrew. “The Postmodern Remaking of Greek Tragedy.” Order No. 3104790 Columbia University, 2003. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

In this dissertation Peter Andrew Campbell evaluates how Greek tragedies are transformed into a postmodern play in comparison to how other works are conformed to postmodernism. He explains how most are told in an updated version of language and in contemporary places. However, Greek tragedies discussed in this dissertation are retold innovatively so that the Greek tales change structurally to be used for theatrical texts. Campbell explains critics’ viewpoints of what is wrong in certain postmodern retellings of Greek tales. He uses critical thinking to reevaluate how these stories are getting retold.

Caplan, Debra. “Oedipus, Shmedipus: ancient Greek drama on the modern Yiddish stage.”Comparative Drama 44.4 (2010): 405+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

This article follows the movement of Greek tragedies onto the modern Yiddish stage. Debra Caplan is the author of this article and she explains how the Jewish people adapted these Greek tragedies to fit their religious beliefs. Glenda Abramson has termed this era of Jewish plays as, “The Judaization of Greek Mythology.” Aeschylus’, Sophocles’, and Euripides’ works were all twisted to adhere to Jewish norms and values. She shows the progression by explaining how it was integrated into society with individual works. She also explains the Jewish leader’s criticism and eventual acceptance of “Jewish Greek Tragedies”.

Hopkins, David Delayne. “Dionysus: The Re-Emergence of a God from Greek Mythology in Modern Literature.” Order No. 1393869 California State University, Dominguez     Hills, 1999. Ann Arbor:ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

David D. Hopkins writes in his thesis that there is evidence of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy, in modern day literature. He names several literary works that he finds Dionysus’s presence in such as; Women in Love, Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, and The Magic Mountain. He uses excerpts of these novels to prove the modernistic view of Dionysus. He argues that these concepts in these novels are not new but borrowed from ancient Greece and adapted to this era.

Freeman, Philip. Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print.

This is a book that tells the reader about Greek mythology in a modern day language without the obscurities of excessive poetic language. It is a compendium of works ranging from Hercules and his labors to the tale of Medea in Euripides work. It also covers the genealogy of all the gods. Freeman writes about the acts of violence, rape, incest, abductions, and all other evils that the gods committed. His book is aimed to help people understand these works so that they might further research the originals by poets of that time like Hesiod, Homer, and Euripides.

James, Vanessa. The Genealogy of Mythology. New York: Penguin Group, 2003. Print.

In this book Vanessa constructs a family tree that starts with the beginning of time and ends with the decedents of the war heroes in the Trojan War. She covers a large amount of material for one book. The books has information on how the Titans came about and how the Olympians were formed and took control from the Titans. There is a full account given of how each god was brought into being. She even discusses the lesser known gods of the wind and rivers. Every child produced by a god is mentioned in this book as well as the heroes of this era’s genealogy. This is a good resource for any scholar of Greek and Roman literature.

Peterson, Amy T., and David J. Dunworth. Mythology In Our Midst : A Guide To Cultural References. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCohost). Web. 16 Oct. 2013

This is a collection of essays that describe how myths have impacted modern inventions and ideas. There are fifty of these essays that describe how each idea derived from a Greek myth. Along with proving that Greek mythology was the origin of ideas like Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and certain movies like the Matrix, this book modernizes Greek myths. These retellings help the reader understand the main idea of the myth so they can better understand how the idea was derived from it.

Ferrell, William K. Literature And Film As Modern Mythology. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

This is a book that compares the film and literary works of this century to mythologies of all different cultures. Ferrell uses works from well-known authors to validate the comparison. He tries to demonstrate that each culture’s entertaining arts show important facts of how that culture lived at that time. He even evaluates what our literary and film works say about our ways of life. By making these comparisons it allows us to view how our culture uses ideas from mythologies of all types including Greek.

O’Brien, Michael J. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Print.

O’Brien put together a collection of essays from scholars. These essays pertain to Sophocles and his play Oedipus Rex. The majority of the essays stick to two main topics. One is Sophocles craftsmanship and his way of thought. The rest are subjective essays that explain the author’s interpretation of the meaning of the play. This is a source with a very specific area of study that delivers different viewpoints on Sophocles work.

Spivey, Nigel. Songs on Bronze: The Greek Myths Made Real. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.Print

Spivey puts together a collection of Greek Myths into something he hopes children can read without be subjected to large amounts of violence. He throws in a group of myths to give the reader a general rundown of Greek Myths as a whole. The way he tells the stories involves the perspective of psychological realism. The reader will hear the heroes or gods justifying the way they act with psychological evaluations of their behavior. This is a good source for early high school students or undergraduates who wish to find a different perspective of how the myths can be interpreted.

Mayerson, Phillip. Classical Mythology in Literature, Art, and Music. Massachusetts: Xerox College Publishing, 1971. Print.

