The Anthropology of Wisdom Literature

by Wanda Ostrowska Kaufmann and H.W Kaufmann

This unusual book examines definitions of the fable, apologue, parable, moral tale, etc. It then proposes the use of the term exemplum, used by medieval scribes, to define all types of wisdom narratives. It makes a cross-cultural structural analysis of the exemplum and identifies its tripartite structure composed of the promythium, the nucleus, and the epimythium. The book ends with an analysis of the reasons why grown men spent so much time writing...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0897894723
• ISBN13: 9780897894722
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"