សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ ប៊ែលធី អន្តរជាតិ

World Wide E-Library

Book Cover

Read PDF
Article By JSTOR

In Search of the Swan Maiden

Author

Leavy, Barbara Fass

Year

1994

Publisher

NYU Press

Type

BOOK

Category

Literary Criticism

Language

English

Pages

387

ISBN

978-0-81475-268-5

Link

Last Update

06-Sep-2024

Keywords

LITERARY CRITICISM / General

Description

In her compendious study, [of the folktale of the runaway wife] Leavy argues that the contradictory claims of nature and culture are embodied in the legendary figure of the swan maiden, a woman torn between the human and bestial worlds. --The New York Times Book Review This is a study of the meaning of gender as framed by the swan maiden tale, a story found in the folklore of virtually every culture. The swan maiden is a supernatural woman forced to marry, keep house, and bear children for a mortal man who holds the key to her imprisonment. When she manages to regain this key, she escapes to the otherworld, never to return. These tales have most often been interpreted as depicting exogamous marriages, describing the girl from another tribe trapped in a world where she will always be the outsider. Barbara Fass Leavy believes that, in the societies in which the tale and its variants endured, woman was the other--the outsider trapped in a society that could never be her own. Leavy shows how the tale, though rarely explicitly recognized, is frequently replayed in modern literature. Beautifully written, this book reveals the myriad ways in which the folktales of a society reflect its cultural values, and particularly how folktales are allegories of gender relations. It will interest anyone involved in literary, gender, and cultural studies.

Related

See More
Image Description

Current and Projected Characteristics and Unique Health Care Needs of the Patient Population Served by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Current and Projected Characteristics and Unique Health Care Needs of the Patient Population Served by the Department of Veterans Affairs
Image Description

Contingent Encounters

Contingent Encounters
Image Description

Air Attack Against Wildfires, Understanding U.S. Forest Service Requirements for Large Aircraft, Understanding U.S. Forest Service Requirements for Large Aircraft
Image Description

Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Consumer Health Care Spending and Risk of Catastrophic Health Costs

Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Consumer Health Care Spending and Risk of Catastrophic Health Costs
Image Description

A Dissident Liberal

A Dissident Liberal
Image Description

Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas

Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas