<p> This thesis is the result of my work with the Military Nature-Centered community. The first thing is does it examine some of the distinctive features of the population, such as its history, sense of community, magical consciousness. It then presents the military Nature-Centered community as an emergent tradition.</p>

The collection and study of the traditional prose narrative, or folktale, in Grady County, Georgia, turns on the premise that the entire artistic act--the performer, the tale, and the audience--should be studied in the context of the locale where the storytelling tradition survives. To provide a more composite vision of the whole storytelling continuum, therefore, this study utilizes several methodologies in analyzing the fifty tales collected by this author: the older comparative or historical method juxtaposed with the newer functional and contextual approaches. The purposes of the study are three-fold: (1) to present the folktale in larger perspective by tracing the evolution of the term "folklore" and by differentiating between the folktale and other types of prose narratives, (2) to collect and annotate folktales in Grady County, Georgia, and (3) to focus analytically upon a few of the tales, illustrating their linkage to both American and European traditions and their adherence to certain universal laws or combinations of laws in the storytelling process. The study consists of three formal parts or divisions. Part One, "Background for the Study," reviews various concepts of folklore by studying the metaphorical language used by folklorists; draws distinctions among three types of prose narratives--myth, legend, and folktale; establishes the subtypes of the fictional prose narrative and portrays graphically the predominant types found in the county; and gives historical perspective on Grady County. Part Two, "The Collection and Annotation of Grady County Folktales," comprises the core of the study. The first two chapters in this division deal with the methodologies used in collecting the tales and with the storytellers themselves. The study concentrates upon only white informants who are long-time residents of Grady County and whose heritage is rooted in the South, especially Southwest Georgia. The last chapter in the division contains the fifty Georgia tales, extensively annotated in headnotes preceding the tales. The stories are presented with very little editing so as to preserve textural accuracy and are classified according to type and motif wherever possible. Beyond the assignment of types and motifs, however, a modified comparative study is made of each tale utilizing obtainable variants from North America and England. The distribution of each tale is given in note entries in the back of the study rather than using headnotes for this information. Part Three, "Analytical Studies of Selected Grady County Folktales," accents three areas of folklore scholarship in its concentration on theoretical studies--function, form, and performance. The first chapter in this division analyzes the function of the folktale in Grady County, especially in the first half of the twentieth century. As the county is predominantly an agricultural community, most of the tales come from and reflect the rural area. The next chapter addresses the concept of form in the folktale, dealing with the following concerns: the relatively constant elements in one Georgia folktale, applying to the tale Axel Olrick's "Epic Laws of Folk Narrative," and the structural and stylistic changes which occur when the tale is transmitted through both oral and printed sources and through varying milieus. The final chapter explores another aspect of the storytelling continuum, the oral style of the narrator. The discussion centers around the artistic act, the performance of the great storyteller, by analyzing the repertories and style of two outstanding Grady County narrators. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0755. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5539. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 33-05, Section: A, page: 2262. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1972.

This thesis is about the vernacular use of occupational narratives by selected older Newfoundland men to define masculinity and culture within their specific trades and perhaps by extension within the general population of older men who live on the island portion of Newfoundland. It begins with an introduction to selected academic and popular ideas about masculinity, how it is created, developed, maintained, and defined specifically by older male Newfoundlander who have decided to continue to live in Newfoundland. To create a context for the research I have included a survey of Newfoundland occupational and cultural masculinity as seen in selected books. The men that I interviewed are introduced with some family background and work history followed by a discussion of my informants' performance of masculinity during the interviews, applying a performance-centred theoretical analysis and placing the findings on an "Identity Ordeal Cycle." Culturally-specific occupational-language was important to my research so a discussion is included of the term "good man" as used in Newfoundland by older Newfoundland men, specifically my informants within their occupationally past, as it pertains to masculinity and dependability within the older sea-based male-dominated trades of Newfoundland.

