Simpleton (stock character)

In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons. The ancient Greeks told tales of stupid populations in Abdera and other cities; in Germany, men of Schilda are conspicuous in these stories; in Spain hundreds of jokes exist about the supposed foolishness of the people from Lepe; and in England, the village of Gotham in Nottinghamshire is reputed to be populated by simpletons. In Sri Lanka whole districts in the central, southern, and western provinces are credited with being the abode of foolish people.

Tales of simpleton behavior have often been collected into books, and early joke books include many simpleton jokes. In ancient Greece, Hierokles created such a collection. In England, the famous Joe Miller's Jests is highly inclusive of simpleton jokes. In Britain the Irish are often stereotyped as stupid and are the butt of An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman jokes. Books of simpleton tales exist in Persia, Ireland, Turkey, Iceland, Japan, Sicily, and India.

Simpleton

Simpleton may refer to:

See also

Simpleton (reggae musician)

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Simpleton (born Christopher Harrison, Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, 1971) was a Jamaican reggae DJ whose claim to fame was the 1992 hit single,"Coca Cola Bottle Shape."

Biography

Earlier records of this artist bring his name as Dracula and not Simpleton on the label "How you fi say dat". Simpleton released three reggae albums in the mid-1990s. After being virtually idle from the Jamaican music scene, Simpleton died from a heart attack on 7 November 2004 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Discography

External links

Folklore

Folklore can be described as traditional art, literature, knowledge, and practices that are passed on in large part through oral communication and example. The information thus transmitted expresses the shared ideas and values of a particular group. British antiquarian William Thoms is generally credited with coining the term "folklore" in 1846. As an academic discipline folklore shares methods, and insights with literature, anthropology, art, music, history, linguistics, philosophy, and mythology. Elliott Oring states that folklore is that part of culture that "lives happily ever after".Folkloristics is the academic study of folklore.

Definition

Ever since the term "folklore" was coined by William Thoms in 1846, there have been debates as to the meaning of the term among folklorists, with no widespread agreement.

The most common definition of folklore was that it represented 'oral tradition', or traditions that have been transmitted in an oral manner. This definition had several issues, however; in non-literate societies, for example, all culture is orally transmitted, making the concept of folklore in such a context all-encompassing. Moreover, even in literate societies there are many activities, such as brushing one's teeth or driving a vehicle, which are orally transmitted and yet not usually thought of as folklore. Accordingly, oral transmission alone is not seen as something that is enough to make something folkloric. Also problematizing the link between folklore and oral tradition is the fact that some practices that are widely deemed folkloric – such as epitaphs or chain letters – involve transmission through text. Similarly, some other folkloric practices, such as traditional dances, games, gestures, and symbols, are often transmitted visually rather than orally.

Folklore (Jorge Cafrune album)

Folklore is the second album by the Argentine singer Jorge Cafrune, released in Argentina in 1962.

Track listing

Folklore (16 Horsepower album)

Folklore is the 4th studio album by 16 Horsepower, released in 2002.

As hinted to by its name, most of the material on the album is drawn from traditional folk music. Only four of the songs ("Hutterite Mile," "Blessed Persistence," "Beyond the Pale" and "Flutter") on the album are original 16 Horsepower compositions.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by 16 Horsepower and David Eugene Edwards except where noted. 

External links