CONTRIBUTION OF DONALD BARTHELME IN FOLKLORE SYSTEM OF POSTMODERN LITERATURE

Аннотация

This thesis explores the contribution of Donald Barthelme’s short stories “The School” (1974) and The “Glass Mountain” (1970) to the transformation of folklore in postmodern literature. As one of the most innovative American postmodern writers, Barthelme reimagines traditional folklore through fragmentation, parody, irony, and intertextuality, demonstrating that folklore functions as a dynamic cultural system rather than a fixed body of inherited narratives. “The Glass Mountain” is a postmodern reworking of the European folktale motif of the hero who climbs an enchanted mountain to obtain a magical reward. While preserving recognizable folkloric elements such as the impossible quest, the heroic figure, and the symbolic princess, Barthelme deliberately subverts readers’ expectations through fragmented narration, urban imagery, and an ironic ending. The traditional heroic journey is transformed into a critique of modern social values, suggesting that contemporary reality resists the moral certainty and narrative closure associated with classical folklore. Similarly, “The School” incorporates folkloric patterns related to the universal themes of life, death, renewal, and communal storytelling. Although the narrative is set in an ordinary classroom, the repeated cycle of death and rebirth evokes archetypal motifs commonly found in myths and oral traditions. Barthelme combines absurdity with philosophical reflection, inviting readers to interpret these recurring events as symbolic expressions of the human search for meaning in an unpredictable world.

The story demonstrates how folklore can survive in modern fiction through symbolic structures rather than direct retellings of traditional tales. The paper argues that Barthelme’s reinterpretation of folkloric motifs reflects one of the central principles of postmodernism: the continuous reconstruction of cultural narratives. His use of intertextuality and metafiction transforms folklore into an open system of meanings that encourages multiple interpretations instead of presenting universal truths. Consequently, Barthelme expands the literary function of folklore by integrating traditional motifs into experimental narrative forms that address contemporary cultural, philosophical, and existential concerns.