| Description |
1 online resource (xi, 374 pages) |
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data file |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-367) and index. |
| Contents |
1. Introduction: The Dangerous Adventure -- 2. Urvaśī and the Swan Maidens: The Runaway Wife -- 3. The Devil's Bride -- 4. The Animal Groom -- 5. Swan Maiden and Incubus -- 6. The Animal Bride -- 7. Orpheus's Quest -- 8. Etain's Two Husbands: The Swan Maiden's Choice. |
| Summary |
This is a study of the meaning of gender as framed by the swan maiden tale, a story found in the folklore of virtually every culture. The swan maiden is a supernatural woman forced to marry, keep house, and bear children for a mortal man who holds the key to her imprisonment. When she manages to regain this key, she escapes to the otherworld, never to return. These tales have most often been interpreted as depicting exogamous marriages, describing the girl from another tribe trapped in a world where she will always be the outsider. Barbara Fass Leavy believes that, in the societies in which the tale and its variants endured, woman was the other--the outsider trapped in a society that could never be her own. Leavy shows how the tale, though rarely explicitly recognized, is frequently replayed in modern literature. Beautifully written, this book reveals the myriad ways in which the folktales of a society reflect its cultural values, and particularly how folktales are allegories of gender relations. It will interest anyone involved in literary, gender, and cultural studies. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
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JSTOR Books at JSTOR Open Access |
| Subject |
Swan maiden (Tale) -- History and criticism.
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Swan maiden (Tale) |
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Swan maiden (Tale) -- Classification.
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| Genre/Form |
Classification.
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| Subject |
Women -- Folklore.
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Women -- Folklore. |
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Sex -- Folklore.
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Sex -- Folklore. |
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Man-woman relationships -- Folklore.
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Man-woman relationships. |
| Genre/Form |
Folklore.
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Electronic books.
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Electronic books.
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Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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| Subject |
Women. |
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Womyn. |
| Other Form: |
Print version: Leavy, Barbara Fass, 1936- In search of the swan maiden. New York : New York University Press, ©1994 0814751008 (DLC) 93026313 (OCoLC)28585423 |
| ISBN |
0585322309 (electronic book) |
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9780585322308 (electronic book) |
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9780814752685 (electronic book) |
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0814752683 (electronic book) |
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9780814751008 |
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0814751008 |
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9780814750681 |
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