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Koldo Biguri Otxoa de Eribe
This essay begins with a survey of the concepts �literature", "oral", �popular" and �traditional" as used by various different researchers in their studies of Basque oral literature, since it has not always been accorded the status of literature, and the terms �traditional" and �popular" have received varying interpretations which have allowed them to encompass such distinct forms as both oral and written �bersolarism" and its related genres, as well as the various orally transmitted genres.
In the early stages of research into the Basque oral genres, one finds attempts to defend this phenomenon from a literary standpoint, and efforts to set it above mere folklore. Don Manuel Lekuona, one of the most outstanding of these figures, was much more active in this repect than others, and even more so than Azkue of the most important collators of this kind of oral genre.
The essay continues with a more detailed examination of research carried out in this field during the 20th century, which starts by comparing it with the previous century's contributions. This shows that a geographical shift in this type of research took place around the turn of the century, since such work was in the 19th century almost entirely restricted to the French Basque Country, whilst the next century opened with the appearance in the south of such great figures as Resurreccion María de Azkue, Father Donostia and Manuel Lekuona, whose work then spread all over the Basque Country.
This is followed by a survey of the development of research into tradition as it has evolved from the Civil War up to the present day. It becomes clear that the scholars of Basque literature (Mitxelena, Villasante and Sarasola) have practically ignored this part of our culture until very recently.
By way of conclusion, it is pointed out that the last few years have seen an increase in specialisation in research on tradition, which has produced studies devoted exclusively to the ballad, to lyric poetry, and to other genres, amongst which the traditional folk tale has received, and continues to receive, the least attention.
