Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

G. Widengren. "Oral Tradition and Written Literature among the Hebrews in the Light of Arabic Evidence, with Special Regard to Prose Narratives." Acta Orientalia, 23:201-62.

Argues for the interplay between oral and written traditions in the creation and transmission of Hebrew, Arabic, Sumerian (Gilgamesh), and Ugaritic material. Includes a lengthy review of the controversy over oral tradition and Biblical texts to date. Proposes that the role of oral transmission varied from one form to the next, that is, that it was genre-dependent. Offers specific comparisons between HB and AR literatures. Somewhat primitive concept of oral tradition.
Area: BI, HB, AR, SU, UG, CP