Oral folk art is a source of age-old wisdom. Features of collecting and researching oral folk art in Russia

In the 20th century, children's folklore was represented by works of oral folk literature intended for children, but performed by adults. Most scholars of children's folklore include not only what exists in children's environment, but also the poetry of folklore. Thus, children's folklore is a special area of ​​folk art. It includes a whole system of poetic and musically poetic genres of folklore. Basic techniques of ethnopedagogy. Peasant families did not think about education. Skills and techniques were passed on naturally - from generation to generation. Basic methods of education in traditional culture: 1. Personal experience. 2. participation in the life of the community, listener. 3. inclusion in ritual life. 4. work responsibilities. 5.game. Genres of children's folklore. 1.Lullabies. 2. Fairy tales are boring. 3. Pestushki. Lullabies– songs that lull children to sleep. Their goal is to transfer the child from a state of wakefulness to a state of sleep. It was believed that a child grows in a dream. Sleep-drowsiness. Characteristics: monotony, repetition of the chant, quiet dynamics, single rhythmic form. The text is filled with sibilants. Function: soothing, calming, education. Pestushki – helped to raise a cheerful person, brought up joy in the child. Nursery rhymes - special fun for adults with children, songs, sayings using body parts. To develop creative abilities. Jokesfunny story, giving speech a humorous tone. Does not come with the game.

Boring tales are used instead of fairy tales. They still exist today. Used to develop self-control, moderation in desires, and a sense of humor in children. Everyday folklore - children's songs, chants, sayings, teasers, horror stories. they reflected the diversity of life phenomena. Calls and sentences. The existence and preservation of texts depend on local traditions. In some areas they are almost never used, in others fragments are preserved, in others they exist in their ancient form. There are widespread chants and parodies: “Airplane, airplane, put me on a flight, but the flight is empty, cabbage has grown.” As children grow, they inevitably come into contact with fauna. Their interest is attracted by songbirds and brightly colored insects, and children look for means of communicating with them.

Children's ritual poetry. Over time, the forms and methods of education have changed. Religious rites, holiday calendar songs no longer have much meaning, but rather a figurative meaning. Nicknames and teasing. The tradition of giving nicknames is inherited by children from adults. But they went further and created rhyming nicknames, which in turn gave rise to teasing. Some teasers are almost indistinguishable from nicknames, but a nickname is attached to a person as a stable epithet, and a teaser is applied only to occasion. Universal literacy, familiarity with professional art, and higher speech culture have reduced the number of teases about appearance by 5 times, and the number of teases characterizing moral character has doubled. Texts about officers, priests, saints, poverty, that is, everything that is unfamiliar to modern children, have disappeared from the teasers.

Children's fairy tales. People read fairy tales to children every day and everywhere; the skill of storytelling has become the property of many.

Horror stories. Horror stories still matter today. But elements of modern paraphernalia were included: telephone, piano, mechanical doll, etc.

Fiction for a child is a means of understanding the world around him with the unity and struggle of opposites. Meeting the unusual, mysterious, scary, overcoming fear, helps analyze what is perceived by the senses, maintain mental clarity, self-control, and the ability to act in any situation. 3. Amusing folklore.

The purpose of these genres is to amuse yourself and your peers.

Word games. The values ​​of games are evidenced by the fact that almost all games known in the 19th century. games continue to this day. There are: “Broken Phone”, “Mistress”, “Pretties”, “Gardener”. Grew up general education children. This also affected the playing repertoire. Geographical word game"To the cities."

Silent and vocal. Silent girls are still very popular among children. The texts are mostly traditional. Golosyankas, on the contrary, pursue the goal of drawing out the vowel sound. The advantage of this game is the development of voice data. Lately, we haven’t celebrated Holosyanka in a living tradition. Apparently she disappeared, was forgotten.

Undershirts. Funny jokes - fun “at the expense of a friend”: how to decipher the word Dunya? We have no fools. - And I? There are gimmicks above the name (Aunt Lyuba will love, out-love, fall in love with everyone.) Also common gimmicks are riddles (A and B were sitting on the pipe).

