The renasence of soft methods: being ahead by waiting

Abstract

When I proposed the title (among others) of my lecture I was quite satisfied: the heading sounded a bit mysterious, and I didn' t even know exactly what it was about myself. By and by I drafted a design, but by and by I have learned that I was going to run the risk of just flogging willing horses. Now I think it is not too bad and will not offend anybody to break through open doors; but to do this by taking a run of about 5,000 miles is not usual even with the silent movie. Thus, just let me confess that I know that it was not a Tubingen fellow who gave a hollistic account of bloodstoppers and bearwalkers (not to speak of his further studies), that it was an Indiana newcomer who gave comprehensive in sights not only into Hungarian tales but into Hungarian tale telling as communicative events—and Iought to add at least a handful more examples. But here I am—it is too late to take the night train to Seima — I ' ll try to make the best of it , and I will not mind if you will state after wards that the only result of my visit is strong evidence for the theory which Richard Dorson regards as his own, the hemispheric theory saying that things are rather different in the Old and in the New Worlds.