Open research questions in Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies

What the literature leaves open

• Train- ing that treats The Sonnet Across Languages and Centuries as a settled body of findings misrepresents its condition; training that treats it as all open questions fails to convey what has been secured.

  Fourteen Lines, Endless Play: A Historical Development Review of The Sonnet Across Languages and Centuries · 2026 · DOI

• Maciej Stryjkowski is a well-known historian and poet of the Renaissance, but one aspect of his work has remained underexplored – namely, his material on Lithuanian folklore.

  Renaissance Historian and Poet Maciej Stryjkowski and His Relationship to Lithuanian Sung Folklore · 2025 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in our understanding of cross-cultural similarities and differences in fairytales. The analysis addresses this gap by examining character roles and attribute profiles across Palestinian and Grimm fairytales.

  Beyond Heroes and Villains: Mapping Fairytale Characters Across Palestinian and Grimm Traditions · 2026 · DOI

• Future research could explore the experiences of queer individuals in different environments, such as urban or rural settings. The work could be extended to examine the impact of family violence and precarity on individuals and communities.

  Extracts from the Novel Chiaroscuro · 2026 · DOI

• The novel Chiaroscuro identifies a gap in the literature, exploring the experiences of queer individuals in suburban working-class environments. The work highlights the importance of reimagining new forms of desire, identity, and survival.

  Extracts from the Novel Chiaroscuro · 2026 · DOI

• Further research could explore the use of symbolic folklore in other literary works. The paper suggests that future research could investigate the role of symbolic folklore in shaping cultural beliefs and practices.

  Symbolic Representation of Thematic Folklore in Dust, The Dragonfly Sea, Kintu and The First Woman · 2026 · DOI

• There is a gap in critical attention on the subject of the representation of symbolic folklore in the texts under study. The use of symbolic folklore by contemporary African writers has been neglected.

  Symbolic Representation of Thematic Folklore in Dust, The Dragonfly Sea, Kintu and The First Woman · 2026 · DOI

• There are existing definitional inconsistencies within literary studies regarding retelling. There are difficulties in establishing clear typologies of retelling.

  Retelling w literaturze · 2026 · DOI

• Further research could explore the application of postmodern literary strategies in other translations. The study suggests that future research could investigate the impact of cultural context on translation decisions.

  Unraveling the layers and untangling the knots: Postmodern literary strategies in the Turkish translation of Donald Barthelme's Snow White · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the understanding of postmodern literary strategies in translation. The paper highlights the need for further research on the challenges of translating postmodern texts.

  Unraveling the layers and untangling the knots: Postmodern literary strategies in the Turkish translation of Donald Barthelme's Snow White · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the existing research, noting that the representation of diversity in Baltic (e)migrant children's literature has not been extensively studied. The study aims to fill this gap by examining several dimensions of diversity in Baltic (e)migrant children's literature.

  The Search for Diversity in Baltic (E)migrant Picture Books and Fairy Tales for Children · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the folklore collection of the Shirak region. The paper highlights the need for a comprehensive analysis of the region's folklore heritage.

  Overall Picture of Shirak’s Folklore Collection from the Mid-19th up to the Beginning of the 21st Century · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can explore the impact of the Green Children's story on the local community. It can also investigate the significance of spiritualism and the search for supernatural beings in modern society.

  Sweet Reading: An Exciting, Thought-provoking Book about an Extraordinary Encounter with the Fairy Folk · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the human search for meaning. It highlights the need to explore the representation of supernatural beings in media.

  Sweet Reading: An Exciting, Thought-provoking Book about an Extraordinary Encounter with the Fairy Folk · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the theoretical analysis of the translation strategies applied to texts with a high density of intertextual connections. The research highlights the need for a comprehensive study of the onomastic system in Neil Gaiman's graphic novel The Sandman.