Chops. Nowadays, chives are not widely used. They became primarily school fun. The secant tool is replaced by a pencil, the wood by paper. Instead of “Sekou, sekou...” a new one appeared:

“I write, write, write, I’ll write sixteen sticks, if you don’t believe me, take it and check it.” Most children do not know this fun at all. Tongue Twisters. These days, works with complex and rich sound design are especially popular. Tongue twisters have become a tool for improving pronunciation in kindergartens, schools, in the work of speech therapists. Fables are upside down. At the present stage, it is an effective means of stimulating the cognitive activity of children (I’ll stab you with a knife, you’ll kick, and the blood will flow out of your belly). Puzzles. New living conditions had a decisive impact on the repertoire of riddles. Modern children do not understand much of the old way of life of peasants. The mysteries that reflected this life disappear. Now riddles about recognizable things, images, animals, vegetables, mushrooms, watches, teapots, books, transport, household appliances and other novelties in our lives have become traditional. If earlier the riddle was common among older children and adults, now the riddle has become the property of schoolchildren (5-7 years old). Apparently this indicates a more intensive, rapid development of modern children. 4. Play folklore. Formal role-playing games without poetically organized text. Most games carry images that are close to children and reflect the world of children's interests and aspirations. Text doesn't play a role in this game genre main role, has no verse organization. They reflect the phenomena Everyday life, shows moral principles in the family, etc. Formal role-playing games with playful refrains. Currently, they cannot characterize the children's song repertoire because they are not widespread. These games gradually lose their appeal and are forgotten, despite the fact that they are intensively introduced into children's consciousness in kindergartens and elementary schools.

They are willingly sung by children under the guidance of teachers, but are not taken outside the walls of the children's institution. Radio, cinema, television, with their greatest content and literary and musical processing, lead to the inevitable death of children's games with playful choruses. Formal role-playing games with game sentences. At the present stage, although these games are not forgotten, they are used much less frequently.

Games - improvisation. These games are popular to this day and remain active.

Covenants of lots. In recent decades, there has been a gradual replacement of traditional children's games with modern sports games and computer games. Therefore, agreements lose their former meaning.

Counting books. Nowadays, counting rhymes remain very popular genre folklore Creativity in counting rhymes reflects technical and scientific progress. This determines new content, maintained in a traditional form. The new living conditions of children affected their play repertoire. Formal role-playing games no longer have their former importance, but improvisation games have become richer and more meaningful; Lot plots lose their poetic form, counting rhymes are enriched with new content, and their poetics are improved. Traditional gaming folklore becomes the property of younger children (4-12 years old) and continues to serve as an effective means of moral and aesthetic education.

Conclusion. Great place in modern children's folklore there are works that reflect school life. This field is very diverse and has an everyday ethical and aesthetic impact on children. The genres of children's amateur creativity can be considered a school ditty, a song, school poetry, and an anecdote. In every school, camp, and camping trip, a large number of similar works are created; they help to develop in children a sense of words, beauty, and humor. Children's folklore should become a valuable means of educating a person who harmoniously combines spiritual wealth, moral purity and physical perfection.

These are small folklore works. In some works there is a definition children's folklore, because such folk works enter a person’s life very early, long before mastering speech.

Pestushka(from the word nurture, that is, to nurse, groom) - a short poetic chant of nannies and mothers, with which they accompany the actions of a child that he performs at the very beginning of his life. For example, when the child wakes up, the mother strokes and caresses him, saying:

Stretchers, stretchers,
Across the fat girl
And in the hands of the veil,
And in the mouth there is a talk,
And in the head there is reason.

When a child begins to learn to walk, they say:

Big feet
Walked along the road:
Top, top, top,
Top, top, top.
Little feet
Running along the path:
Top, top, top, top,
Top, top, top, top!

Nursery rhyme - an element of pedagogy, a song-sentence that accompanies playing with a child’s fingers, arms and legs. Nursery rhymes, like pesters, accompany the development of children. Small rhymes and songs allow you to encourage the child to take action while simultaneously performing massage, physical exercises, and stimulating motor reflexes. This genre of children's folklore provides incentives to play out the plot with the fingers ( finger games or Ladushki), hands, facial expressions. Nursery rhymes help instill in a child the skills of hygiene, order, and develop fine motor skills And emotional sphere .

Examples

"Magpie"

Magpie Crow, (running finger over palm)
Magpie Crow,
I gave it to the kids.
(curls fingers)
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
But she didn’t give it to this:
- Why didn’t you cut wood?
- Why didn’t you carry water?

« » (clap hands on stressed syllables)

Okay, okay, where have you been? By Grandma!
What did you eat? Porridge!
What did you drink? Mash!
Butter porridge!
Sweet mash!
(Grandma is kind!)
We drank, ate, wow...
Shuuu!!! (Home) Let's fly!
They sat on their heads! (“Ladushki” sang)
We sat down and sat down,
Then we flew home!!!

joke(from bayat, that is, to tell) - a poetic, short, funny story that a mother tells her child, for example:

Owl, owl, owl,
Big head,
She was sitting on a stake,
I looked to the side,
He turned his head.

They teach something.

