The Ballad of the walled-up wife: notes about its structure and semantics
Main Article Content
Abstract
The ballad about the walled-up wife has attracted the interest of folklori
sts since last Century and a number of studies and articles and two monographs
have been devoted to it. A new investigation is needed, however, which
would take intő account the numerous recent recordings, as well as the new
methods used in folklore study. The present article aims to prove the need for
such an investigation and contributes towards it in some measure. In the
course of the research, 180 Bulgárián variants were analysed in detail. The
material was collected in the period 1970-81, and all the texts were subjected
to structural analysis.
The article reached the conclusion that the deep semantics of the song
come from “the rites of passage” which use “the construction code” to express
their basic content, and, more specifically, from the complex of the rites and
beliefs relating to marriage and thè delivery of the first child.
sts since last Century and a number of studies and articles and two monographs
have been devoted to it. A new investigation is needed, however, which
would take intő account the numerous recent recordings, as well as the new
methods used in folklore study. The present article aims to prove the need for
such an investigation and contributes towards it in some measure. In the
course of the research, 180 Bulgárián variants were analysed in detail. The
material was collected in the period 1970-81, and all the texts were subjected
to structural analysis.
The article reached the conclusion that the deep semantics of the song
come from “the rites of passage” which use “the construction code” to express
their basic content, and, more specifically, from the complex of the rites and
beliefs relating to marriage and thè delivery of the first child.
Article Details
Issue
Section
Articles