Frontmatter -- PREFACE -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- PART ONE: COLLECTING FOLKLORE -- 1. IN SEARCH OF FOLKTALES AND SONGS (FROM TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS) -- PART TWO: ORIGINS AND TRANSMISSION -- 2. ON THE ORIGIN OF RIDDLES -- 3. THE THEME OF HEROIC COURTSHIP -- 4. GEOGRAPHIC NAMES IN THE BYLINY -- 5. FROM BOOK TO FOLKLORE -- PART THREE: TELLERS AND SINGERS -- 6. A SIBERIAN NARRATOR -- 7. IMPROVISATION IN RUSSIAN FOLKLORE -- PART FOUR: FUNCTION -- 8. SOME TYPES OF RUSSIAN NEW YEAR SONGS -- 9. RITES AND POETRY -- PART FIVE: STRUCTURE -- 10. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BYLINY -- 11. TOWARDS A MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE FOLKTALE -- 12. THE "FUNCTION" OF THE FAIRY TALE -- 13. THE GRADUAL CONTRACTION OF IMAGES -- PART SIX: FORM -- 14. THE FORM OF DIALOGUE IN THE BYLINA -- 15. COMMONPLACES [LOCI COMMUNES] AS A MEANS OF DOCUMENTING BYLINY -- 16. FIXED EPITHETS IN THE BYLINY AS A MEANS OF CREATING AND TYPIFYING IMAGES -- PART SEVEN: FOLKLORE AND SOCIETY -- 17. THE "LOW" HERO OF THE FAIRY TALE -- 18. THE BALLAD ABOUT THE SLAYING OF THE SLANDERED WIFE -- PART EIGHT: FOLKLORE IN THE CHANGING WORLD -- 19. REALISTIC FEATURES IN THE BYLINY -- 20. THE STATE OF THE BYLINA IN THE POST-WAR YEARS -- 21. FOLKLORISTICS AND THE PRESENT DAY -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX