Abstract
The present study brings to attention pragmatic aspects of telling folktales, in order to set up a complex perspective on this type of narrative construction. The spatial coordinates of narrating are reconsidered by relating them to the temporal aspects, which highlight the moments of the day which are favorable to telling stories, as well as the favourite seasons. The enumeration of the Narrative functions emphasizes the ritual-magic function, based on the force of the spoken word, as well as the defensive, purifying/cathartic, psychological, formative, educative, and artistic functions. Closely connected to these, Performer’s personality must be carefully discussed, especially through the narrator-hero-audience interaction. Therefore, the space and time of telling folktales and the narrator’s personality equally influence and determine the folktale’s specific features, as an independent narrative species within all the forms of folk literature. Furthermore, the audience’s expectations have a decisive role in both establishing whether the narrator is a good story-teller and shaping this literary form.
Keywords: story teller, performer, community, talent, originality.
Cuvinte-cheie: povestitor, performer, comunitate, talent, originalitate.