ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a few of the more significant recent contributions to the development of structural models for the African-based folktale. It presents the basic components of a structural model of the folktale, the role of semantics in that model, the place of transformational rules, and the problem of culture-specific metaphoric formulations of structural elements. In a series of articles, Denise Paulme develops the theory of the syntagmatic structure of the African folktale. The theory of folktale structure was, however, distinct from the theories of both the French and the American neo-Proppians. Unlike the majority of European folktales, Afro-American tales invariably terminate in a condition of disharmony between the principal actors caused by the violation of an agreement and an unreciprocated exchange of value. Kernel Tales and portions of Kernel Tales are synthesized in various ways to produce more complex forms, which are by far more common than simple tales.
