The theme of folklore in Russian literature is unusually diverse, there are numerous genres and types of folklore. All of them were formed gradually, as a result of the life and creative activity of the people, manifested over several hundred years. Currently, there are specific types of folklore in the literature. Oral folk art is that unique layer of knowledge on the basis of which thousands of classical works were built.
Interpretation of the term
Folklore is oral folk art, endowed with ideological depth, highly artistic qualities, it includes all poetic, prosaic genres, customs and traditions, accompanied by verbal art. Folklore genres are classified in different ways, but basically there are several genre groups:
- Labor songs - formed in the process of work, for example, sowing, plowing, haying. They are a variety of cries, signals, tunes, parting words, songs.
- Calendar folklore - conspiracies, signs.
- Wedding folklore.
- Funeral lamentations, recruiting laments.
- Non-ritual folklore is small folklore genres, proverbs, fables, signs and sayings.
- Oral prose - traditions, legends, tales and former realities.
- Children`s folklore - petals, nursery rhymes, lullabies.
- Song epic (heroic) - epics, poems, songs (historical, military, spiritual).
- Artistic work - magical, everyday tales and tales of animals, ballads, romances, ditties.
- Folklore theater - rake, nativity scene, caricatures, performances with dolls.
Consider the most common types of folklore in more detail.
Labor songs
This is a song genre, the hallmark of which is the obligatory accompaniment of the labor process. Labor songs are a way of organizing collective, social work, setting the rhythm with a simple melody and text. For example: “Wow, we’ll pull together to make it more fun.” Such songs helped to start and finish the work, rallied the working squad and were spiritual assistants in the hard physical labor of the people.
Calendar folklore
This type of oral folk art belongs to the ritual traditions of the calendar cycle. The life of a peasant working on land is inextricably linked to weather conditions. That is why a huge number of ceremonies appeared that were performed to attract good luck, prosperity, a large offspring of cattle, successful farming, etc. Christmas, Shrovetide, Easter, Epiphany and Trinity were considered the most revered calendar holidays. Each celebration was accompanied by songs, cries, conspiracies and ritual actions. Let us recall the famous custom of singing Kolyada songs on the night before Christmas: “A cold is not a problem, Kolyada is knocking on the house. Christmas is coming into the house, it brings a lot of joy. ”
Wedding folklore
Each individual place had its own types of folklore, but mostly it was lamentations, sentences and songs. Wedding folklore includes song genres that accompanied three main rituals: matchmaking, farewell of parents to the bride, and wedding celebration. For example: “Your product, our merchant, is just a miracle well done!” The ritual of passing the bride to the groom was very colorful and was always accompanied by both long and short cheerful songs. At the wedding, the songs did not stop, they mourned a single life, wished love and family well-being.
Non-Ritual Folklore (small genres)
This group of oral folk art includes all types of small genres of folklore. However, this classification is ambiguous. For example, many of the species relate to children's folklore, such as cudgels, lullabies, riddles, nursery rhymes, teasers, etc. Moreover, some researchers divide all the folklore genres into two groups: calendar-ritual and non-ritual.
Consider the most popular types of small genres of folklore.
A proverb is a rhythmic expression, a wise saying that carries a generalized thought and has a conclusion.
Signs - a short verse or expression telling about those signs that will help to predict natural phenomena, weather.
A proverb is a phrase, often with a humorous bias, illuminating the phenomenon of life, the situation.
The sentence is a small verse-appeal to natural phenomena, living beings, surrounding objects.
Patter - a small phrase, often rhymed, with words difficult to pronounce, designed to improve diction.
Oral prose
The following types of Russian folklore belong to oral prose.
Traditions - a story about historical events in folk retelling. The heroes of legend are mythical and epic heroes, warriors, kings, riches, etc.
Legends - myths, epic stories of heroic deeds, people fanned with honors and glory, as a rule, this genre is endowed with pathos.
Bylichki - small stories in which the hero is told about a meeting with some "evil spirits", real cases from the life of the narrator or his friends.
Byvalyshchina - a summary of what really happened once and with someone, while the narrator is not a witness
Children's folklore
This genre is represented by a variety of forms - poetic, song. Types of children's folklore - that which accompanied the child from birth to adulthood.
Petals are short poems or songs that accompany the very first days of a newborn. With the help of them they nursed and nurtured children, for example: "The nightingale sings, sings, pretty, but pretty."
Nursery Rhymes are small tune verses designed to play with kids.
Carrots
The mouth is a saying
Handles are grabbers
Feet walkers.
Bookmarks - poetic, song appeals to nature, animals. For example: "Red summer, come, bring warm days."
Jokes - a small poem, a fairy tale, humming to a child, a short story about the world.
Lullabies are short songs that parents sing to their child at night for lulling.
Riddle - poetic or prosaic sentences requiring clues.
Other types of children's folklore are reading rooms, teasers and fables. They are extremely popular in our time.
Song epic
The heroic epic demonstrates the most ancient types of folklore, it tells about the events that happened once in song form.
Bylina is an old song, narrated in a solemn, but leisurely style. Glorifies folk heroes, heroes and narrates about their heroic deeds for the good of the state, Russian fatherland. For example, epics about Dobryn Nikitych, Volga Buslaivaich and others.
Historical songs are a kind of transformation of the epic genre, where the style of presentation is less eloquent, but the poetic form of the narrative is preserved. For example, "Song of the Prophetic Oleg."
Art
This group includes epic and song genres created in the spirit of folk art.
A tale is a short or long epic narrative, one of the most common genres of oral folk art about fictional events, heroes. All this is folklore, the types of fairy tales found in it are as follows: magical, everyday and fairy tales about animals. Tales reflect those ideas about the world, good, evil, life, death, nature, which existed in the folk environment. For example, good always conquers evil, and miraculous mythical creatures exist in the world.
Ballads - poetic songs, a genre of song and music.
Jokes are a special kind of epic story about comic situations in people's lives. Originally did not exist in the form in which we know them. These were stories completed within the meaning.
Non-fables are a short narrative of impossible, unbelievable events, something that was fiction from beginning to end.
The ditty is a small song, usually a quatrain with a humorous content, telling about events, casual situations.