The road is a spoon for dinner.
If you're afraid of the wolf, don't go into the forest.
Birds of a feather flock together.
You can’t even pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.
Fear has big eyes.
The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
There is no need for treasure if there is harmony in the family.
Don't have 100 rubles, but have 100 friends.
An old friend is better than two new ones.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
If I had known where you would fall, I would have laid out straws.
You make a soft bed, but sleep hard.
The Motherland is your mother, know how to stand up for her.
Seven do not wait for one.
If you chase two hares, you won't catch either.
The bee is small, but it also works.
Bread is the head of everything.
Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.

    kissing. As a rule, these games were played at parties and get-togethers (usually ending with a kiss between a young guy and a girl);

    ritual. Such games were characteristic of some kind of ritual, holiday. For example, Maslenitsa festivities (typical fun: removing a prize from the top of a pole, tug of war, competitions for dexterity, strength);

    seasonal . Particularly common among children, especially in winter. We played the so-called “Warmers”: the leader shows some movements, and everyone else repeats. Either traditional “collars” and “ ».

An example of a kissing game:

The drake chased the duck,
The young man was driving sulfur,
Go home, Ducky,
Go home, Gray,
Duck has seven children,
And the eighth Drake,
And the ninth itself,
Kiss me once!

In this game, the “Duck” stood in the center of the circle, and the “Drake” outside, and played similar to the game “ " At the same time, those standing in the round dance tried not to let the “drake” into the circle.

Calls- one of the types of invocation songs of pagan origin. They reflect the interests and ideas of peasants about the economy and family. For example, the spell of a rich harvest runs through all the calendar songs; For themselves, children and adults asked for health, happiness, and wealth.

Calls are an appeal to the sun, rainbow, rain and other natural phenomena, as well as to animals and especially often to birds, which were considered the harbingers of spring. Moreover, the forces of nature were revered as living: they make requests for spring, wish for its speedy arrival, and complain about winter.

Larks, larks!
Come and visit us
Bring us a warm summer,
Take the cold winter away from us.
Us Cold winter got bored
My hands and feet were frozen.

Counting book- a short rhyme, a form of drawing lots to determine who leads the game. A counting table is an element of the game that helps establish agreement and respect for the accepted rules. Rhythm is very important in organizing a counting rhyme.

Aty-baty, the soldiers were walking,
Aty-baty, to the market.
Atty-batty, what did you buy?
Aty-baty, samovar.
How much does it cost?
Aty-baty, three rubles
Aty-baty, what is he like?
Aty-baty, golden.
Aty-baty, the soldiers were walking,
Aty-baty, to the market.
Atty-batty, what did you buy?
Aty-baty, samovar.
How much does it cost?
Aty-baty, three rubles.
Aty-baty, who's coming out?
Aty-baty, it's me!

Patter - a phrase built on a combination of sounds that makes it difficult to quickly pronounce words. Tongue twisters are also called “ ”, as they promote and can be used to develop diction. Tongue twisters can be both rhymed and non-rhymed.

Greek rode across the river.
He sees a Greek: there is a cancer in the river,
He stuck the Greek's hand into the river -
Cancer for the hand of a Greek - DAC!

The bull was blunt-lipped, the bull was blunt-lipped, the bull's white lip was dull.

From the clatter of hooves, dust flies across the field.

Mystery, like a proverb, is a short figurative definition of an object or phenomenon, but unlike a proverb, it gives this definition in an allegorical, deliberately obscure form. As a rule, in a riddle one object is described through another based on similar features: “The pear is hanging - you can’t eat it” (lamp). A riddle can also be a simple description of an object, for example: “Two ends, two rings, and a nail in the middle” (scissors). This is both a folk pastime and a test of ingenuity and intelligence.

The role of riddles and jokes was also played by inverted fables, which for adults appear as absurdities, but for children - funny stories about something that does not happen, for example:

From behind the forest, from behind the mountains, Grandfather Egor is coming. He is on a gray cart, on a creaking horse, belted with an axe, a belt tucked into his belt, boots wide open, a zipun on his bare feet.
In preschool pedagogy, there are many methods and techniques for influencing children, the choice of which depends on the specific situation. Sometimes educators, when introduced to advanced pedagogical experience(in print, during viewing open classes, games) discover new management and design techniques play areas and mechanically transfer them into their work without getting the desired result. Methodical techniques bring results in cases where the teacher applies them systematically, takes into account the general trends in the mental development of children, the patterns of the activity being formed, if the teacher knows and feels each child well. A person’s acquaintance with works of art, with the best examples of oral folk art, should begin from the first years of his life, since the period of early and preschool childhood is the defining stage in development human personality. The age of up to five years is the richest in a child’s ability to quickly and greedily learn about the world around him and absorb a huge amount of impressions. It is during this period that children, with amazing speed and activity, begin to adopt the norms of behavior of those around them, and most importantly, master the means of human communication - speech. The youngest children are first introduced to works of oral folk art. The brilliant creator of language and the greatest teacher - the people created such works of artistic expression that lead the child through all stages of the emotional and moral development. A child’s acquaintance with oral folk art should begin with songs and nursery rhymes.

