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In "Memetics and Folkloristics: The Theory" (Oring 2014), the ideas of Richard Dawkins and other memetic theorists were described and critiqued. This essay focuses upon the use of memetics in folkloristics and those substantial attempts to apply memetics to corpuses of folklore or folklore-related problems. Of particular concern are Jack Zipes s memetic explanation of the fairy tale; Bill Ellis's discussion of the viral nature of contemporary legends; Chip Heath et al.'s experiments with urban legend selection; and Michael D. C. Drout's meme-based approach to tradition that focuses on the Benedictine reform in tenth-century Anglo-Saxon England and the "wisdom poems" of the Exeter Book. KEYWORDS: memes, memetics, evolution, natural selection, fairy tale, urban legend, tradition
In "Memetics and Folkloristics: The Theory" (Oring 2014), the claims of memetics were outlined and questions concerning their logic and utility were raised. The discussion was rather abstract since memeticists were less concerned with applying memetics than showing how memetic theory might be true. Beyond the occasional example, there were no attempts to apply memetics to the explanation of corpuses of cultural materials. This essay focuses on the introduction of memetic theory into folkloristic discourse and its application in understanding folklore and folklore-related materials. It examines four applications of memetic theory in some detail.
The first discussion of memes in the folklore literature occurs in Kenneth D. Pimple's "The Meme-ing of Folklore," published in Journal of Folklore Research in 1996.' Pimple briefly introduces Richard Dawkins' concept of the meme and the concept of gene and meme selfishness. Pimple holds that memes are in the business of promoting human survival. Memes tell us how "to be able to court potential mates and raise offspring" (Pimple 1996:237). This idea is contrary to Dawkins' own formulation (2006:193-194,198199) and to the views of most memeticists except for the earliest stages of meme/brain development (Blackmore 1999:67-81). It is a view that is closer to sociobiology than to memetics (Wilson 2000).
In any event, what is curious about Pimple's essay is his rationale for introducing memes into the folkloristic conversation. He does not use memes to explain folklore. He discusses them to help in thinking about the definition of folklore. Pimple claims that there is a continuum between the natural and the artificial. In...