Abstract:
This thesis is an examination of the genre of the personal narrative in light of contemporary folkloristic theory. A theoretically derived genre, the personal narrative's inclusion into the discipline of folklore in the late 1970s and early 1980s was a result of developmental phases of inquiry into the nature of oral expression since the inception of the study of folklore. The thesis traces these phases in order to explain how current concepts of tradition and performance in folkloristics have developed and how these concepts have contributed to the theoretical feasibility of studying personal narratives. In terms of tradition based on conventions of oral expression and in terms of the artistry of performance, the personal narrative genre is defined, and then an example of a personal narrative, "Can Cattle Grow Thistles?", is explicated with emphasis on an analysis of its form, style, content, and function.
As a guide to research that utilizes personal narratives, the thesis proposes that they be collected and interpreted by using reader-response methodologies of literary criticism, and, in turn, that they be interpreted in terms of their cultural significance. While contemporary folkloristics favors the analysis of personal narratives over the collecting of them, this thesis stresses the necessity to do both equally. The appendix includes seventeen examples of personal narratives--personal anecdotes, character anecdotes, and occupational stories--that are annotated in order to illustrate allusions that are significant to the culture of the Flint Hills.
