Editing Oral tradition (section)

====John Miles Foley====
In advance of Ong's synthesis, [[John Miles Foley]] began a series of papers based on his own fieldwork on South Slavic oral genres, emphasizing the dynamics of performers and audiences.<ref>Foley, John Miles. ''The Theory of Oral Composition''. Bloomington: IUP, 1991, p 76.</ref> Foley effectively consolidated oral tradition as an academic field<ref>{{Cite web |title=not found |url=http://illumination.missouri.edu/spr05/fol1.htm |access-date=November 25, 2024 |website=illumination.missouri.edu}}</ref> when he compiled ''Oral-Formulaic Theory and Research'' in 1985. The bibliography gives a summary of the progress scholars made in evaluating the oral tradition up to that point, and includes a list of all relevant scholarly articles relating to the theory of [[Oral-Formulaic Composition]]. He also both established both the journal ''Oral Tradition'' and founded the ''Center for Studies in Oral Tradition'' (1986) at the [[University of Missouri]]. Foley developed Oral Theory beyond the somewhat mechanistic notions presented in earlier versions of Oral-Formulaic Theory, by extending Ong's interest in cultural features of oral societies beyond the verbal, by drawing attention to the agency of the [[bard]] and by describing how oral traditions bear meaning.

The bibliography would establish a clear underlying methodology which accounted for the findings of scholars working in the separate [[Linguistics]] fields (primarily [[Ancient Greek]], Anglo-Saxon and Serbo-Croatian). Perhaps more importantly, it would stimulate conversation among these specialties, so that a network of independent but allied investigations and investigators could be established.<ref>Foley, John Miles. ''Oral Formulaic Theory and Research: An Introduction and Annotated Bibliography''. NY: Garland, 1985. ''The Theory of Oral Composition''. Bloomington: IUP, 1991, pp. 64-66.</ref>

Foley's key works include ''The Theory of Oral Composition'' (1988);<ref>John Miles Foley. ''The Theory of Oral Composition: History and Methodology''. Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1988.</ref> ''Immanent Art'' (1991); ''Traditional Oral Epic: The Odyssey, Beowulf and the Serbo-Croatian Return-Song'' (1993); ''The Singer of Tales in Performance'' (1995); ''Teaching Oral Traditions'' (1998); ''How to Read an Oral Poem'' (2002). His [[Pathways Project]] (2005–2012) draws parallels between the media dynamics of oral traditions and the [[Internet]].