FROM THE HISTORY OF FOREIGN AND GEORGIAN COLLECTING ACTIVITIES OF THE XVIII-XIX CENTURIES

Tamar Gogoladze; Ketevan Barbakadze

Tamar Gogoladze Doctor of Philology, Professor of Gori State University, 53 Chavchavadze St., 1400, Gori, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0450-2924
Ketevan Barbakadze Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences Associated Professor of Gori State University, 53 Chavchavadze St. 1400, Gori, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8706-2102

Abstract

The history of folkloristics has preserved for us the names of the “pioneers” of collecting activity, C. Brentano and A. Arnim. Having begun their journey on the Rhine River (in Germany), in 1806 they collected and published samples of oral literature (mainly folk songs) under the title “The Boy’s Magic Horn” (“Des KnabenWunderhorn”). Later, Ludwig Achim Arnim’s wife, Bettina (Elisabeth) Brentano also got involved in this work; they maintained connections with the Grimm Brothers and other German romantics, since it is precisely among the characteristics of romanticism as a movement was the effort to bring folk heritage to light in order to return a nation’s gaze toward its historical past.

In the Georgian reality, researchers believe the necessity of collecting oral literature was driven by the goals of restoring pride in the past of a nation that had lost its independence and raising its profile within Europe.

Since 1882, active collection effortsintensified with the development of a program (I. Gogebashvili, P. Umikashvili), which led to the main part of society (literate people, teachers) collecting material in their own regions, villages or cities and sending it to publications such as “Iveria” or “Droeba”. In the 1890s, Akaki’s monthly periodical collection served as a sort of central hub, leading to the interest of representatives of various processions. One of them was the actress NatoGabunia and her husband, playwright AvksentiTsagareli, who in 1886 published folk songs, songs, rhymes, proverbs in the newspaper Teatri(#41, #48), which they had recorded during their tours. The recordings are very flawed, as the basic requirements of the program are not met (exact place of recording, identity of the speaker, etc.), although the variants of folklore samples preserved in different regions of Georgia are noteworthy.

Keywords: Bettina and AchimArnim, Clemens Brentano, the Tsagarelis, “Theatre”.