Orality etc.: references

[thompson at jlc.net]

Thanks to Birgit Kellner for forwarding these references. Perhaps I can add
a few more that I alluded to but did not cite:

Frits Staal (1986): The Fidelity of Oral Tradition and the Origins of
Science. Mededelingen der Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van
Wetenschappen, AFD. Letterkunde, Nieuwe Reeks, Deel 49-No.8.
Impressionistic, but in my view provocative and important.

Johannes Bronkhorst (1989): Review of Frits Staal: The Fidelity of Oral
Tradtion and the Origins of Science..., in Indo-Iranian Journal 32. A
rather hostile review of Staal.

Paul Zumthor (1990): Oral Poetry: An Introduction, Univ. of Minnesota Press
[Eng. translation of 1983: Introduction à la poésie orale, Éditions Seuil].
This is to my knowledge the most sophisticated treatment of oral poetics
that exists, though it does not deal extensively with problems of
transmission.

Best wishes,

George Thompson