Milton Rugoff gathers over two hundred stories from more than forty distinct cultures to showcase the global variety of oral traditions. The collection organizes narratives by geographic origin, covering regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Scandinavia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Readers encounter familiar archetypes including clever tricksters, supernatural hags, and royalty in disguise. These fictions focus on traditional motifs like the fulfillment of impossible tasks, the consequences of breaking taboos, and the rewards of humble behavior. The text presents these legends in direct prose, stripped of contemporary literary ornamentation.
Folklore enthusiasts and students of comparative literature read this anthology to identify recurring narrative structures across different civilizations. The volume serves as a reference for those studying how separate societies utilize Similar plot devices to explain natural phenomena or social hierarchies. Readers walk away with an understanding of the shared human impulse to categorize the world through allegory. By comparing the specific variations of European fairy tales against Asian or indigenous American versions, the reader gains a broad perspective on the historical development of cultural storytelling.
- Published
- 1977
- Language
- EN
