Introduction to Folktales of the Jews: But the tales themselves hold to ethnic literary and aesthetic standards that may or may not meet the demands of modern culture. Rather, they require that the reader strive to discover the poetics of oral narration displayed by the Jewish ethnic groups
Introduction to Folktales of the Jews: Dov Noy did not inspire a national romantic movement, but those individuals whom he stirred up to the cause became dedicated recorders of tales, some depositing hundreds of texts into the IFA’S collection. Among them are sons and daughters who recorded tales from their parents, offering us a glimpse of the intimate process of transmitting tradition within the family circle. In some cases, these were grandchildren who recorded stories their grandparents narrated, representing the process of transmission in its more popular image. Outside such family circles, there were volunteers who recorded tales from their fellow workers, friends, and even occasional acquaintances—people they met at a shop, a restaurant, or in their neighborhood and whose narrative skills were impressive—and put their stories on paper... For these recorders, many of whom had immigrated from European countries decades earlier, the newcomers from Asia and North Africa embodied some fascinating, exotic traditions that were both familiar and strange. They described cultures that were clearly Jewish and yet quite foreign, to which they were attracted and moved to record.