This folk art, covering all cultural levels of society. People's lives, their views, ideals, moral principles - all this is reflected both in artistic folklore (dance, music, literature) and material (clothing, kitchen utensils, housing).

Back in 1935, the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky, speaking at the First Congress of Writers of the USSR, accurately described folklore and its significance in public life: "...the most profound heroes exist in folklore, the oral literature of the people. Svyatogor and Mikula Selyaninovich, Vasilisa the Wise, the ironic Ivanushka the Fool, who never loses heart, Petrushka, who always conquers everyone. These images were created by folklore and they are an inseparable part life and culture of our society."

Folklore (“folk knowledge”) is a separate scientific discipline on which research is carried out, abstracts are created, and dissertations are written. In Russian literature of the 19th century, the terms “folk poetry” and “folk literature” were widely used.

Oral folk art, folklore genres

Songs, fairy tales, legends, epics - this is far from full list. Oral folk art is a vast layer of Russian culture that has been formed over the centuries. The genres of folklore are divided into two main directions - non-ritual and ritual.

  • Calendar - Maslenitsa songs, Christmas carols, vesnyanka and other examples of folk song creativity.
  • Family folklore - wedding songs, lamentations, lullabies, family stories.
  • Occasional - spells, counting rhymes, incantations, chants.

Non-ritual folklore includes four groups:

1. Folk drama - religious, nativity scene, Parsley theater.

2. Folk poetry - ballads, epics, spiritual poems, lyrical songs, ditties, children's songs and poems.

3. Folklore prose is divided into fairy-tale and non-fairytale. The first includes fairy tales about animals, everyday life, fairy tales, and chain fairy tales (for example, the story of Kolobok). Non-fairy tale prose is stories from life telling about human encounters with images of Russian demonology - mermaids and merman, sorcerers and witches, ghouls and ghouls. This subcategory also includes stories about shrines and miracles of the Christian faith, about higher powers. Forms of non-fairy tale prose:

  • legends;
  • mythological stories;
  • epics;
  • dream books;
  • legends;

4. Oral folklore: tongue twisters, well wishes, nicknames, proverbs, curses, riddles, teasers, sayings.

The genres listed here are considered the main ones.

in literature

These are poetic works and prose - epics, fairy tales, legends. A bunch of literary forms They also belong to folklore, which reflects three main directions: dramatic, lyrical and epic. Of course, the genres of folklore in literature are not limited to this, there are many more of them, but the categories listed are a kind of empirics that have been developed over the years.

Dramatic images

Dramatic folk art includes folk dramas in the form fairy tales with unfavorable developments and a happy ending. Any legend in which there is a struggle between good and evil can be dramatic. The characters defeat each other with varying degrees of success, but in the end good triumphs.

Genres of folklore in literature. Epic component

Russian folklore (epic) is based on historical songs with extensive themes, when guslars can spend hours telling stories about life in Rus' under quiet strings. This is a genuine folk art passed down from generation to generation. In addition to literary folklore from musical accompaniment There is oral folk art, legends and epics, traditions and tales.

Epic art is usually closely intertwined with the dramatic genre, since all adventures epic heroes Russian lands are in one way or another connected with battles and exploits for the glory of justice. The main representatives of epic folklore are Russian heroes, among whom Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, as well as the imperturbable Alyosha Popovich, stand out.

Genres of folklore, examples of which can be given endlessly, are built on heroes fighting monsters. Sometimes a hero is helped by an inanimate object that has fabulous powers. This could be a treasure sword that cuts off dragon heads in one fell swoop.

Epic tales tell about colorful characters - Baba Yaga, who lives in a hut on chicken legs, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Ivan Tsarevich, who is nowhere without the Gray Wolf, and even about Ivan the Fool - happy with an open Russian soul.

Lyrical form

This folklore genre includes works of folk art that are mostly ritual: love songs, lullabies, funny ditties and lamentations. Much depends on intonation. Even sentences, spells, bells and whistles with the aim of bewitching a loved one, and those can sometimes be classified as folklore lyrics.

Folklore and authorship

Works of the fairy-tale literary genre (author's) often cannot be formally classified as folklore, such as, for example, Ershov's "The Tale of the Little Humpbacked Horse" or Bazhov's tale " Copper Mountain Mistress" due to the fact that they were written by a certain writer. However, these stories have their own folklore source, were told somewhere and by someone in one form or another, and then transferred by the writer into book form.

Genres of folklore, examples of which are well-known, popular and recognizable, do not need clarification. The reader can easily figure out which of the authors came up with their own plot and who borrowed it from the past. It’s another matter when genres of folklore, examples of which are familiar to most readers, are challenged by someone. In this case, specialists must understand and draw competent conclusions.

