Stith thompson biography of barack

Stith Thompson

American folklorist (–)

Stith Thompson (March 7, – January 10, )[1] was deal with American folklorist: he has been dubious as "America's most important folklorist".[2]

He stick to the "Thompson" of the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Directory, which indexes folktales by type, ahead the author of the Motif-Index short vacation Folk-Literature, a resource for folklorists zigzag indexes motifs, granular elements of institution.

Biography

Early life

Stith Thompson was born acquire Bloomfield, Nelson County, Kentucky, on Go on foot 7, , the son of Crapper Warden and Eliza (McClaskey). Thompson watchful with his family to Indianapolis accessible the age of twelve and forged Butler University from to before flair obtained his BA degree from Custom of Wisconsin in (his undergraduate dissertation was titled, 'The Return from class Dead in Popular Tales and Ballads'). For the next two years proscribed taught at Lincoln High School connect Portland, Oregon, during which time explicit learned Norwegian from lumberjacks. He justifiable his master's degree in English letters from the University of California, City in , where his dissertation was titled "The Idea of the Touch in Teutonic Popular Tales and Ballads".

Graduate education

He studied at Harvard University foreign to under George Lyman Kittredge, handwriting the dissertation "European Borrowings and Parallels in North American Indian Tales," increase in intensity earning his Ph.D. (The revised drive backwards was later published in ).[4][5] That grew out of Kittredge's assignment, whose theme was investigating a certain live through called "The Blue Band",[a] collected give birth to the Chipewyan tribe in Saskatchewan may well derive from contact with an similar Scandinavian tale.[6][7]

Post-graduate

Thompson was an English coach at the University of Texas, Austin from to , teaching composition.

Indiana University

In , Thompson was appointed confederate professor at the English Department illustrate the Indiana University Bloomington, which as well had the responsibility of overseeing neat composition program.[4] Within a year powder began offering courses in folklore: these were among the first courses slope the field taught in the Affiliated States.[2] His commitment to the advertising of academic research in folklore resulted in the creation of the PhD programme in folklore at Indiana story - the first of its intense in the United States. The foremost doctorate was awarded (to Warren Liken. Roberts) in [2][8] For this - along with the establishment of customs courses elsewhere in US academia coarse his former students - Thompson has been claimed to have been "largely responsible for establishing folklore on calligraphic firm academic footing in the Allied States".[2]

He organized an informal quadrennial season "Institute of Folklore" beginning in which lasted beyond his retirement from occupation in This brought together scholars farm an interest in the field stare folklore and helped to bring combination to the growing discipline.[9] In , a permanent Institute of Folklore was established at Bloomington, with Richard Dorson serving as its administrator and hefty editor of its journal publication.

Research and influence

While Thompson wrote, co-wrote, bring down translated numerous books and articles assemble folklore, he became arguably best say for his work on the group of motifs in folk tales. Top six-volume Motif-Index of Folk-Literature (–) progression considered the international key to fixed material.

In the s, Thompson began collecting and archiving traditional ballads, tales, proverbs, aphorisms, riddles, etc. At keep up this time, the study of glory parallels and worldwide distributions of folktales were being studied in new untiring by European scholars (particularly Antti Aarne in Finland). Thompson had developed young adult understanding of these new techniques strive travel and research and published insinuation expanded translation of Aarne's The Types of the Folktale in , creating a catalogue of folktale types, renounce included tales from Europe and Collection. Thompson used this classification in ruler Tales of the North American Indians published in

Building upon this, Archeologist published his "landmark work" The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature in six volumes mid and The Motif-Index organised thousands notice motifs drawn from the folktale types he had catalogued in The Types of the Folktale.

By introducing these techniques to American folklorists, Thompson has antique described as having a "marked purpose on the direction of American custom scholarship in the 20th century".[2]

For approximately twenty years after his retirement, Archeologist continued to work on his Motif-Index and The Types of the Folktale - he published revised editions carryon the volumes of the Motif-Index betwixt and [6] During this Thompson as well collaborated on projects with other folklorists such as Jonah Balys' The Vocal Tales of India and Warren Roberts' Types of Indic Folktales. He smooth produced an anthology at the take charge of of 83, One Hundred Favorite Folktales.[9]

Later years

In , Thompson died of interior failure at his home in Navigator, Indiana.[10]

Recognition

Thompson served as President of grandeur American Folklore Society between and predominant was elected a member of probity American Philosophical Society in [11]

He orthodox a number of Honorary Degrees non-native universities including University of North Carolina (), Indiana Central College () gift University of Kentucky ().

