Реферат: Criticism of Vladimir Propp’s Theory on Genesis of Magic Fairy Tales’ Structure

For instance, the aggressive world outlookcode is at the heart of the type of the selected for the analysis fairy tales about guiltlessly persecuted . Persecution as the hostile aggressive act provides presence of the one who persecutes, and the one who is persecuted. At the same time persecution as the dynamic motive plays the role of the leading moment of development of all narration. In the given type of fairy tales he actualizes the basic formula „life - death (threat of a life) – immortality (removal of the threat)”.

The main feature of Vladimir Propp approach consisted in recognition as elements of structure of a fairy tale of those semantic units which were formed on the basis of functions of the characters. There can be many characters, but the number of functions is finite. In each fairy tale it is possible to distinguish these identical functions.

Therefore, externally different fairy tales as a matter of fact, according to V. Propp, are identical. Such point of view has got all attributes of a research paradigm, having set for the long years the general direction of research of not only the fairy tale invariants, but also of other narrative texts. Simultaneously the real fairy tale structure nevertheless was showed to some extent in the language of description of a fairy tale offered by him.

Later this fact was objectively examined in my work, as a result we discovered that for the conceptual forms of V.Propp’s “language of description” of the fairy tale structure there stand CUB and corresponding codes.

The same result has been received at the analysis of works on the structure of a fairy tale by the followers of V. Propp within the limits of his paradigmatic functional approach.

The solution by V. Propp of his own research problems was embodied in four postulates:

1) the functions of characters are the constant elements of a fairy tale; 2) a number of the functions of a magic fairy tale is limited; 3) the sequence of functions is always invariable; 4) all magic fairy tales are of the same type according to the structure. It has enabled to draw a conclusion, that morphologically all fairy tales can be originated from one fairy tale on abduction of tsarevnas (princesses) by the Dragon and their rescue by the hero (Аф₁₃₁ ).

The analysis of the „ language of the description” (of functions of characters both in their formal record, and in substantial displays), offered by V. Propp, shows, that these functions have a precise universally-cultural distinctness. In the "basic" fairy tale the matter actually concerns how, feeling a fatal threat, the heroine or heroines eventually are rescued.

That is, an authentic invariant of this fairy tale (according to V. Propp, all the others are reduced to it), is one of the versions of the basic world outlook formula „life - threat of life – rescue”. On the basis of the material stated by V. Propp there is shown a universally-cultural isomorphism of a fairy tale and “reality”. At the same time here it has been paid attention to problematic character of explanations of genesis and transformation of texts as representations of "reality".

For intensification of my position I have brought examples of criticism of this postulate of V. Propp "from within", from the point of view of specialists in folklore and narratologists. They warned against carrying out of erroneous unequivocal correspondence between a fairy tale and ceremonies, and also a widely understood "reality" (Albert Bajburin, Alexander Reshetov, Peter Bogatyryovespecially – Богатырев П. Г. Магические действия, обряды и верования Закарпатья / Богатырев П. Г. Вопросы теории народного искусства . – М. , 1971 ; reissue of : Actes magiques rites et croyances en Russie Subcarpathique. – P r ., 1929 ).

Addressing to „historical roots”of fairy tale "morphology", V. Propp began to understand a fairy tale as a certain secondary, derivative structure, as reflection of another, out-fabulous "reality". He regarded it first of all as the cycle of initiation (a ceremony of ordaining) and, in less degree, as a cycle of idea of death.

I have critically reviewed the works of followers of V. Propp who aimed "to improve" his conception (Vadim Baevsky, Neonila Krinichnaya, Natalia Hobzej, Nikolay Kisljakov, Rachel Lipets, and others) and have come to conclusion, that many of them had the same methodological difficulties, as V. Propp. They were connected first of all with an establishment of a real historical and genetic correlation of a ceremony, an epos or a fairy tale with "reality", and also with verification of both the procedures of reconstruction, and the achieved results.

Especially vulnerable for criticism there were conclusions of Heleasar Meletinsky (Мелетинский Е. М. Герой волшебной сказки: происхождение образа. – М., 1958 ) who tried to find the original sources of an image of a character of a magic fairy tale in “the social reality”. He considered them as a usual right (commonlaw) of “minorat” when all parental property passed to the younger son.

But, contradicting to himself, H. Meletinsky considered also in an absolutely non-corresponding to this right oppression of the younger brother by the elder brothers the sources of an image of the poor character. If the “minorat” underlies the fairy tales where there appears a deprived character, then in particular the elder brothers who were disinherited of any property, should appear as destitute characters.

