Final answer:
Studying folklore can present challenges such as lack of primary source documentation, difficulty linking oral and written literature, identifying universal themes, and recognizing prototypical characters.
Step-by-step explanation:
When studying folklore, there are several potential problems that researchers may encounter:
- Lack of primary source documentation:
- Folklore is often transmitted orally, which means it may not be documented in written form.
- This can make it difficult to find reliable primary sources.
- Difficulty locating links between oral and written literatures:
- Folklore can exist in both oral and written forms.
- Making connections between these different sources can be challenging.
- Identifying universal themes:
- Folklore from different cultures and time periods may contain similar themes or motifs.
- Recognizing these universal themes can help researchers understand and analyze folklore.
- Recognizing prototypical characters:
- Folklore often features archetypal characters, such as heroes or villains. Identifying and analyzing these characters can be an important part of studying folklore.