 Reference
apparatus |
BYLINY |
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| SONGS |
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| SPELLS
& CHANTS |
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| FAIRY-TALES |
2. How this section is constructed
3. Contents of this section
4. Additional information
1. Format of This Section
This section, devoted to the oral literary tradition of the Russian people, is made up of individual Digital Scholarly Editions ( DSE ) devoted to various genres of Russian folklore. In its initial stages, the Fundamental Digital Library of Russian Folklore will consist of the four most important genres – byliny (heroic epics), songs, spells, and fairy-tales. The DSE are based on the structure employed throughout FEB-web. This structure is intended to provide the best possible presentation of folkloric texts and scholarly works on their history and poetics.
Each DSE contains the following sections:
- general information on the history of each genre
- primary texts (collections of folklore; special publications; audio and video recordings)
- scholarly works on the history and poetics of each genre
- bibliographies of primary texts and scholarly works
- indexes of narratives and motifs, as well as geographical, functional, and other indexes
- information on noted performers of folklore (biographical sketches, repertoir)
Other features are added as dictated by the specifics of each genre. A reference apparatus which integrates the information of all the constituent DSE appears in a separate sub-section. This reference sub-section includes a combined bibliography of the primary texts in the DSE . This combined bibliography is continuously updated in tandem with the DSE . The reference sub-section also contains summary indexes of titles, performers, toponyms, recordings, etc.
2. How This Section is Structured
In creating the DSE we focus on comprehensiveness and intend
to present an exhaustive source of scholarly information about a given
folklore genre. The DSE are designed to provide FEB-web users
with a necessary and sufficient minimum of materials such that they can
conduct research without resorting to other sources. Naturally, this is
a long-term goal, but we feel that it is attainable due to one important
advantage of digital editions over print publications: DSE are
continually and dynamically evolving systems that grow along with the Library
as a whole. FEB-web consists of DSE in various stages of development:
some are nearly complete, while others have just been started.
Like other thematic sections of FEB-web, the Folklore Section is not a chaotic mass of information. Because the entire section is indexed using hypertextual reference and navigation instruments, it forms a differentiated, but unified bank of information. In the bounds of this section, every DSE complements every other DSE , thus providing the user a holistic picture of Russian folklore.
Hypertext links, full-text searches, and the capability to simultaneously view and compare multiple texts and other materials create a unique platform for conducting creative work on the topic to which the section is devoted.3. Section Content
This section is made up of DSE devoted to the four genres of
folklore most represented in the scholarly literature. These four genres
provide a relatively complete picture of traditional Russian folklore,
its peculiarities, and its salient features. The texts in the DSE were
recorded in the 18 th , 19 th , and 20 th centuries.
The FEB-web DSE of Byliny features several collections of epic poetry (Kirsha Danilov, P.N. Rybnikov, A.F. Gil'ferding, A.D. Grigor'ev, A. Markov, B.M. and Iu.M. Sokolov, A.M. Astakhova); audio recordings of performances of byliny (both published and from the archives of collectors); scholarly literature on the history and poetics of the genre (from F.I. Buslaev and O.F. Miller to B.N. Putilov and V.M Gatsak); and the indexes compiled by Iu.I. Smirnov.
The FEB-web DSE of Songs includes the song collections compiled by M.D. Chulkov, P.V. Kireevskii, A.I. Sobolevskii, and P.V. Shein; audio recordings of folksongs from the Institute of World Literature Folklore Division's archives; contemporary scholarship on the history and poetics of folksongs.The FEB-web DSE of Chants and Spells includes collections of chants and spells compiled by I.P. Sakharov, L.N. Maikov, and P.S. Efimenkov; audio and video recordings of chants and spells from the Institute of World Literature Folklore Division's archive; the studies of N.F. Krushevskii, F.Iu. Zelinskii, N. Poznanskii, E.N. Eleonskaia, and V.P. Petrov; the indexes compiled by A.V. Iudin and V.L. Kliaus.
The FEB-web DSE of Fairy Tales includes collections of fairy tales recorded in the 18th , 19th , and 20th centuries (A.N. Afanas'ev, N.E. Onchukov, D.K. Zelinin, I.A. Khudiakov, M.K. Azadovskii); audio and video recordings of traditional performances of fairy tales from the Institute of World Literature Folklore Division's archive; essential scholarly literature on the historical origins, poetics, and narratology of fairy tales (P.M. Volkov, V.Ia. Propp, E.V. Pomerantseva, and others); Sravnitel'nyi ukazatel' siuzhetov vostochnoslavianskoi skazki [ A Comparative Index of the Plots of the East-Slavic Fairy Tale ] (1979).
4. Additional information
For a number of (primarily technical) reasons, the materials making
up sections of FEB-web are posted incrementally over a period of several
months. As new material becomes available, announcements are posted to
the “News” section.
Since the reference apparatus will integrate the indexes of all the DSE , it will be finished only after all the constituent DSE are fully operational.
As the DSE listed above near completion, we will begin work on new DSE devoted to other figures of 19 th -century Russian literature.
The editors of FEB-web welcome any comments and suggestions for improving this section and look forward to hearing your thoughts on content, organization, and format.