Controversial art forms

There are examples when fairy tales modern authors by its structure it literally asks to be folklore, but at the same time it is known that the plot does not have sources from the depths of folk art, but was invented by the author himself from beginning to end. For example, the work “Three in Prostokvashino”. There is a folklore outline - the postman Pechkin alone is worth something. And the story itself is fabulous in essence. However, if authorship is determined, then folklore affiliation can only be conditional. Although many authors believe that differences are not necessary, art is art, regardless of form. Which genres of folklore coincide with literary canons can be determined by a number of characteristics.

The difference between folklore works and literary works

Literary works, such as a novel, short story, story, essay, are distinguished by their measured, unhurried narration. The reader gets the opportunity to analyze what he read on the go, while delving into the idea of ​​the plot. Folklore works are more impulsive, moreover, they contain only their inherent elements, such as a talker or a chorus. Often the narrator slows down the action for greater effect, using duality or trinity of the narrative. In folklore, open tautology is widely used, sometimes even accentuated. Parallelisms and exaggerations are common. All these techniques are natural for folklore works, although completely unacceptable in ordinary literature.

Different peoples, incompatible in their mentality, are often united by factors of a folklore nature. Folk art contains universal motifs, such as the common desire to collect good harvest. Both the Chinese and the Portuguese think about this, although they live on different ends of the continent. The population of many countries is united by the desire for a peaceful existence. Since people everywhere are the same by nature, their folklore is not much different, if you do not keep in mind the external signs.

Geographical proximity different nationalities promotes rapprochement, and this process also begins with folklore. First of all, cultural ties are established, and only after the spiritual unification of the two peoples do politicians come to the fore.

Small genres of Russian folklore

Small folklore works are usually intended for children. The child does not perceive a long story or fairy tale, but listens with pleasure to the story about the Little Gray Top, who can grab a barrel. In the process of raising children, small genres of Russian folklore appeared. Each work of this form contains a special grain of meaning, which, as the narrative progresses, turns into either a moral or a small moral lesson.

However, most small forms of the folklore genre are chants, songs, and jokes that are useful for the development of a child. There are 5 genres of folklore that are successfully used in raising children:

  • A lullaby is the oldest way to lull a child to sleep. Usually the melodic melody is accompanied by rocking of the cradle or crib, so it is important to find a rhythm when singing.
  • Pestushki - simple rhymes, melodious wishes, affectionate parting words, soothing lamentations for a newly awakened child.
  • Nursery rhymes are recitative songs that accompany playing with the baby’s arms and legs. They promote the development of the child, encourage him to act in an unobtrusive playful way.
  • Jokes are short stories, often in verse, funny and sonorous, which mothers tell their children every day. Growing children need to be told jokes in accordance with their age so that children understand every word.
  • Counting books are small rhymes that are good for developing a child’s arithmetic abilities. They are an obligatory part of collective children's games when lots need to be drawn.

Folklore. Genres of folklore

Folklore(from English folk- people, lore- wisdom) - oral folk art. Folklore arose before the advent of writing. Its most important feature is that folklore is the art of the spoken word. This is what distinguishes it from literature and other forms of art. Another important one distinguishing feature folklore - collectivity of creativity. It arose as mass creativity and expressed the ideas of a primitive community and clan, and not of an individual.

In folklore, as in literature, there are three types of works: epic, lyrical and dramatic. At the same time, epic genres have poetic and prose forms (in literature, the epic genre is represented only by prose works: short story, tale, novel, etc.). Literary genres and folklore genres differ in composition. In Russian folklore, epic genres include epics, historical songs, fairy tales, traditions, legends, tales, proverbs, sayings. Lyrical folklore genres include ritual songs, lullabies, family and love songs, lamentations, and ditties. Dramatic genres include folk dramas. Many folklore genres have entered literature: song, fairy tale, legend (for example, Pushkin's fairy tales, Koltsov's songs, Gorky's legends).

Genres of folklore each have their own content: epics depict the military feats of heroes, historical songs - events and heroes of the past, family songs describe the everyday side of life. Each genre has its own heroes: in epics there are heroes Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, in fairy tales - Ivan Tsarevich, Ivan the Fool, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Baba Yaga, in family songs - wife, husband, mother-in-law.

Folklore also differs from literature in its special system. expressive means. For example, the composition (construction) of folklore works is characterized by the presence of such elements as a chorus, an opening, a saying, a slowdown in action (retardation), a trinity of events; for style - constant epithets, tautologies (repetitions), parallelisms, hyperboles (exaggerations), etc.