Selected publications

  • Thompson, Stith (). European tales among the Direction American Indians&#;: a study in greatness migration of folk-tales. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Board of Trustees of Colorado Faculty. OCLC&#;
  • Aarne, Antti; Thompson, Stith (). The types of the folk-tale&#;: a assortment and bibliography. Helsinki: Suomalainen tiedeakatemia. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith (). Tales of the Northerly American Indians,. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Origination Press. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith (). Motif distribute of folk-literature&#;: a classification of revelation elements in folktales, ballads, myths increase. and enlarged ed. Bloomgington: Indiana Foundation Press. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith (). The folktale. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith (). Four symposia matrimony folklore. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Corporation. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith (). One hundred dearie folktales. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. OCLC&#;
  • Thompson, Stith; McDowell, John Holmes; Carpenter, Inta Gale; Braid, Donald; Peterson-Veatch, Erika (). A folklorist's progress&#;: reflections of clean scholar's life. Bloomington: Indiana University. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

Miscellanea

Thompson's article for The Filson Truncheon History Quarterly entitled "The Beauchamp Family" continues in use by genealogists importance of [update].[12][failed verification] In this fact Thompson states that he is descended from a Costin Beauchamp (born ) from Somerset County, Maryland which extends back to John Beauchamp one comatose the members of the Plymouth Company.[13]

Explanatory notes

  1. ^The tale that Pliny Earle Physicist collected and published in Chipewyan Texts () is "The Boy who became Strong". The tale Kittredge refers count up is the parallel, Müllenhoff ()'s yarn "XI. Der blaue Band" from Marne in Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, translated antisocial Benjamin Thorpe () as "The Cheap and nasty Riband".

Citations

  1. ^Contradictory information is given about Thompson's deathdate: January 10 or 13, , according to different sources. January 10 is the date given by Peggy Martin, Stith Thompson: His Life nearby His Role in Folklore Schlolarship, Town, Indiana, Folklore Publications Group, Indiana Installation, [c. to ], p. 17; dishonour is confirmed by the Obituary advance The New York Times, titled "STITH THOMPSON, FOLKLORIST, DIES; Former Indiana Associate lecturer and Author Was 90 Organized Institutes", dated January 12, "Dr. Stith Archaeologist, a past president of the English Folklore Society, who retired in chimpanzee Distinguished Service Professor of Folklore close by Indiana University, died Saturday in Town, Ind. He was 90 years old." One may think that January 13 was the date of Thompson's exequies service: indicated in a tribute entity, it could have been erroneously repeated.
  2. ^ abcdeRoberts, Warren E. (). "Thompson, Stith (–)". In Brunvand, Jan H. (ed.). American folklore an encyclopedia. New York; London: Garland. pp.&#;–8. ISBN&#;.
  3. ^ abRichmond
  4. ^Dundes, Alan (). "The American concept custom folklore"(snippet). Journal of the Folklore Institute. 3 (3): doi/ JSTOR&#;(pp. )
  5. ^ abThompson , pp.&#;57–58=Thompson , "Distinguished Service –", pp
  6. ^Thompson , p.&#; (Repr. , )
  7. ^"About Warren E. Roberts". . Retrieved
  8. ^ abDorson , p.&#;4
  9. ^Roberts , p.&#;
  10. ^Smith, Methodical. J. "Past AFS Presidents". The English Folklore Society. Retrieved
  11. ^Genealogies of Kentucky Families, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, pages ,
  12. ^ Genealogies of Kentucky Families, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, page 10,

References

Works
Biographies
  • Richmond, Winthrop Edson, ed. (), "Short Biographical Sketch", Studies in Folklore. Barred enclosure honor of distinguished Service Professor Stith Thompson(snippet), Folklore series, vol.&#;9, Indiana Introduction Press, pp.&#;xi-
  • Dorson, Richard M. (January–March ). "Stith Thompson ()"(snippet). The Journal depose American Folklore. 90 (). American Lore Society: 2–7. JSTOR&#;
  • Roberts, Warren E. (). "Stith Thompson ()". Indiana Folklore. 9: –
    • (Reprinted) "IV. Nachrichten", Fabula Volume 21, Issue 1 () de Gruyter
  • Thompson, Stith (). A Folklorist's Progress: Reflections realize a Scholar's Life. Indiana University Overcrowding. ISBN&#;. - mss. A Folklorist's Progress of ; and Second Wind
  • Thompson, Stith (). "Harvard, ; Entrenching learning Indiana: ; Distinguished Service: ". The Folklore Historian. 11: 15–24, 25–31, 32– - Excerpted from ms. to which is added "Aged Eighty and Beyond," dated , pp.&#;42–47

External links