THE EXISTENCE OF THE FOOL IN THE HUMOR CONTEXT: SAMPLING SHOR FOLKTALES Cover Image

APTAL OĞLAN”IN MİZAH BAĞLAMINDA VAROLUŞU: ŞOR MASALLARI ÖRNEĞİ
THE EXISTENCE OF THE FOOL IN THE HUMOR CONTEXT: SAMPLING SHOR FOLKTALES

Author(s): Fatma Zehra Uğurcan, Aynur Koçak
Subject(s): Anthropology, Studies of Literature, Sociology of Culture
Published by: Motif Halk Oyunları Eğitim ve Öğretim Vakfı
Keywords: Humor; type; the fool; folktales; Shor folktales;

Summary/Abstract: The Shoren are a community living in the Kemorovo Region of Southern Siberia. The compilation activities that started in the region at the beginning of the 20th century enable us to have information about their cultures today. Compiled and published in five different books, the fairy tales are important folklore products that shed light on the culture of Shor. Shor folktales make use of many different types while presenting an image of life. One of these types is “fool”. The type “fool” serves a specific purpose with its features highlighted in the fairy tale and events that happen in the fairy tale. While doing this, he takes advantage of humor. In the Shor folktales, the fool often appears as the stupidest of the brothers. This type sometimes appears as a more superficial type that does not provide information about past and its surroundings. In the face of these types, we see the characters that are either emphasized as smart or made to feel smart. The use of the type “fool” leads to a humorous situation. This humor is more about ridicule. Stupidity is emphasized so much that both the listener and the reader smiles sarcastically. At the end of the tale, the fool gets victory. The positions of the fool and smart are determined again. It is noticed that the fool is actually smart by various methods. Until this point, the existence of some supernatural powers along with the fool also prompts the reader to think about the fool's real situation. "What is the underlying reality of the stupid type?" With this question an inquiry begins on reality. What does the stupid type want to accomplish in the narrative with this ambivalent situation? In this study, the reality of stupid type will be analyzed in the axis of Shor folktales and their function in narratives will be emphasized. While doing this, the relationship between humor and stupidity will be discussed and the effect of stupidity on the apparent truth will be explained through the phenomenological approach.

  • Issue Year: 13/2020
  • Issue No: 30
  • Page Range: 555-565
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Turkish