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Talking Tools, Suffering Servants, and Defecating Men

The Power of Storytelling in Maithil Women's Tales

Bibliographic Data

ID2795989
AuthorsCoralynn V Davis (Bucknell University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume122
Issue485
Pages267-296
Publication date2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of American Folklore (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8715 • E-ISSN: 1535-1882
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jaf.0.0101
OpenAlexW2092529382
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited29

What can we learn about the way that folk storytelling operates for tellers and audience members by examining the telling of stories by characters within such narratives? I examine Maithil women's folktales in which stories of women's suffering at the hands of other women are first suppressed and later overheard by men who have the power to alleviate such suffering. Maithil women are pitted against one another in their pursuit of security and resources in the context ofpatrilineal formations. The solidarities such women nonetheless form-in part through sharing stories and keeping each other's secrets-serve to mitigate their suffering and maintain a counter-system of ideational patterns and practices

Aesthetics · Art · Context (archaeology · Literature · Narrative · Power (physics · Sociology · Storytelling · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Gender Studies · History · Music History and Culture · Philippine History and Culture · Psychology · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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Unique citing works4
Citations per year0,29
Citation span2012 - 2025 (14)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 4
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