Introduction À la Poésie Orale

Book excerpt: In his comprehensive treatment, Zumthor (emeritus, U. of Montreal) discusses general issues concerning oral poetry, from primary to mechanized orality (including the setting of text to music); the forms of oral poetry; the epic in the West, Africa, and other parts of the globe; the oral poet's texte; performance in its manifold styles across the world; roles played in oral poetry; and oral ritual actions from archaic times to the present--Homer to Bob Dylan. Translated from the first French edition of 1983. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR