Stith Thompson
Encyclopedia
Stith Thompson was an American scholar of folklore
. He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne-Thompson classification system
.
, Nelson County, Kentucky, on March 7, 1885 as the son of John Warden and Eliza (McCluskey) Thompson moved with his family to Indianapolis at the age of twelve. He attended Butler College and obtained his BA degree from University of Wisconsin. For the next two years he taught high school in Portland, Oregon
, where he learned Norwegian. He earned his master’s degree in English literature from University of California, Berkeley in 1912. He studied at Harvard University from 1912 to 1914; taught English at the University of Texas, Austin from 1914 to 1918; and obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1919.
Thompson joined the English
faculty of Indiana University (Bloomington), teaching composition. Interested in traditional ballad
s and tales, he organized summer institutes on the subject at the university that ran from the 1940s to the 1960s. These led, in 1962, to Thompson and another preeminent student of folklore, Richard Dorson
, founding the University's Folklore Institute - still active .
While Thompson wrote, co-wrote, or translated numerous books and articles on folklore, he became arguably best known for his work on the classification of motif
s in folk tales. His six-volume Motif-Index of Folk-Literature (1932–37) is considered the international key to traditional material.
one of the members of the Plymouth Company.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne-Thompson classification system
Aarne-Thompson classification system
The Aarne–Thompson classification system is a system for classifying folktales. First developed by Antti Aarne and published in 1910, it was translated and enlarged by Stith Thompson...
.
Biography
Stith Thompson, born in BloomfieldBloomfield, Kentucky
Bloomfield is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 855 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bloomfield is located at ....
, Nelson County, Kentucky, on March 7, 1885 as the son of John Warden and Eliza (McCluskey) Thompson moved with his family to Indianapolis at the age of twelve. He attended Butler College and obtained his BA degree from University of Wisconsin. For the next two years he taught high school in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where he learned Norwegian. He earned his master’s degree in English literature from University of California, Berkeley in 1912. He studied at Harvard University from 1912 to 1914; taught English at the University of Texas, Austin from 1914 to 1918; and obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1919.
Thompson joined the English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
faculty of Indiana University (Bloomington), teaching composition. Interested in traditional ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s and tales, he organized summer institutes on the subject at the university that ran from the 1940s to the 1960s. These led, in 1962, to Thompson and another preeminent student of folklore, Richard Dorson
Richard Dorson
Richard Mercer Dorson was an American folklorist, author, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University.Dorson was born in New York City. He studied at the Phillips Exeter Academy from 1929 to 1933....
, founding the University's Folklore Institute - still active .
While Thompson wrote, co-wrote, or translated numerous books and articles on folklore, he became arguably best known for his work on the classification of motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
s in folk tales. His six-volume Motif-Index of Folk-Literature (1932–37) is considered the international key to traditional material.
Other works
Thompson's 1954 article for The Filson Club Historical Quarterly entitled The Beauchamp Family is still being used by genealogists. In this article Thompson states that he is descended from a Costin Beauchamp (b.1738) from Somerset Co., Maryland which extends back to John BeauchampJohn Beauchamp (Plymouth Company)
John Beauchamp was one of the influential members of the Plymouth Company.John Beauchamp was the son of Thomas Beauchamp of Cosgrove and Dorothy Beauchamp. He was born about 1592 in England. On December 27, 1615 he married Alice Freeman. They had seven children...
one of the members of the Plymouth Company.