How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two <i>Tujia</i> Minority Ballads

Luo Na; Li Ming

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads

Luo Na, Li Ming

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 6)

Received: 28 September 2021 Accepted: 11 November 2021 Published: 23 November 2021

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Abstract

Tujia minority people are renowned for their talents in improvising and singing a wide range of folk songs, among which Xiaodiao is particularly popular with their young generations who tend to make a confession of love or show a wide variation on the theme of love and marriage. A young male and/or female singer, whether solo or antiphonal, expresses their overflow of strong feelings with lyrics and tunes in a straightforward and sometimes quite bold manner. The “plot” that is embedded in a folk song, however, requires careful analysis in terms of narrative progression, or rather narrative dynamics, so as to uncover how the singer’s affection or the conflict between the lovebirds develops. Along with a brief introduction to ballad Xiaodiao and a theoretical term borrowed from narratology as an analytical tool, the present article is intended to explore how love stories are told in two Tujia folk songs translated by one of the authors. It seems that, albeit the national character of the Chinese people being mostly rather reserved, wooing by singing has a long tradition with strong socio-cultural grounds, especially in an agrarian country where people mostly live in very harsh mountainous areas where finding a life partner to ensure a better chance of survival and to carry on the ancestral line becomes a top priority. The significance of this research lies in its detailed analysis of specific Tujia folk songs within a narrative dynamic framework, which may shed some light on a broader approach to interpreting lyrical texts. The qualitative analysis does show us the possibility for the singer to construct and the audience to reconstruct a complete love story.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 6) This article belongs to the Special Issue Translation and Interpretation of 28 Chinese Tujia Minority Ballads
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
Page(s)	292-296
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Love Story, Folk Song, Narrative Dynamics, Tujia Ballads, Xiaodiao

References

[1]	Yang Jun. An Investigation into the Inheritance and Protection of Enshi Tujia Minority Folk Songs [J]. Chinese National Expo. 2019 (1): 123-124.
[2]	Li Yongmi. A Study on the Folk Songs of Xiaodiao in the Town of Taiyanghe of Enshi Area [J]. Reading Digest. 2014 (6): 11-12.
[3]	Huhn, Peter. Transgenric Narratology: Application to Lyric Poetry. In John Pier, ed. The Dynamics of Narrative Form: Studies in Anglo-American Narratology, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2004, p. 142.
[4]	Herman, David, James Phelan, Peter Rabinowitz, et al. Narrative Theory: Core Concepts and Critical Debates. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2012.
[5]	Tan Junqiang. The Translator’s Preface. In Peter Huhn, Jens Kiefer, ed., translated by Tan Junqiang. The Narratological Analysis of Lyrics Poetry: Studies in English Poetry from the 16th to the 20th Century. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Publishing Group. 2020. pp. I-IIV.
[6]	Huhn, Peter; Kiefer, Jens. Translated by Tan Junqiang. The Narratological Analysis of Lyrics Poetry: Studies in English Poetry from the 16th to the 20th Century. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Publishing Group. 2020.
[7]	J. C. Meister, “Narratology”. Peter Huhn, John Pier, Wolf Schmid and Jorg Schonert, eds., Handbook of Narratology. Berlin, De Gruyter, 2009.
[8]	Tan, Junqiang. The Structure of Narrative Dynamics in Lyric Poetry: Exemplified with Classical Chinese Lyric Poems [J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art. 2015 (6): 22-28.
[9]	Lennard, John. The Poetry Handbook, 2^nd. United States: Oxford University Press, 2003.
[10]	Frank, Joseph. Spatial Form in Modern Literature. In Essentials of the Theory of Fiction. Third Edition, eds. Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005.

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Luo Na, Li Ming. (2021). How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(6), 292-296. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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ACS Style

Luo Na; Li Ming. How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(6), 292-296. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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AMA Style

