Scholarly Critique 2

8/19/2019 Scholarly Critique 2

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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories '

/ne o0 the literar# enres 1ost o0ten asso"iated with "hildren is that o0 0air# tales

and 0olklore2 I1aes o0 prin"esses- wit"hes- ores- and kins 0ill "hildren’s heads- and

these 0iures "o1e 0ro1 a 3ariet# o0 4a"krounds2 Enlish)speakin readers "an 0ind

stories a4out "hara"ters 0ro1 all o3er the world2 5hanks to translations and adaptations-

no stor# is too distant to 4e told2 Un0ortunatel#- retellin other "ultures’ stories o0ten

"hanes the oriinal 1eanins o0 the tales: hu1or ets lost- stereot#pes e1ere- and other

nuan"es do not translate2 &ets# Hearne e6plores the pro4le1ati" nature o0 translatin

0olktales in her arti"le 7Swappin 5ales and Stealin Stories: 5he Ethi"s o0 Folklore in

Children’s Literature8 9!,;2 5hese are all di00i"ult issues that are part o0 adaptin

0olklore 0or "hildren2

5o help 4alan"e out the ideas o0 stor# the0t and sharin stories a"ross "ultures-

Hearne introdu"es an idea that she "alls 7swappin28 In a 7swap-8 a new "ulture 1a# take

a stor# 0ro1 another "ulture and in?e"t the new roup’s 1eanin into the stor#2 I0 the#

share the stor# with the old "ulture while a"knowledin the stor#’s roots- Hearne arues

that this swap is a""epta4le2 Hearne’s "on"lusion that swappin is the solution to the the0t


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories @

o0 0olklore 0alls so1ewhat 0lat2 It sounds 1u"h too 1u"h like si1ple appropriation she

proposes no "he"ks or 4alan"es to di00erentiate swappin 0ro1 stealin2 5here is no wa#

to 0or"e readers to learn the "onte6t 0or a 0olktale2 Hearne’s ideas reardin swappin-

howe3er- "an 4e ad?usted to re0le"t a real need in the #outh literature enre: di3ersit#2

Hearne’s "on"ludin aru1ents 1a# not 4e satis0#in- 4ut her ideas "an 4e used to "reate

a 1ore use0ul s#ste1 o0 stor# sharin2

Hearne notes that a "entral issue in the world o0 0olklore is ownership2 5he issue

is 1ulti0a"eted- as she e6plains in her a4stra"t:

&e#ond the need to a"knowlede the stor#’s sour"e- espe"iall# i0 it is outside the

adaptor’s own "ulture- is the larer $uestion o0 who owns stories- spe"i0i"all#

0olktales- 4ut also Bstor#’ in a 4roader sense as 0olktales ser3e as a 4ride to

leend- personal narrati3e- oral histor#- histor#- and 0i"tion2 9Hearne- !,;

She e6poses an i1portant issue- 1ainl# that 0olktales are not a separate enre 0ro1 other

aspe"ts o0 literature 0olklore 4lends enres toether2 It "onne"ts histor# with 0i"tion as

well as "onne"tin people with their histor# and other "ultures2 4lurrin these lines-

the sharin o0 stories "onne"ts people to all 1ankind2 5his lo4al "onne"tion 1a# 4e a

4eauti0ul idea- 4ut it does not i3e readers a uni3ersal understandin o0 all "ultures2 A

reader’s ho1e "ulture will alwa#s in0luen"e how he or she reads a i3en te6t2 Hearne

e6plains this di00i"ult personal "onte6t in order to 1ake a ne"essar# point: e3er# reader

and resear"her’s personal "onte6t 7will ine3ita4l# 4e a silent su4te6t28


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories

Hearne introdu"es "o11on issues in the adaptation o0 0olklore- startin with

attri4ution and interpretation2 an# 0olktale adaptations 0ail to properl# "ite the oriins o0

their stories2 5ales adapted 0ro1 print 1aterial 1ust alwa#s 4e "ited- 4ut so too should

stories taken 0ro1 oral tradition2 As Hearne writes- not to do so 73iolates 4asi" 0olklore

and stor#tellin ethi"s28 Hearne i3es e6a1ples o0 ood and poor "itations o0 0olktales2 In

an in"o1plete attri4ution- Da3id Hearne’s e6a1ple o0 a ood "itation was 0ro1

a stor# 4# Ga#le Ross2 Ross in"ludes who told her the stor#- what the 0olk 0iure’s oriin

was- and what ele1ents o0 the stor# were new in3entions in the tellin2 5his

"onte6tuali=ation is rewardin to readers it tells the1 where the stor# "a1e 0ro1 9and

roots it in a spe"i0i" stor#teller’s rendition; as well as where it is headed with Ross’s own

in3entions2 Interestinl#- Ga#le Ross is a Nati3e A1eri"an author- and Da3id


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories .

