Storytelling Encyclopedia: Historical, Cultural, and Multiethnic Approaches to Oral Traditions Around the World

Oral storytelling is a form of communication that dates back to the dawn of mankind. Teachers, librarians and storytellers continue to find that traditional storytelling methods possess unparalleled power as a medium for the education, entertainment and enchantment of children. The Storytelling Encyclopaedia is the first definitive reference work to address the substantive elements of storytelling. It is an A to Z collection of over 700 authoritative yet highly readable articles containing descriptive information about the major types, elements, characters, themes, titles and reference points in storytelling. The articles are written primarily by scholars in the fields of anthropology and folklore, and they examine the cultural context and performance aspects of storytelling, and include numerous illustrative examples of authors, places, characters and titles. Bibliographies are also included. This new volume should be an important addition to the collections of public libraries and school library media centres. It should also be a useful reference source at the academic level for courses in literature, drama, speech, communication and anthropology.