Types of the Folktale in the Arab World: A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index Review

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Types of the Folktale in the Arab World: A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index ReviewProfessor Hasan El-Shamy's exhaustive historic-geographic survey of folktales from all over the Arab world is one of those scholarly works that leaves the rest of us dilettantes astonished and tired just from considering the sheer effort involved in compiling, writing, double-checking, cross-referencing, and perfecting such a massive tome. Happily, the finished product is hardly tiring or boring to read.
Dr. El-Shamy is generally acknowledged to be an expert -- if not *the* expert -- when it comes to Arab folk culture, particularly folk narrative. A disciple of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson's historic-geographic approach to folk stories, El-Shamy is interested in how these stories travel and change throughout the Arab world and beyond, and why. An additional intellectual focusing lens is that of psychology; El-Shamy is one of the few folklorists working today to relate folk cultural expression to the findings of behavioral psychologists concerning motivation, learning, and enculturation.
Despite these impressive aims, Doctor El-Shamy's writing style is never less than clear: he writes with an elegant, lucid concision that many native speakers of English would do well to imitate. Although a great deal of this publication is essentially a monumental reference work, El-Shamy's introductory matter and commentary are always worth reading.
In short, if you are interested in Arab folklore, or in folktales considered generically, you need this book. It sets a standard unlikely to be met or exceeded for a very long time indeed.
(Disclaimer: I was Dr. El-Shamy's student in the mid 1990s, but we have not spoken in many years, and I derive no material benefit from raving about his work. On the other hand, I consider myself well situated to comment on exactly what a labor of love this volume is, because I knew him while he was writing it, a process that usually involved rising at two or three a.m. every morning so that the good doctor could focus on his tasks without interruption. He can justifiably take enormous pride in the result of his nightly efforts. As for me, pride in and admiration for his work are my sole motives in writing this review.)Types of the Folktale in the Arab World: A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index OverviewTypes of the Folktale in the Arab World is an index and preliminaryanalysis of folktales told by the diverse ethnic groups that populate what iscommonly called "the Arab World." It is also a comprehensive andinterdisciplinary guide to tales told in related cultural spheres, from sub-SaharanAfrica to Turkey and beyond. A folktale's emergence, spread, stability, change,continued presence, or disappearance among certain social groups depends on specificpsychological, social, and cultural forces. While Hasan El-Shamy has adopted thefamiliar tale-type classification system employed by Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson,he also seeks to remedy the Eurocentric shortcomings of their system by addressingfolklore as behavior, striving to bring the psychosocial foundation for the Arabrenditions to this comprehensive and inclusive index. Types of the Folktale in theArab World is destined to become an indispensable reference work for all who areinterested in Arab culture and the folktale.

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