The life and art of Bill John Roth offer a paradox to the study of folklore and folk art. The personal and public nature of Bill's art is exemplified through his mural Geographic Hieroglyphics In God's Own Handwriting. On the surface the art and artist are seemingly detached from the community, but upon closer investigation this is not the case. I have explored the notion of "outsider" art, the problems associated with artistic interpretation and the difficulties of labelling artists according to academic and elitist standards. Thus the contextual background of the artist and community are important aspects of this study and of any study concerned with the nature and process of creativity. The final product is not the only standard by which folk art should be judged. The ideas and thought processes behind the objects are what really contribute to the nature of the finished product. The purpose of this thesis is to use Bill's art as an example of the complexity involving the conflict between individual creativity and community tradition. Is this solely the artwork of an individual artist or work that represents involvement in the community? Through observation, analysis, tape-recorded interviews and public performances of identity, I have concluded that Bill's art is a product of community involvement. While his work challenges the traditional notions of folk art, it is contextually folkloric in nature.

Narratives of Cancer Survivors in Religions Life is a careful consideration of the narratives of cancer survivors, specifically those in Catholic religious life. Through the use of interviews and secondary sources, the author addresses such issues as relationship with God, stigmatization, community life, Parson's Sick Role, and labeling theories. This thesis also considers the perceived audience during the performance of narratives, specifically, if cancer survivors in religious life perceive God to be a part of their audience and looks at the structure of narratives concerning cancer survivorship.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the use of folktales in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 award-winning musical Into the Woods. In doing so, I hope to accomplish several directives. First, to enrich understanding of the musical for all audience members, especially those with a folklore or theater background. I feel that understanding the underlying goals and standards that Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine used in creating the musical will provide a much deeper understanding of the genius of their work. I also aim clearly elucidate the merger of folk narrative and popular musical theater form in this innovative musical. My hope is that analyses such as this will encourage a greater exploration of the strong reciprocal relationship between folklore and theater. Into the Woods is based upon four traditional folktales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk. A very brief synopsis of the plot runs as follows: Cinderella, Jack, and Little Red all wish for something, and must go into the woods to get it. Rapunzel, heroine of the fourth tale, already lives in the woods with the Witch, though she wishes to see the world. Added to these tales is the central tale created by Lapine, based on the first section of Rapunzel's tale—the Baker turns out to be Rapunzel's older brother, whom their parents had before the Witch acquired Rapunzel. The Baker and his Wife wish to have a child; only when the Witch visits them do they learn that they have not been able to have a child because when the Witch came to collect Rapunzel, she also curse the Baker's family. When the Witch appears she explains to the Baker how to reverse the curse. The Baker must collect: 1) the cow as white as milk; 2) the cape as red as blood; 3) the hair as yellow as corn; 4) the slipper as pure as gold, all of which belong to one of the traditional folktale characters, before the end of the third midnight. Act One is comprised of the Baker and his wife searching for these items as the other four tales play themselves out according to Grimms' version they are based upon. Act Two begins after "Happily Ever After" and attempts to bring the characters back into real life. Rapunzel has psychological problems; the Princes' eyes stray elsewhere; Jack is bored; and Little Red Riding Hood has become violent. By the end of Act Two, almost every character besides Jack, Little Red, Cinderella, and the Baker have died, due to the fact that the wife of Jack's Giant has come to seek revenge for her husband's death. In Act Two, these four main characters learn to take responsibility for the selfish actions they committed while pursuing their wish in Act One. In the process, they mature psychologically and become part of a cohesive group, learning to work together for a common cause and realizing that everything everyone does effects everyone else in some way. No one is alone. My thesis begins with a chapter on the history of folktale scholarship. Chapter Two gives biographies of Sondheim and Lapine, and discusses the history of the American musical comedy in order to put them and this musical into a theater context as well. Chapter Three summarizes the plot in detail and compares the Broadway and London productions of the show, including reviews of the musical soon after it came out. Chapter Four analyzes Into The Woods in terms of the theories of Vladimir Propp, and compares Sondheim and Lapine's versions of the stories to the Grimms versions (using Jack Zipes' translation) and Joseph Jacobs, from whom they drew their version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Chapter Five does the same thing using the scholarship of Axel Olrik and Max Luthi. Chapter Six explores Sondheim and Lapine's intentions behind the themes in the musical, focusing on the works of Bruno Bettelheim and Erich Fromm. In researching fairy tales for their musical, Sondheim and Lapine read several analyses by folklorists and psychologists. They drew mainly from non-folkloristic sources in creating their interpretations. They critiqued Bettelheim's as well as the Jungians' interpretations of the tales. As Lapine states, "Once we decided on choosing the stories, then the obvious thing was to have a point of view about them" (1991:3). They also drew from the works of Erich Fromm, a Neo-Freudian who primarily focused on the relationship between society and the individual and between individuals.

