What is oral literature and types?

 

Oral literature

Oral literature is an art like other performed arts which takes spoken words for communication. Literature defines society and all the essentials presiding it.

Oral literature remained an important part of the decade and decade ago when it was a customary tradition that sharing was on a language basis due to illiteracy. This type of literature might possibly be present in some countries now. Like in Africa, Africa is rich in oral traditions. They not only make people stand out for their literature but also pay homage. Africa feels the pride of its heritage. They use to share their belongings through language.

Now many of us will raise the question that what does oral literature mean?

Oral literature means the literature which is spoken literature as opposed to the written literature and shared via language in every dialect of its region.

Background of oral literature

Pre-literate societies use to follow oral literature, every tradition, culture and custom was followed orally in form of narratives, storytelling like fables, fairy tales, songs, proverbs, advice, moral stories, folklore and folk dramas was performed lively. The pre-literate societies apparently have no literature but were rich in oral literature.

Storytelling is also a form of oral literature that starts from the mother’s lap.

Our ancestors used to tell moral stories which are also the form of oral literature. These stories have a cultural, moral and societal impact on the texture of words. Many of the stories have been added to the booking form. It morally presents the number of lessons that leads towards the sense of reason. The sense of reason imparts man to utilize the intellect properly within some specific condition. This also helps in mesmerizing things with the adhesive decision power. And now if we talk about the current running oral traditions in modern and upgraded societies after decades. We may have seen that the literate societies may constitute an oral tradition within our family in the form of bedtime storytelling and folklore. Our jokes, poetry especially slam poetry which has been televised feature of Russell Simmons’ Def poetry and performance poetry.

The types of oral literature

·        Songs

·        Oral narratives

·        Riddles

·        Stories(fables and fairy-tales)

·        Oral poetries

·        Myths

·        Tongue twisters

·        Folk tales

·        Folklore 

Songs were sung and performed with poetical forms. In ancient times there was no sense of metrical structure people was free to perform and sing according to their wishes to fantasize, freely within the sung song. Oral narratives stand as the advice which every generation receives from their parents, fathers and from forefathers. Riddles tongue twisters can be taken as a game but at the same time, a message covered in words and uncovered by the right assumed answer. Fable stories can be taken as the myths on which they believed and prophesied. These are all the genre’s of literature and can rightly say as oral literature right now.

Folklore and customs are the assets of any nation whether it belongs to the past or present. It presents a social-cultural equilibrium to uphold the society whether it is in form of memorization or running time.

I feel they have no literacy if we talk about oral past literature they were free to compose and no need for an extra sufficient matrix for specialization. But history defines the maturity that we find in that literature that has been preserved and saved through the help and effort of different generations.

Importance of oral literature

It is the tool of sharing and teaching idea’s and notions to transcend them to other generations. Further it implicit the feelings and appreciation of life as well.

 

In the ancient time before 400 literature was oral for some time because of their illiteracy. People roam about with their spoken literature. This oral literature also takes creative and imaginative forms. It holds intellectuals, all literary experts and thinkers. Songs were orally performed. Dramas and stories were orally transmitted within the generation and for the coming generations.

Oral literature helps to transcend different genres, styles, nature and variety of exhibited material from generation to generation. The next generation finds the history with its peculiar events and shifts it towards others with their point of view. This is how they form their potential for reading, learning and grasping the texture of literature to formulating the essence within the time frame.

In simple words, oral literature exhibits outspoken people with a variety of talents. The time of oral literature was as open like a book on which every person can write what he aspires without any amendments. Their culture, traditions and reforms were open as they were masters and all in all in their power to navigate their society.

Literature is a mirror of life. In this oral literature mirror, every angle and aspect of literature is as transparent and appealing as the ice itself is or as the mirror itself is.

We do see the specific temperament of the society of that time in which the specific material was written it flourishes the personality, notions and experiences of the writer as well. In simple words, we feel the writer itself in its written text by reading where we keep connection with the written words, the storyteller and the reader. All these sentimental approaches make us travel to that certain time without any physical effort and fatigue.

Thanks to the written and oral literature which embeds the reader and the writer into one knot. In the long and long time ago when the written material was not followed and people use to sing, morn and share knowledge orally, the literature was forming itself in the form of cultural impact and equally generating the sort of literary balance that shifted to the next coming generation through one source or the other. This tone of literary balance proved as the way to form new trends and capacities with new people out of the ancestral intellectualism. Always remember one thing that every new is beholden of the old.

To sum up this discussion we can say that oral literature is designed to have listened in conversational mode. In this mode of discussion, the choice of words is more simple, representative and informal.