Mayerson has collected and written a compendium of Greek Myths into one book. He uses great detail to explain the genealogy of the gods and what happened according to the Greek Myths in chronological order. Besides just being a source of reference to the Greek’s beliefs, he also expounds on modern day literature and play writes. He gives the reader references to certain modern works and how they were originated from the Greek arts. This would be a great source for any liberal arts, humanities, or literature scholar or student.

Reid, Jane. Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s. New York: Oxford, 1993. Print.

Reid has put together the ultimate reference guide to Classical Mythology. She has every subject imaginable in alphabetical order from Achilles to Zeus. Every kind of art from opera and drama to literature and sculptures with the subject involved is listed under their name. All sources are cited in the listing and she makes it easy to locate just what the reader is looking for. Even works involving Greek myths that have been completed in the 19^th and 20^th centuries are listed. This is a source that should be utilized by any student, teacher, or scholar interested in locating information pertaining to the Greek arts.

Folklore

Folklore is a journal published three times a year and has been around since 1890 with the same name. From 1878-1882 it was known as The Folk-lore Record and was changed to The Folk-lore Journal in 1883 and stayed this way until 1889. It is one of the earliest journals written in English in the field of folkloristics. “Their mission and scope is to publish essays specializing in traditional language, narrative, music, song, dance, drama, foodways, medicine, arts and crafts, and popular religion and belief. It reviews current scholarship in a wide range of adjacent disciplines, including cultural studies, popular culture, cultural anthropology, ethnology, and social history. It aims to be lively, informative, and accessible, while still maintaining its scholarship.” (folklore-society.com). The current Editorial Board mostly consists of women. There are 5 females and one male. They represent different universities and organizations all from the United Kingdom. This was the only editorial board I could locate. This journal can be accessed through the Humanities Full Text Database on TTU’s website. The articles in this database range from 1983 until as recent as August 2013. However, only from 1993 until 2011 are the articles accessible in full text form. I reviewed an issue from 1983, 2000, and 2011 to attain information that describes how the journal has operated over the past 30 years.

In the 1983 issue there is an article pertaining to the popular legend of Beowulf and the Germanic people. Articles include information about architecture and religion, Celtic mythology, and human sexuality in Africa. Thirteen articles make up the content of this issue. Six book reviews are included after all the articles. All of the articles ranged from 4 to 13 pages in length.

In the 2000 issue the format was pretty much the same. Only ten articles are found in this issue and still six book reviews. However, the articles also included speeches and lectures from accredited folklore scholars. A section was included for the readers to write letters to the journal and discuss some topics that were addressed in previous issues. This allowed readers to disagree with certain writers or praise them for their good research. A separate article recounted the events of a competition that was held by the Folklore journal. It was a writing competition for students to receive a scholarship from the journal. Articles in this issue include “The heroic outlaw in Irish folklore and popular literature”, “The Holy Grail: from romance motif to modern genre”, “The witch’s familiar and the fairy in early modern England and Scotland”, and “A reply to Amy Hale”. There is still plenty of content focused on folklore tales from different areas of the earth. Articles in this issue were a little lengthier and ranged from 2 to 27 pages long.

The 2011 issue seemed to have seen a lot of changes in comparison to the previous issues. Only nine articles are included in this issue. Few of the articles pertain to folklore and myths. The other articles contain information about religion or cultural practices in other areas.  This is easy to see with article titles like “Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy” and “Religious Poetry as a Vehicle for Social Control in Africa”. They have 11 book reviews in this issue which is nearly twice the amount from the previous issues. It seems after 130 years they have run out of folklore to tell. Pages for each article range from 5 to 25 pages, which is practically unchanged from the previous year.

In the 2000 issue there is an article called “The heroic outlaw in Irish Folklore and popular literature”. This article discusses the outlaw and how the folklore behind these outlaws gave the Irish people hope during a dark time. The British were colonizing the other countries and ruling over them. This left hardly enough resources for the people they ruled over. The poor living conditions gave way to the outlaw hero in Irish folklore. The article gives examples of different outlaws that defied the British rule and inspired their people to do the same. A separate article in the 2011 issue called “Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy with Special Reference to Modiva”approaches a different topic. The focus is on the beliefs and traditions that the Romanian people are accustomed to when a woman is with child. The specific group of Romanian people they are looking at is the Moldova people. The article writes about how the mother and the society are responsible for a healthy fetus and how the mother gains a different role in their society. By examining these two articles we can see how the Journal has begun to change. There seems to be some digression from folklore stories that is replaced by the traditions of certain areas of the world.

If you were to pick up an issue to read you would most likely find articles explaining a legend of some sort. Most issues contain articles that debunk a myth or explain a folktale found in some source of literature. Any literature scholar could benefit from this journal. It contains exceptional research of how these folktales made their way into literature and where their origin can be found before literature. If you were to pick up newer issues you would be more likely to find less articles pertaining to folklore and more articles about the religion and culture of different nations.

