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Category:
Myth & Folklore
African Dilemma Tales by William R. Bascom
£35.00
Second hand / Antiquarian.
Published: Mouton Publishers, The Hague, 1975
Condition: Good. Dust jacket slightly torn near top right hand corner. In protectice cellophane wrapper.
Pages clean and unmarked.
"Dilemma tales constitute a large, diverse, and widespread class of folktales in Africa. They are prose narratives that leave the listeners with a choice among alternatives, such as which of several characters has done the best, deserves a reward, or should win an argument or a case in court. The choices are difficult ones and usually involve discrimination on ethical, moral, or legal grounds. Other dilemma tales, which border on tall tales, ask the listeners to judge the relative skills of characters who have performed incredible feats. The narrator ends his story with the dilemma, often explicitly stated in the form of a question, to be debated by his listeners. Sometimes the dilemma is resolved by the narrator after his listeners have argued their conflicting points of view, but often it is not."
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© 2025 Watkins Books. WATKINS MEDIA LIMITED. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 9171151. COMPANY REGISTRATION ADDRESS: SHEPPERTON HOUSE UNIT 11, 89 SHEPPERTON ROAD, LONDON, ENGLAND, N1 3DF.
