Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Daniel F. Melia. "Parallel Versions of The Boyhood Deeds of Cuchulainn'." In Oral Literature: Seven Essays. Ed. Joseph J. Duggan. Edinburgh and New York: Scottish Academic Press and Barnes and Noble, 1975. [= Forum for Modern Language Studies, 10, iii:25-40.

Shows that versions of the "Boyhood Deeds" within the Cattle Raid of Cooley provide evidence of oral transmission and illustrate that the narrative structure of the "Ulster Cycle" tales as a whole descends from oral tradition. Concentrates on the multiformity of story-patterns in these prose texts, using Georges Dumezil's observations on comparative IE mythic structures to illuminate the Irish tales.
Area: OI, IE, CP