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El-Shamy’s Arab World Tale-Type Index
Hasan M. El-Shamy’s Types of the Folktale in the Arab World (2004) combines tale-type classification with attention to the social and demographic circumstances of storytelling.
The index concerns a diverse cultural region and related traditions. “Arab World” should not be treated as a single language, ethnicity, or undifferentiated narrative tradition.
Organisation of the index
El-Shamy develops the Aarne–Thompson approach. Its broad divisions include:
| Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Animal tales | Plots centred on animal actors. |
| Ordinary folktales | Magic and religious tales, novelle, and tales of the stupid ogre. |
| Jokes and anecdotes | Comic narratives and anecdotal plots. |
| Formula tales | Stories organised around repeated or patterned forms. |
| Unclassified tales | Material listed outside the preceding groupings. |
Using this reference
Use the regional entry and its documentation to assess a proposed match, alongside the teller, place, language and social setting where these are known.
Preserve El-Shamy’s entry notation and edition in any future cross-reference. Verify an ATU correspondence separately: the 2004 work follows the Aarne–Thompson tradition, and older AT designations do not automatically establish an identical ATU entry.
Each heading has a stable link for citation and future cross-referencing. Narrative associations will follow later analysis.
Sources and further reading
El-Shamy, Hasan M. Types of the Folktale in the Arab World: A Demographically Oriented Tale-Type Index. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
The explanations are concise editorial summaries. Published identifiers are distinguished from this page’s reference headings and suggested recording practices.
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