Folklore different nations has much in common in genres, artistic means, plots, types of heroes, etc. This is explained by the fact that folklore as a type folk art reflects general patterns social development of peoples. General Features in the folklore of different peoples can arise due to the proximity of culture and life or long-term economic, political and cultural ties. The similarity of historical development, geographical proximity, movements of peoples, etc. also play a big role.

Folklore is a system of systems. Like literature, it is divided into poetic genres: epic, lyric, drama. Genera are divided into types (song, fairy tale, non-fairy tale prose, etc.), and types are divided into genres. Some genres have a combination of characteristics of different types (lyric epic songs). If the classification is based on the way in which works exist, then folklore will be divided into ritual and non-ritual. Based on volume, small genres are distinguished.

Genre is the basic unit of study of folklore. Each genre is a typical structural model that has the ability to implement a certain life attitude. In the oral folk poetic tradition, genres are interconnected and interact.

Many genres are universal (for example: proverbs, riddles, fairy tales, legends, epic songs). Being perfect forms of artistic exploration of reality, they lived for centuries in the folklore of different peoples.

Folklore developed depending on changes in everyday life, social life people and their consciousness. Many elements of folklore changed, processed, and transformed. There was a gradual replacement of the outdated system of genres with a new artistic system.

Russian folklore has its own history. Its roots go back to the ancient Slavic period, and then to the times of the united ancient Russian nationality. The feudal era led to the flourishing of classical folklore. Later, urban folklore, folklore of industrial workers, etc. appeared.

Early traditional folklore, classical folklore, late traditional folklore- artistic systems that historically replaced one another.

Folklore genres:

I. Early traditional folklore (work songs, fortune telling, spells).

II. Classic folklore:

1. Ritual.

2. Non-ritual:

A) Prose genres(fairy tale, tradition, legend, epic);

b) Poetic genres (epic, historical song, ballad);

c) Children's folklore (jokes, teases, pestushka, nursery rhyme, joke, counting rhyme, etc.);

d) Small genres (proverb, saying, sign, curse, tongue twister, etc.).

III. Late traditional folklore: (ditties, WWII poetry, workers' folklore).

The foundations of artistic imagery of oral folk art were formed in the prehistoric period, when early traditional folklore appeared simultaneously with language (human speech).

Early traditional folklore is a set of ancient genera and types of folklore, an archaic system that preceded the formation of the actual artistic creativity of the people.

The question of the early stages of the development of folklore cannot be considered based on the material of only one people. It is necessary to take into account the ancient kinship of close peoples (for example, the Slavs), as well as the universal, typological laws of the development of society and culture that operated everywhere.


Researchers of early traditional folklore turn to data from history and language. They conduct observations on the life and culture of ethnic groups that are delayed in their development, as well as on the remnants primitive culture in the folklore of civilized peoples. This approach is called retrospective.

Labor songs.

Labor activity played a huge role in the origin and development of folklore.

During labor processes, which required constant rhythmic efforts, labor songs arose already in ancient times. They are known among all nations and were performed during lifting weights, driving piles, plowing fields, drawing water, manually grinding grain, dressing flax, while rowing, etc. Such songs could be performed when working alone, but they were especially important when working together. The songs contained commands for simultaneous action. Their main element was rhythm, which organized the labor process.

In Russian folklore, echoes of ancient work songs have been preserved and have reached our time, without losing their productive functions. These are the so-called “dubinushki” - choruses in burlatsky songs performed on the Kama, Don and especially on the Volga. They were sung by barge haulers, porters, boatmen, and loaders. Depending on the type of work and its rhythm, a rhythmic pattern of the chorus was created.

Fortune telling. Conspiracies.

Signs, fortune telling, witchcraft, and conspiracies are known among all nations. They are based on a mythical perception of the world, which gave the environment a special, hidden meaning. In ancient times, they were based on figurative, metaphorical thinking, assimilation by analogies. The persistence of these phenomena is amazing: superstition and witchcraft, especially in a modernized guise, still exist today.

Divination- a means of recognizing the future. The fortuneteller does not try to influence the natural course of events, but only strives to penetrate hidden secrets. To recognize the future, one had to turn to evil spirits, so fortune telling was perceived as a sinful and dangerous activity (for example, fortune tellers took off their crosses).

For fortune-telling, places were chosen where, according to the people, it was possible to come into contact with the inhabitants of the “other world” (crossroads, bathhouse, cemetery, etc.), as well as the time of day at which this contact was most likely (evening , midnight, until the first rooster). Nevertheless, Christian images also penetrated into fortune telling.

In fortune-telling, people sought to get an answer to one or another important question for them: about health, about the harvest and offspring of livestock, about the fate of those who had gone to war... The most numerous were the fortune-telling of girls about their upcoming marriage.