In this thesis, I examine the relationship between folklore and nationalism in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Germany. More specifically, I focus on how the Nazis used folklore and the work of folklorists in their propaganda. The first chapter documents the development of nationalism and the creation of the discipline of folklore based on the theories of Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803) and Wilhelm Riehl (1823-1897). Herder wanted the Germans to rediscover their national heritage through folklore materials, and Riehl argued that folklore and folklorists should serve the Fatherland. In the 1930s, the Nazi Party used the discipline of folklore as a tool for their cultural policies and ideological education because the discipline had such close associations with nationalism and anti-Semitism. In Chapter Two, I trace the development of the National Socialist ideology from the conservative revolution and the Volkisch movements of the nineteenth century. National Socialism was akin to a religion and in Chapter Three, I document the careers of two of its "priests": Alfred Rosenberg, the philosopher of the NSDAP, and Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS. Both men created folklore organizations and employed folklorists to support the Nazi ideology. In Chapter Four, I analyze the festival theory of two folklorists employed by Rosenberg and then examine the Nazi festival calendar, which was based on both traditional holidays and the new celebrations of the Nazi Party. The annual Reichsparteitag (Reich Party Day), held in 1923, 1926, 1927, 1929, and then from 1933 to 1938, was the most important holiday on the Nazi calendar and I analyze it as a folk festival in Chapter Five, using the theories of Victor Turner, Alessandro Falassi, and Barbara Myerhoff. In addition, I use the theories of John Dorst concerning ethnography in a postmodern society and performance folkloristics to analyze the verbal art and performances at the rallies. Finally, I conclude with an overview of how German Volkskunde has changed after the Nazi era and discuss how the issue of folklore and ideology in Germany relates to the American discipline of folklore with a brief look at American festivals like the White Top Music Festival in Virginia (1931-1939) and the current Festival of American Folklife in Washington D.C. Three themes inform this analysis: 1.) Both folklore studies and National Socialism have a common background in the issues of the nineteenth century: nationalism, irrationalism, and the notion that Germany was a nation with a special destiny; 2.) The Nazi Party was unique in comparison with other political organizations because it made such conscious use of folklore materials. The Nazis' active use of folklore in all of its forms attracted ordinary Germans who had suffered great losses in the First World War, felt threatened by the radical modernity of the Weimar Republic, suffered through the Depression, and wanted to feel good about their nation again; and 3.) By examining specific issues like folklore and festivals, we can gain a deeper understanding of why Germans accepted Adolf Hitler and National Socialism.

In this thesis I examine why and how the focus on aesthetic expression and the avoidance of making certain types of value judgments have shaped the discipline of folklore. In the first chapter I look briefly at some of the major figures and themes in our history in order to ascertain how we arrived at the perspective from which we now work. In Chapter Two I explore and critically examine the limited examples of North American folklore scholarship that examines "dysfunctional" folklore. In Chapter Three I consider the study of belief as an example of an area of folklore scholarship that has considered the consequences of ideas such as objectivity and neutrality, belief and disbelief, yet suggest that the discourse on approaches to the study of belief must continue because of the existence of belief-related practices which suggest that there may be instances in which value judgments are called for. In Chapter Four I discuss folklorists' recent acknowledgment in the last two decades that all that we do and have ever done has political implications. Yet, so far, folklorists have for the most part avoided investigation into the role of folklore in the enculturation of ideology, particularly ideologies that may be injurious to certain members of society. In Chapter Five I tie together the many themes that I have developed throughout this thesis and discuss the implications of our current model of folkloristics, a paradigm of celebration. In so doing, following the suggestions of feminist folklorists who have come before me, I present an example of how folklore serves to benefit from feminist theory. The central purpose of this thesis is to challenge folklorists to begin to move beyond celebration and consider the traditional nature of oppressive ideologies. Folklorists have the training and skills needed to deconstruct the transmission of traditions of dominance; our challenge, therefore, lies in the formulation of appropriate methods for doing so.