 

 

Works Cited

. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013. <http://www.folklore-society.com/publications/&gt;.

. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013. <http://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?journalCode=rfol20

Theresa, Buckland. n. page. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.tntech.edu/ehost/detail?sid=0d7e8524-0be7-474a-af6b-

Journal of American Folklore

The scholarly Journal of American Folklore (founded in 1888) is currently headed by editors Thomas A. DuBois and James P. Leary of the University of Wisconsin and published quarterly by the University of Illinois Press; the Journal is presently accessible in print to TTU students through the Volpe Library. These print versions are available in bound copies of generally four issues per book, with dates going as far back as 1936. The earliest issue that can be found through the library is from January, 1936, and the most current is from the summer of 2013. Observably, many aspects of the journal have changed over the years; on the other hand, some features have remarkably remained essentially unchanged.

The current editorial board consists of members ranging from the University of Georgia to the University of Winnipeg all the way to the University of California Los Angeles and is equally representative of males and females. The Journal typically contains scholarly articles that present research and theoretical analyses fundamental to the field, with content reflecting a wide range of professional concerns, academic orientations, and communicative modes. Other features such as notes, reviews, and commentaries are directed at a wide variety of audiences—materials reviewed include books, exhibitions, and events, sound recordings, film and videos, websites, and internet media. The Journal also contains polemics that are much narrower in scope and focus on a single issue relating to the field. Located in each issue are short informational sections titled “Notes on Practice” that deal with tasks and responsibilities of folklorists. Commentaries address topics discussed in previous issues of the journal.

Each article in the Summer 2013 edition of the Journal of American Folklore generally ranges between twenty-seven and thirty-two pages and contains a fifty to seventy-five word abstract summarizing essential points and findings. An extensive bibliography can be found at the end of each piece. Located at the bottom of the first page of each article, readers will find a small footnote describing the author– their occupation and which university they attended. The articles are divided up into different sections with corresponding headings to assist with navigation and contain a number of helpful footnotes explaining things within the article such as mentioned ceremonies of a particular culture.

The Journal of American Folklore has undergone significant changes over the past 77 years, even in the past couple of years. Some obvious changes are the members of the editorial board, the editors themselves, and the cost of the Journal. A major difference in newer issues and older ones (such as those from 1936) that I noted was the scope of the journal. In 1936, the first page states that it was designed for the collection and publication of the folklore and mythology of the American Continent, whereas now it contains a lot more content, including the sound reviews and commentaries. These did not exist within the journal in the 1930’s. The contributors for this journal are from a variety of locations, such as California and Indiana, and the articles have expanded in length; the 1936 issues contained several short stories/articles by one author, including “Folk Tales From Shumopovi, Second Mesa” by Wilson Wallis and “Pueblo Indian Folk Tales” by Aurelio Espinosa. There are collections of around 21 to 24 stories in each section, each one containing its own Table of Contents. Newer issues only contain one article from each author and are much longer and academic; some of these articles include “Pinkster: An Atlantic Creole Festival in a Dutch-American Context” from the Summer 2013 issue where author Jeroen Dewulf argues that this festival should be understood in a different context and that the syncretic character did not originate in North America like many have come to believe. Another example of a somewhat recent article from a 1990 issue is “The Sardana: Catalan Dance and Catalan National Identity” by Stanley Brandes, Professor of Anthropology from the University of California. Many of these more recent articles spend a significant amount of space, usually between eighteen and twenty-five pages, covering some sort of cultural tradition. The requirements for potential contributors have remained essentially the same since 1990, but they are much more detailed now than they were in 1936. There was not a length requirement then, so perhaps that is why the articles were a lot shorter. Finally, one last huge change in the Journal that I noted was that initially, there was a dash in the words Folk and lore and that has been deleted in recent years; also, the name has been shortened to JAF when it is being referred to.

In short, the Journal of American Folklore is a useful resource for those wanting to learn more about folklore itself and its history or for scholars looking to research the field and its theoretical orientations.

Works Cited
Benedict, Ruth, ed. “Forty Seventh Annual Meeting of the Amerian Folk-lore Society.” Journal of American Folklore 49.191 (1936): 167-170. Print.

Brandes, Stanley. “The Sardana: Catalan Dance and Catalan National Identity.” Journal of American Folklore 103.407 (1990): 24-42. Print.

Dewulf, Jeroen. “Pinkster: An Atlantic Creole Festival in a Dutch-American Context.” Journal of American Folklore 126.501 (2013): 245-272. Print.

DuBois, Thomas A., and James P. Leary, eds. “Table of Contents.” Journal of American Folklore 126.501 (2013): 243. Print.

Espinosa, Aurelio. “Pueblo Indian Folk Tales.” Journal of American Folklore 49.191 (1936): 69-133. Print.