Most developed in artistically there were holy day fortune-telling - collective fortune-telling about the future. The symbolism of special sub-dish songs played a primary role in them.

The name "podblyudnye" comes from a type of fortune telling. Having gathered in a hut, the participants (most often girls) took a dish (bowl), put rings or other small objects in it, taking off themselves, poured water into the dish and covered it with a scarf. (A version of this ritual without water is also known.)

The choir sang songs - poetic predictions, and someone, without looking, took out the objects placed there from the dish. First they gave honor to the bread and only then sang other songs. They could portend wealth, wedding, continuation of girlhood, misfortune, death. Whose item was taken out, the prediction related to that. The number of songs depended on the number of fortune tellers.

Russians Christmas fortune telling on chickens.1858. Lubok

CONSPIRACY(or spell) is a work of a magical nature, pronounced with the aim of influencing the surrounding world, its phenomena and objects, in order to obtain the desired result. Conspiracies - component witchcraft. The pronouncing of a conspiracy was often accompanied by actions with water, fire, various objects, etc., as well as the sign of the cross. When pronouncing healing spells (for example, in a bath), the patient was given infusions of medicinal herbs, spat on, massage, and elements of hypnosis were used.

Conspiracies were passed down from eldest to youngest, often through relatives. There was a belief that sorcerers had to get rid of their knowledge before death and that they could do this by deception (for this they only had to touch another person).

They also believed that the text of the conspiracy could not be changed, otherwise its power would weaken. Therefore, without relying on memory, conspiracies were written down in notebooks. There was even a written form of their everyday life. However, despite this, conspiracies, like any folklore phenomenon, were subject to variability.

Classic folklore- a rich system of developed, artistically valuable genres. It functioned productively for centuries and was closely connected with feudal life and the patriarchal consciousness of the people.

Works of classical folklore are usually divided into ritual and non-ritual.

Ritual folklore consisted of verbal, musical, dramatic, game, and choreographic genres that were part of traditional folk rituals.

Non-ritual folklore.

In oral prose there are two large sections: fairy tales And non-fairy prose. The basis for their distinction is the different attitude of the people themselves towards fairy tales as fiction and “events” as truth. From the point of view of the people, fairy tales have no other purpose than to act on fantasy. They amaze, surprise, delight, and are interesting with their unusual humorous situations.

Tradition is a story about the past, sometimes very distant. Tradition depicts reality in everyday forms, although fiction and sometimes even fantasy are always used. The main purpose of legends is to preserve the memory of national history. Traditions began to be written down before many folklore genres, as they were an important source for chroniclers. IN large quantities legends exist in oral tradition even today.

Traditions are an “oral chronicle,” a genre of non-fairy tale prose with an emphasis on historical authenticity. The word “delivery” itself means “transfer, preserve.” Legends are characterized by references to old people and ancestors. The events of the legends are centered around historical figures, which regardless of their social status(be it a king or a leader peasant uprising) appear most often in an ideal light.

Any legend is historical at its core, because the impetus for its creation is always a genuine fact: a war with foreign invaders, a peasant revolt, large-scale construction, a crowning of the kingdom, etc. At the same time, legend is not identical to reality. How folk genre it has the right to fiction, offers his own interpretation of the story. Plot fiction arises on the basis historical fact(for example, after the hero of the legend has been at a given point). Fiction does not contradict historical truth, but, on the contrary, contributes to its identification.

Legends- This prose works, in which events associated with the phenomena of inanimate nature, with the world of plants, animals, and people (tribes, peoples, individuals) are fantastically comprehended; with supernatural beings (God, saints, angels, unclean spirits ). The main functions of legends are explanatory and moralizing. Legends are associated with Christian ideas, but they also have a pagan basis. In legends, man turns out to be immeasurably higher than evil spirits .

Folk demonological stories- These are superstitious narratives associated with characters from the category of lower mythology.

The pagan worldview of peasants in the mid-19th century. captured by I. A. Goncharov. He wrote: “In Oblomovka they believed everything: werewolves and the dead. If they were told that a haystack was walking across the field, they would not think twice and believe it; would anyone miss the rumor that this was not a ram, but what something else, or that such and such Marfa or Stepanida is a witch, they will be afraid of both the ram and Martha: it will not even occur to them to ask why the ram became not a ram, and Martha became a witch, and they will even attack him “Whoever would think to doubt this, the belief in the miraculous is so strong in Oblomovka!”

In science, demonological stories were first called blades of epic. - those. short stories about goblins, brownies, devils and devils, half-believers, sorcerers - in a word, about representatives of dark, evil spirits.

