Of Tamil folklore
PKR
NAATTUPPURA-P-PAADALKAL — Thiranaaivu: Aru Azhagappan; Paari Nilayam, 90, Broadway, Chennai-600108. Rs. 85.
THIS BOOK, by Aru Azhagappan, a former professor and head of Tamil Department of Annamalai University, is a critical study of Tamil folklore based on data he had collected from different areas of the State.
Apart from describing and classifying the folk songs available with him, he has examined the role of the performing artists as also the place and the time appropriate for performing the various folk songs.
It is quite interesting that Azhagappan, who has authored books in a wide range of areas related to Tamil studies
— literary criticism, history of Tamil literature, creative literature, drama, performing arts, and so on — explicates how the folk songs can be used as a source material for reconstructing the social history of the Tamils. The influence of folk songs over elite literature has been briefly discussed.
The different aspects of literature such as description, simile, imagination, humour, and morals have come in for insightful consideration. His exposition of the term ‘folklore’ in English, accompanied by an account of its Tamil equivalent, enhances the value of the work. His concluding remarks are thought-provoking and his suggestions useful.
Overall, the book is a valuable addition to Tamil folklore studies.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Book Review