/wnership is a 1a?or issue in the 0olklore "o11unit# parti"ularl# 4e"ause the

earliest 7"olle"tors8 o0 0olklore 7were usuall# 1en 0ro1 a "oloni=in power with a

histor# o0 oppressin the "ulture 4ein studied28 Hearne has alread# 1ade it "lear that

ea"h indi3idual’s personal "onte6t will 4e the 7silent8 4ias that 0ra1es how ea"h reader

per"ei3es an# i3en te6t2 5he 0a"t that 1en 0ro1 the do1inant "ulture were the ones

oriinall# "olle"tin 0olklore 4es the $uestion o0 how well the# "olle"ted it2 For

e6a1ple- the &rothers Gri11 did not do their due dilien"e to "olle"t 7the Bpure’ 3oi"e o0

the Ger1an people and to preser3e in print the ora"ular poetr# o0 the "o11on people8

95atar as "ited in Hint= 5ri4unella- '*!@;2 E3en thouh the# stated that their 1ission

was to sa3e the peasants’ 0olklore- the Gri11s instead spoke to a s1all sa1plin o0

1iddle)and)upper "lass wo1en2 5he# athered the ri"h people’s interpretations o0 the

stories rather than the oriinal peasant tales2 As Hint= and 5ri4unella note- the &rothers

Gri11 then went on to "hane the stories e3en 1ore in order to 1ake the1 "hild)

0riendl#2 5heir supposed pro?e"t and their a"tual produ"t were wildl# di00erent 9Hint=

5ri4unella- '*!@ Hearne- !,;2

Hearne does address the "ounterpoint that without "olle"tors- 1an# 0olktales

would 1ost likel# ha3e 4een lost2 7


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5he idea o0 0olklore re3ision is not new as Hint= and 5ri4unella write- it is a "o11on

wa# 0or 0air#tales to 4e shared and 1ade rele3ant 0or new enerations2 E3en so- how

1u"h "hane is a""epta4le> 9Hint= 5ri4unella- '*!@ Hearne- !,;

5he issue o0 poeti" li"ense- or aestheti"s- is also a 1a?or "on"ern in the 0olklore

0ield2 oeti" li"ense is a "on"ern dire"tl# opposed to ownership authors 0ihtin 0or the

rihts to artisti" 0reedo1 are aruin 0or the a4ilit# to tell an# stor# reardless o0 its

oriin2 Authors su"h as +ane Jolen arue that it would 4e "ri1inal to li1it authors to their

own "ultures 0or stor#tellin 1aterial: 7


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories (

stu"k in a 4o6 and endin up on Ireland’s shore2 /n"e released 0ro1 its "ontainer- Death

wipes out Ireland- and 1an# o0 the re1ainin Irish people 0lee to A1eri"a 9Neel#- as

"ited in Hearne- !,;2 Hearne points out an i1portant shi0t:

75he 0olktale suddenl# 4e"o1es personal narrati3e whi"h

shortl# "he"ks in so1ewhere 4etween personal 1#th and

0i"tion as we reshape it to 0it our "hanin needs and turn it

into 0a1il# histor#28 Hearne e6plains that 0olktales are

70le6i4le-8 and 7when a stor# 0its- we wear it2 Is this

thie3er#>8 5he Irish people re3ised the Swan aiden stor# to

re0le"t wh# the# had to lea3e their ho1e2 5he stor# 70it-8 so the Irish stor#tellers 7wore8

their new Swan aiden2 Hearne arues that sin"e 0olklore "onne"ts hu1ans to their

"ultural histor#- 0olktales are uni3ersall# owned2 5he# "onne"t people to people- "ultures

to "ultures2


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appli"a4le "an help round readers in a known tale and help the1 to "onne"t to new

ideas2 An e6a1ple o0 a power0ul stor# swap is the no3el Ash 4# alinda Lo2 It re3isits

the Cinderella tale t#pe 4ut in3ol3es a les4ian lo3e stor# instead o0 the traditional

heteronor1ati3e ro1an"e2 5his stor# swap allows non)heterose6ual readers a 4reak 0ro1

the heteronor1ati3it# "o11onl# 0ound in "hildren’s literature- 4rinin ri"hness to the

swap that other adaptations 1a# not2 Ga#- les4ian- 4ise6ual- transender- interse6- and

ase6ual #outh do not o0ten ha3e 1an# 4ooks where the# "an 0ind their own stories

re0le"ted2


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories !*

5houht0ul swappin pro3ides a power0ul pla"e 0or 1ore stories to 4e re0le"ted2

Utili=in an old 74a"k4one8 0or a new 7skin8 "an open the "anon to new 3oi"es2


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Folklore in Children’s Literature: Swappin and Stealin Stories !!

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Gar"ia "Call- G2 9'*!';2 Summer of the mariposas2 New Jork: 5u &ooks2

Hint=- C2- 5ri4unella- E2 L2 9'*!@; Reading children’s literature: A critical

introduction2 &oston M New Jork: &ed0ord M St2 artin’s2

Hearne- &2 9!,;2 Swappin tales and stealin stories: 5he ethi"s and aestheti"s o0

0olklore in "hildren’s literature2 Library Trends !" 9@;2

Lo- 2 9'**;2 Ash2 New Jork: Little- &rown &ooks 0or Joun Readers2

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Scholarly Critique 2

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