In the book it has been found out, that the deep underlying causes of structure of a fairy tale are CUB and codes in their formula sheaf. As consequence of this during the research there has emerged a problem whether the CUB-structure of a fairy tale is an adequate representation of a universal-cultural structure of "reality" of a ceremony, or, probably, both the fairy tale and the ceremony have such structures independently from each other?

And if it will be ascertained, that secondariness of structure of a fairy tale relatively to the structure of the reality is doubtful, there arises one more problem – what is exactly defined by the formation of the fairy tale structure (or form as the way of organization of its contents)? For this reason,there was the necessity for critical viewing of V. Propp’s paradigm from viewpoint and on the basis of philosophic and worldview approach. On its basis there opens the prospect of making a correct methodological base of all theoretical generalizations of applied folklore and ethnographic researches.

Only in that case we shall receive an adequate knowledge of a real structure of the texts of culture and find out the reasons of such structurization of them. In other words, there opens the opportunity to change the descriptive method of research to an explanatory one.

However, to make the new concept of invariants of the structure of culture texts productively working, it is necessary to show mistakes and weaknesses of existing approaches. Preliminary step in this direction became revealing of internal contradictions and discrepancy in the concept of V. Propp that has served as the precondition of its falsification (according to Charles Popper's theory).

4. An explication of internal contradictions of the theory of V. Propp as a precondition of its falsification

The chapter begins with a critical verification of the concept of structurally functional morphology of a fairy tale according to V. Propp. It is carried out by revealing problematical character of formation of semantic units of a fairy tale on the basis of functions of actants. It is shown also, that the way out of the impasse of applied structuralism within the confines of an antithesis "element-structure" is possible based on a wide philosophic and world outlook approach only.

Questions which arise here first of all, consist in that, how much successfully V. Propp was able to reconstruct its real structure in formal language of the description of a fairy tale. One of disadvantages of his formalization is ignoring of the circumstance, that the fairy tale, except of actions of its characters includes in the structure their states, non-realized desires, aspirations , etc., and also various consequences of these actions, and this just has not fallen under procedures of formalization.

Besides, there remain some non-examined processes and phenomena which can depend on functions of the characters, and can remain only as conditions of their activity.

In spite of an over-formalized language of the description, V. Propp simply ignores in "inconvenient" cases some functions of some characters.

So, in case of when such character as the father, has sexual interest to his daughter (shocking though a widespread function in fairy tales), we should have a semantic unit as „daughterfucker”. Also there were not formalized such characters who during a fabulous narration considerably change their functions. That leads to their declaration as "mysterious" and causes those additional, but unpersuasive explanations that are offered by V. Propp.

But when trying to add the opposite definitions to them, it makes them semantically different units of a fairy tale (a "grantor" acts simultaneously as a "wrecker") that "breaks" the idea of V. Propp from within. To other essential imperfections of V. Propp’s concept we should add also leaving without explanation of incomplete application of a theoretical part of his concept in his own works. Actually, from all of the more than three tens functions distinguished by V. Propp only a little of them was entered into the basic scheme (б¹ е¹ А¹ В⁴ С↑ П⁴ Л⁵ ↑ )of the main fairy tale № 131 (from collected stories by A. Afanas’ev).

Thus, it is necessary to ascertain, that the idea offered by V. Propp that a fairy tale invariant consists of permanent functions which number is invariable, and the sequence is constant, gives essential failures, because, firstly, quite not all the functions of actants of a fairy tale form those steady semantic units which allegedly are constant elements of a fairy tale structure.

Secondly, he has not solved the problem not only of correlation of the opposite functions inherent in one actant during the change in time of a pole of its action, but also could not formalize these features of a fairy tale, owing to that an allegedly steady semantic unit becomes blurred (according to V. Propp, this semantic unity is an atomic basic fairy tale element). All this testifies to an internal inconsistency of the theory of V. Propp, establishment of this fact is an important step to revealing of its falsity (falsification).

The heart of the problem "a structure–an element", formulated with reference to studying of a fairy tale, looks like a question, whether the structure (a plot or motive) sets the functions of elements (characters), or, on the contrary, the functions of characters build a plot? If functions of actants are constant, then exactly these characters, being involved in a fabulous narration „at a right time and in the right place”, will determine its structure. But if these actants are really rigidly defined in their functions, then it is difficult to imagine a fairy tale where the Little Red Riding Hood catches the Wolf in the forest of and eats him up.

At the same time, there are many fabulous and folklore actants which functions are not definitely set. Thus, say, the Wood-goblin can frighten people, steal childrenand so on, but he also helps to pasture the cattle, kindly lulls the child forgotten by a mother. What structure then will be set to a fairy tale by this ambivalent character?