ABSTRACT

Introduction I was first introduced to the concept of the oral tradition through the works of Milman Parry and Albert Lord, roughly in 1974. It was not until 1982, however, that I was able to witness the living oral tradition in China; my understanding of oral narrative, not surprisingly, was enriched immeasurably, but my previous readings had prepared me well to understand what I saw. Interacting with Chinese narrative artists confirmed, filled out, and brought alive my understanding of 'verbal art as performance' (as taught by Alan Dundes, Dell Hymes, Melville Jacobs, Dennis Tedlock, Richard Bauman, Dan Ben-Amos, Roger Abrahams, Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblet, Elizabeth Fine, Walter Ong and John Miles Foley, to mention just a few). Since then, I have struggled to say something of value regarding the brilliant Chinese folk artists with whom I have been privileged to work.!