English Literature

Folklore Folklore is a term which refers to the collection of beliefs, customs, and tradition pass on from generation to generation. A primary emphasize in folklore studies is on tradition. A second key emphasize in folklore is on those activities that are generated by people themselves, rather than formal institutions. It encompasses myths, legends, jokes, proverbs, fairy tales and folk tales.   The term was coined in 1846 by William Thomas who wanted to come up with generic term to encompass the rich oral tradition of culture around the world. Folklore is "compound of folk as in common people and lore as in knowledge or tradition"   Definition:   According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, "Folklore is the tradition and stories of a country or community."   Folklore is a body of traditional belief, custom, and expression, handed down largely by word of mouth and circulating chiefly outside of commercial and...

CULTURE   Culture, in anthropology, the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from others. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. A people's culture includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems.   Culture is the most important concept in anthropology (the study of all aspects of human life, past and present). Anthropologists commonly use the term culture to refer to a society or group in which many or all people live and think in the same ways. Likewise, any group of people who share a common culture�and in particular, common rules of behavior and a basic form of social organization�constitutes a society. Thus, the terms culture and society are somewhat interchangeable. However, while many animals live in socie...