--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The study of folklore is largely the…" description: "\"The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.\" — Alan D..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png" --- # The study of folklore is largely the study of particular… ![“The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.” quote by Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png) > “The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.” [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Folklore study focuses on distinct genres like myths, legends, and riddles, each with unique structures and functions. **In simple terms:** Folklore is divided into specific genre types. Key Takeaway Identify and explore a specific folklore genre. Themes culture genre analysis Mood analytical curious Type academic educational When to use this quote - academic research - teaching folklore - museum c Key Concepts anthropology narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between myth and legend? - What role do riddles play in cultural transmission? A Different Perspective Genres overlap and resist strict classification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folklore/) [Folklore Genres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folklore-genres-4541469/) [Folklore Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folklore-largely-4541470/) [Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legend/) [Particular Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular-folklore-4541471/) [Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riddle/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Study Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-folklore-4541468/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/) ## Related quotes > [If a student takes the whole series of my folklore courses including the graduate seminars, he or she should learn something about fieldwork, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/if-a-student-takes-the-whole-series-of-my-folklore-courses-including/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [It is important to recognize that folklore is not simply a way of obtaining available date about identity for social scientists; it is actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/it-is-important-to-recognize-that-folklore-is-not-simply-a-way-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly psychoanalytic. I believe that the vast majority of folklore concerns fantasy, and because of that, I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/my-own-bias-in-folkloristics-is-decidedly-psychoanalytic-i-believe/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [They do not merely collect texts; they must also gather data about the context and the informant and, above all, write an analysis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/they-do-not-merely-collect-texts-they-must-also-gather-data-about-the/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [There is more to folklore research than fieldwork. This is why in all of my other upper-division courses I require a term paper involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/there-is-more-to-folklore-research-than-fieldwork-this-is-why-in-all/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I find all folklore challenging, and I never cease to be grateful that I became a professional folklorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-find-all-folklore-challenging-and-i-never-cease-to-be-grateful-that/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [As a folklorist, I have come to believe that no piece of folklore continues to be transmitted unless it means something - even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/as-a-folklorist-i-have-come-to-believe-that-no-piece-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-my-introductory-course-anthropology-160-the-forms-of-folklore-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/my-academic-identity-is-that-of-a-folklorist-and-for-many-years-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-have-a-great-advantage-over-many-of-my-colleagues-inasmuch-as-my/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing family members, friends, or anyone they can manage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/their-term-project-consists-of-a-fieldwork-collection-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-class-has-become-over-the-years-fairly-large-running-to-three/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Folklore provides a socially sanctioned outlet for the discussion of the forbidden and taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/folklore-provides-a-socially-sanctioned-outlet-for-the-discussion-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [“The host is rushing 'twixt day and night, And where is there hope or deed as fair? Caoilte tossing his burning hair, And Niamh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/the-host-is-rushing-twixt-day-and-night-and-where-is-there-hope-or/) [W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/) > [I think being raised within a Mexican Catholic family made magical realism a very natural part of who I am as a person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-olivas/i-think-being-raised-within-a-mexican-catholic-family-made-magical/) [Daniel Olivas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-olivas/) ## More by Alan Dundes > [Folklore provides a socially sanctioned outlet for the discussion of the forbidden and taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/folklore-provides-a-socially-sanctioned-outlet-for-the-discussion-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-class-has-become-over-the-years-fairly-large-running-to-three/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing family members, friends, or anyone they can manage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/their-term-project-consists-of-a-fieldwork-collection-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In the light of our culture, these are not unreasonable questions and tactics, but if once again, we try to see the lens through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-the-light-of-our-culture-these-are-not-unreasonable-questions-and/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Cities all over the world are getting bigger as more and more people move from rural to urban sites, but that has created enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/cities-all-over-the-world-are-getting-bigger-as-more-and-more-people/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-have-a-great-advantage-over-many-of-my-colleagues-inasmuch-as-my/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/americans-do-believe-in-progress-and-there-is-almost-certainly-a/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/americans-have-a-penchant-for-the-future-and-tend-to-disregard-the/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-mentioned-that-one-of-the-tripartite-formulas-in-american-worldview/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/my-academic-identity-is-that-of-a-folklorist-and-for-many-years-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-my-introductory-course-anthropology-160-the-forms-of-folklore-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [As a folklorist, I have come to believe that no piece of folklore continues to be transmitted unless it means something - even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/as-a-folklorist-i-have-come-to-believe-that-no-piece-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/life-it-seems-is-nothing-if-not-a-series-of-initiations-transitions/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I find all folklore challenging, and I never cease to be grateful that I became a professional folklorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-find-all-folklore-challenging-and-i-never-cease-to-be-grateful-that/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/light-travels-faster-than-sound-this-is-why-some-people-appear-bright/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) [Explore all 26 Alan Dundes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Dundes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-dundes-23442_education_the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-stu_543823.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad…” — Alan Dundes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Dundes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The study of folklore is largely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```