Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Bruce A. Rosenberg. "Folktale Morphology and the Structure of Beowulf: A Counterproposal." Journal of the Folklore Institute, 11:199-209.

Challenges D. Barnes' (1970) application of Proppian morphological analysis to Beowulf on the ground that the poem is not a folktale but (as it stands) a literary work. Argues against Barnes' claim that such analysis is exclusive in discovering truths otherwise unattainable and that Unferth must be a "donor" figure.
Area: OE, FK, CP