Heroïnes de rondalla i narradores orals, possibles paral·lelismes. El cas de Tàrbena (Marina Baixa)

The specialisation of ethnopoetic studies in a restricted area such as a small human community allows the analysis carried out to be in much great depth. One example of such in-depth analysis is that of the folktale heritage of the Valencian town Tàrbena. The fact that the study focuses on women enriches the global view of folk literature. It confirms the leading role of women as agents for transmitting folktales, in general, and of the tales of magic, in particular. The predominance of women among the narrators is evident, as is their greater communicative competence and greater emotional involvement. This shows that there is a whole collection of folktales in which women are the protagonists and embody positive values. As this typology of folktales is usually more characteristic of female repertoires, it can be seen that popular narrators transmit progressive values through folktales. At the same time, they also contribute to reinforcing patriarchal values, because they tell stories in which women who depart from society’s norms are condemned.