A world of others' words : cross-cultural perspectives on intertextuality

Drawing on his work in Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, North America, Ghana, and Fiji, linguistic anthropologist and folklorist Richard Bauman presents a series of ethnographic case studies that offer a sparkling look at intertextuality as communicative practice. A fascinating perspective on intertextuality: the idea that written and spoken texts speak to one another, e.g. through genre or allusions. Presents a series of ethnographic case studies to illustrate the topic. Draws on a broad range of oral performances and literary records from across the world. The author's introduction sets a framework for the analysis of genre, perform and intertextuality. Shows how performers blend genres, e.g., telling stories about riddles or legends about magical verses, or constructing sales pitches. Drawing On A Broad Range Of Oral Performances And Literary Records From Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, North America, Ghana, And Fiji, Linguistic Anthropologist And Folklorist Richard Bauman Presents A Series Of Ethnographic Case Studies That Offer An Innovative And Illuminating Look At Intertextuality As Communicative Practice. Bauman Uses His Introduction To Lay A Framework For The Analysis Of Genre, Performance, And Intertextuality As Discursive Accomplishments. He Goes On To Examine The Ways That Performers Blend Genres And Then Explores How They Manage Intertextual Links Or Gaps By Aligning Texts In Discursive Practice. Finally, Bauman Draws Together These Threads And Turns His Insights To A Critical Consideration Of Ethnographic Practice Itself, Bringing Into Reflexive Awareness The Ways That Ethnography Positions Us In A World Of Others' Words. Introduction : Genre, Performance, And The Production Of Intertextuality -- And The Verse Is Thus : Icelandic Stories About Magical Poems -- I'll Give You Three Guesses : The Dynamics Of Genre In The Riddle Tale -- What Shall We Give You? : Calibrations Of Genre In A Mexican Market -- Bell, You Get The Spotted Pup : First Person Narratives Of A Texas Storyteller -- That I Can't Tell You : Negotiating Performance With A Nova Scotia Fisherman -- Go, My Reciter, Recite My Words : Mediation, Tradition, Authority -- Epilogue. Richard Bauman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [163]-177) And Index. The relationship of texts to other texts has been an abiding concern of literary theorists since classical antiquity, certainly since Aristotle speculated on the potential shape of tragedies based on the Iliad and the Odyssey as against other relations of the fall of Troy and its aftermath (Poetics xviii.4, xxiii). "Drawing on a broad range of oral performances and literary records from Iceland, Scotland, North America, Ghana, and Fiji, linguistic anthropologist and folklorist Richard Bauman presents an series of ethnographic case studies that offer a look at intertextuality as communicative practice."--Jacket