ABSTRACT
An interest in the emergence of folklore in everyday life has led folklorists to try to render text and context as richly and faithfully as possible. Texts have become word-for-word transcripts, some of which include typographical cues that indicate rhythm, intonation, and phrasing. Contextual descriptions in print have taken on the texture of fiction or literary journalism. As the faithfully transcribed text of a well-told tale may erase the distinctions between folk and fine art, so may the folklorist’s account of the telling strive to erase the distinctions between literary and scholarly prose. It also means an increased emphasis on audio-visual documentation of folklifefilm, video, and disk-to capture the multiple dimensions of folk performances.