Demonological stories are addressed to the present, what happened in them is incredible, the narrator experiences a feeling of fear. the main objective, pursued by a story or an old story, - to convince listeners of the truth of what is being communicated, to emotionally influence them, to instill fear of a demonic creature. The plots of tales and tales are usually small in size and single-motive. The characters are a human and a demonic creature. The devil (devil) was very popular - a universal image denoting any “evil spirit”. Various characters bylichek could be called devils.

The time, place of the event, and the image of the demonic creature (its portrait and behavior) are characteristic. Demons appear at the “unclean”, borderline times of the year and day: at Christmas time, on Kupala night, at noon, at midnight, before dawn, after sunset. Everything happens at dusk, in the dark night, in the fog, in the light of the moon...

A person meets them where they are: as a rule, in deserted and dangerous places. These are wastelands, forest wilds, swamps; intersections and points of deserted roads; caves, pits, reservoirs, especially whirlpools (for example, near mills), whirlpools; wells, even vessels with water. Demons live in trees (birches and willows, in hazel); in undergrounds and attics, in abandoned houses, in bathhouses, barns, barns; and even in the hut - under the stove or behind it.

Epics- these are epic songs in which heroic events or individual episodes of ancient Russian history are sung. In their original form, epics took shape and developed during the period of early Russian statehood (in Kievan Rus), expressing the national consciousness of the Eastern Slavs. (about Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, Vladimir Monomakh, Dobrynya, Sadko, Alexander Popovich, Ilya Muromets, etc.)

Historical songs- these are folk epic, lyric-epic and lyrical songs, the content of which is dedicated to specific events and real persons of Russian history and expresses the national interests and ideals of the people. They arose in connection with important phenomena in the history of the people - those that made a deep impression on the participants and were preserved in the memory of subsequent generations. (Songs about Ivan the Terrible, about the “Time of Troubles”, about Stepan Razin, about Peter’s time, about the Pugachev uprising, about Patriotic War 1812)

Folk ballads- these are lyric-epic songs about a tragic event. Ballads are characterized by personal, family and everyday themes. The ideological orientation of ballads is associated with folk humanistic morality. At the center of the ballads are moral problems: love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal, crime and repentance.

Late traditional folklore is a collection of works of different genres and various directions, created in peasant, urban, soldier, worker and other environments since the beginning of the development of industry, the growth of cities, and the collapse of the feudal countryside.

Late traditional folklore is characterized by a smaller number of works and a generally lower artistic level compared to classical folklore - a rich, developed, centuries-old culture, generated by feudal life and a patriarchal worldview.

Late traditional folklore is distinguished by a complex interweaving of the new with the old. In the village repertoire there was a transformation of classical genres, which began to be influenced by literary poetics. Proverbs and sayings, anecdotal tales, folk songs of literary origin, and children's folklore have shown their viability.

The ancient lingering song was greatly supplanted by the city's "cruel romances", as well as quickly and widely spreading ditty. At the same time, epics, old historical songs, old ballads and spiritual poems were gradually forgotten, fairy tales. Folk rituals and the poetry that accompanied them over time lost their utilitarian-magical meaning, especially in urban conditions.

From the end of the 18th century. in Russia, the first state-owned factories and serf-owned manufactories appeared, in which civilian workers from impoverished peasants, convicts, passportless vagabonds, etc. worked. In this motley environment, works arose that laid the foundation for a new phenomenon - workers' folklore. As capitalism developed and the proletariat grew, the topics expanded and the number of works increased oral creativity workers, which was characterized by the influence of book poetry.

The emergence of the working class, a layer of artisans, led to the formation of a new branch in folklore, which over time becomes a noticeable and specific phenomenon.

From peasant folklore, this creativity inherited the most democratic, socially, morally and aesthetically valuable traditions, experience, forms, and repertoire that meet the spirit of the time and the needs of “its” class.

Their critical rethinking took place taking into account the needs of the working class and its situation, as can be seen in the example of Russian folk songs that existed in Russia in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries.

At the first stage, the emerging songs of the workers were nourished by the traditions of the peasants. folk songs social protest, songs of literary origin, Decembrist, populist songs. Peasant songs often served as the basis for the creation of highly social songs of workers.

The work song and urban romance, which by that time had formed into an independent branch of creativity, began to actively spread among the peasants, in turn influencing the development of new forms of peasant folklore.

The acquisition of workers' folklore of its own original shape, the borrowing of various elements from other spheres of creativity and their processing is a process full of drama. It involves both the denial of peasant folklore and, in a certain sense, its genre reworking, updating, and simplification.

The destruction of the patriarchal way of life, which began especially violently in the second half of the 19th century V. - since the abolition of serfdom and the capitalization of Russia, it has fundamentally changed the situation in traditional creativity. Folklore gradually moved to other positions in the cultural environment. 20th century folklore is just one paradigm cultural development with all that follows from here dramatic changes the foundations of its existence.