Luo Na, Li Ming. How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(6):292-296. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16,
  author = {Luo Na and Li Ming},
  title = {How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {292-296},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210906.16},
  abstract = {Tujia minority people are renowned for their talents in improvising and singing a wide range of folk songs, among which Xiaodiao is particularly popular with their young generations who tend to make a confession of love or show a wide variation on the theme of love and marriage. A young male and/or female singer, whether solo or antiphonal, expresses their overflow of strong feelings with lyrics and tunes in a straightforward and sometimes quite bold manner. The “plot” that is embedded in a folk song, however, requires careful analysis in terms of narrative progression, or rather narrative dynamics, so as to uncover how the singer’s affection or the conflict between the lovebirds develops. Along with a brief introduction to ballad Xiaodiao and a theoretical term borrowed from narratology as an analytical tool, the present article is intended to explore how love stories are told in two Tujia folk songs translated by one of the authors. It seems that, albeit the national character of the Chinese people being mostly rather reserved, wooing by singing has a long tradition with strong socio-cultural grounds, especially in an agrarian country where people mostly live in very harsh mountainous areas where finding a life partner to ensure a better chance of survival and to carry on the ancestral line becomes a top priority. The significance of this research lies in its detailed analysis of specific Tujia folk songs within a narrative dynamic framework, which may shed some light on a broader approach to interpreting lyrical texts. The qualitative analysis does show us the possibility for the singer to construct and the audience to reconstruct a complete love story.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads
AU  - Luo Na
AU  - Li Ming
Y1  - 2021/11/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 292
EP  - 296
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
AB  - Tujia minority people are renowned for their talents in improvising and singing a wide range of folk songs, among which Xiaodiao is particularly popular with their young generations who tend to make a confession of love or show a wide variation on the theme of love and marriage. A young male and/or female singer, whether solo or antiphonal, expresses their overflow of strong feelings with lyrics and tunes in a straightforward and sometimes quite bold manner. The “plot” that is embedded in a folk song, however, requires careful analysis in terms of narrative progression, or rather narrative dynamics, so as to uncover how the singer’s affection or the conflict between the lovebirds develops. Along with a brief introduction to ballad Xiaodiao and a theoretical term borrowed from narratology as an analytical tool, the present article is intended to explore how love stories are told in two Tujia folk songs translated by one of the authors. It seems that, albeit the national character of the Chinese people being mostly rather reserved, wooing by singing has a long tradition with strong socio-cultural grounds, especially in an agrarian country where people mostly live in very harsh mountainous areas where finding a life partner to ensure a better chance of survival and to carry on the ancestral line becomes a top priority. The significance of this research lies in its detailed analysis of specific Tujia folk songs within a narrative dynamic framework, which may shed some light on a broader approach to interpreting lyrical texts. The qualitative analysis does show us the possibility for the singer to construct and the audience to reconstruct a complete love story.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Luo Na

School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Li Ming

School of Interpreting & Translation Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Luo Na, Li Ming. (2021). How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(6), 292-296. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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ACS Style

Luo Na; Li Ming. How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(6), 292-296. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

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AMA Style

Luo Na, Li Ming. How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(6):292-296. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16,
  author = {Luo Na and Li Ming},
  title = {How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {292-296},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210906.16},
  abstract = {Tujia minority people are renowned for their talents in improvising and singing a wide range of folk songs, among which Xiaodiao is particularly popular with their young generations who tend to make a confession of love or show a wide variation on the theme of love and marriage. A young male and/or female singer, whether solo or antiphonal, expresses their overflow of strong feelings with lyrics and tunes in a straightforward and sometimes quite bold manner. The “plot” that is embedded in a folk song, however, requires careful analysis in terms of narrative progression, or rather narrative dynamics, so as to uncover how the singer’s affection or the conflict between the lovebirds develops. Along with a brief introduction to ballad Xiaodiao and a theoretical term borrowed from narratology as an analytical tool, the present article is intended to explore how love stories are told in two Tujia folk songs translated by one of the authors. It seems that, albeit the national character of the Chinese people being mostly rather reserved, wooing by singing has a long tradition with strong socio-cultural grounds, especially in an agrarian country where people mostly live in very harsh mountainous areas where finding a life partner to ensure a better chance of survival and to carry on the ancestral line becomes a top priority. The significance of this research lies in its detailed analysis of specific Tujia folk songs within a narrative dynamic framework, which may shed some light on a broader approach to interpreting lyrical texts. The qualitative analysis does show us the possibility for the singer to construct and the audience to reconstruct a complete love story.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - How Love Stories Progress in Folk Songs: The Narrative Dynamics in Two Tujia Minority Ballads
AU  - Luo Na
AU  - Li Ming
Y1  - 2021/11/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 292
EP  - 296
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.16
AB  - Tujia minority people are renowned for their talents in improvising and singing a wide range of folk songs, among which Xiaodiao is particularly popular with their young generations who tend to make a confession of love or show a wide variation on the theme of love and marriage. A young male and/or female singer, whether solo or antiphonal, expresses their overflow of strong feelings with lyrics and tunes in a straightforward and sometimes quite bold manner. The “plot” that is embedded in a folk song, however, requires careful analysis in terms of narrative progression, or rather narrative dynamics, so as to uncover how the singer’s affection or the conflict between the lovebirds develops. Along with a brief introduction to ballad Xiaodiao and a theoretical term borrowed from narratology as an analytical tool, the present article is intended to explore how love stories are told in two Tujia folk songs translated by one of the authors. It seems that, albeit the national character of the Chinese people being mostly rather reserved, wooing by singing has a long tradition with strong socio-cultural grounds, especially in an agrarian country where people mostly live in very harsh mountainous areas where finding a life partner to ensure a better chance of survival and to carry on the ancestral line becomes a top priority. The significance of this research lies in its detailed analysis of specific Tujia folk songs within a narrative dynamic framework, which may shed some light on a broader approach to interpreting lyrical texts. The qualitative analysis does show us the possibility for the singer to construct and the audience to reconstruct a complete love story.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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