Morphology of the Folktale

Historical Context and Significance

«Morphology of the Folktale» by Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp marked a true breakthrough in folklore studies and literary theory, introducing for the first time a rigorous scientific system for analyzing the fairy tale. At a time when the study of folk creativity was often limited to collecting and describing plots, Propp, with remarkable precision, uncovered the inner structure of fairy-tale narrative, identifying the invariant functions of characters and the sequence of events. His work became not only the foundation for subsequent research into narrative structure but also had a profound impact on the development of structuralism, semiotics, and literary theory in the twentieth century. «Morphology of the Folktale» inspired generations of writers, screenwriters, and scholars, providing them with a tool to penetrate the mysteries of narrative art and opening new horizons for understanding cultural archetypes. Propp’s book has become an integral part of cultural heritage, serving as a key to understanding the universal laws of the fairy-tale world and human imagination.