| dc.description | While previous scholarship has greatly advanced our understanding of individual frame tales, particularly The Canterbury Tales, the Decameron, and The Thousand Nights and a Night, little has been said in regard to the genre itself. Part of this lack is certainly due to the wide variety of works that have been included under this rubric at one time or another. The genre spans centuries and cultures; indeed, one of its most fascinating features is its inherent flexibility. Because it seemingly encompasses so many narrative forms and traditions, the frame tale has escaped precise definition and study. While this essay can by no means answer all the questions that the term "frame tale" generates, it will provide a context for further discussion, particularly in regard to the unique role of the frame tale in the orality/literacy continuum of the Middle Ages. | eng |
![[PDF]](/xmlui/themes/Mirage2//images/mimes/pdf.png "PDF file"){kind=small}