  The Onomastic Universe of the Graphic Novel The Sandman by Neil Gaiman: Strategies and Challenges of the Ukrainian Translation · 2026 · DOI

• In summarizing the results of this study on the onomastic space of Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel The Sandman, it can be asserted that proper names in this work perform complex semantic, symbolic, and stylistic functions, serving as a vital component of the multimodal narrative. Their translation into Ukrainian requires not only formal correspondence but also a profound reproduction of the conceptual, cultural, and emotional layers embedded in the original text. The analysis demonstrates that translator actively employs strategies such as transcoding, calquing, and cultural adaptation, that provide a balance between accurately reproducing the original proper names and ensuring clarity for the target audience. Simultaneously, the research highlighted a series of translational challenges related to conveying the expressiveness and connotative richness of specific onyms. Ultimately, the translation of The Sandman’s onomasticon is a complex, multilevel process in which the translator acts not merely as a linguistic mediator but as an interpreter of the artistic world. Further research could be directed toward a deeper analysis of the interaction between verbal and visual components in translation, as well as studying the reception of Ukrainian onymic equivalents among readers. REFERENCES 1. Boka, O. (2008). Vlasni imena yak kompresovani teksty-nosii kohnityvnoi informatsii (na materiali kazky Dzh. Roulinh "Harri Potter i Orden Feniksa") [Proper Names as Compressed Texts Conveying Cognitive Information (Based on J. K. Rowling’s Novel "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"]. Visnyk SumDU. Seriia "Filolohiia", 1, 15–19. 2. Gaiman, N. (1991). The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes. Vertigo. 3. Geiman, N. (2019). The Sandman. Pisochnyi cholovik. Tom 1: Preliudii ta noktiurny [The Sandman. Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes]. RIDNA MOVA. 4. Kovtun, O., & Pomazan, O. (2016). Vlasne imia u khudozhnomu tvori yak perekladatska problema [Proper Names in Literary Works as a Translation Problem]. Typolohiia movnykh znachen u diakhronichnomu ta zistavnomu aspektakh, 31-32, 46–58. 43 Studia Philologica. 2026. Issue 26 DOI: https://doi.org/10.28925/2412-2491.2026.26 ISSN 2412-2491 (Online) 5. Korunets, I. (2003). Teoriia i praktyka perekladu [Theory and Practice of Translation]. Nova knyha. 6. Kocherhan, M. (2005). Vstup do movoznavstva. [Introduction to Linguistics]. Akademiia. 7. McCloud, S. (1993). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. William Morrow Paperbacks. 8. Nørgaard, N., Busse, B., & Montoro, R. (2010). Key terms in Stylistics. Bloomsbury. 9. Syniavska, O. (2023). Pro deiaki sposoby perekladu vlasnykh nazv (na materiali personazhiv komiksiv) [On some methods of translating proper names (using comic book characters as examples)].

  The Onomastic Universe of the Graphic Novel The Sandman by Neil Gaiman: Strategies and Challenges of the Ukrainian Translation · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the literature on the translation of similes in children's literature. The study notes that the translation of similes poses a challenge due to the difference in conceptualization between the source and target languages.

  Simile Translation in Children’s Literature: A Case Study of "Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes and Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk" · 2026 · DOI

• The study addresses a gap in previous research by utilizing a carnivalistic approach to the analysis of The Circus Train. The paper identifies a need to integrate Bakhtinian theory with contemporary literary discourse.

  Performing the Self: A Bakhtinian Carnivalistic Reading of Amita Parikh's The Circus Train · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of interpretation of Shahmaran as a bee-goddess in existing literature. The need for a deeper understanding of the symbolic connection between Shahmaran and bees.

  The Bee-Goddess Archetype in the Myth of Shahmaran · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can apply the analysis of symbolic language to other literary works. Further study can explore the cultural significance of symbolic language in fantasy literature.

  Symbolic Language Of The Constructions Of Fantasy Within The European Medieval Society In Lily Murray’s Novel Sleeping Beauty · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the understanding of symbolic language in the construction of fantasy in literature. The analysis of symbolic language in Lily Murray's novel Sleeping Beauty addresses this gap.

  Symbolic Language Of The Constructions Of Fantasy Within The European Medieval Society In Lily Murray’s Novel Sleeping Beauty · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the challenges of translating cultural references in audiovisual materials. The research identifies the need to balance cultural sensitivity and textual fidelity in audiovisual translation.

  Cultural Manipulation of Children’s Literature Dubbing: A Translation Quality Assessment of Extralinguistic Cultural References in The Simpsons · 2026 · DOI

• The study primarily concentrates on audiovisual translation within the specific context of animated shows. The scope of the research is limited to a specific set of excerpts from the series The Simpsons. The study deals with some extracts from the dubbed version of the MBC channel only.

  Cultural Manipulation of Children’s Literature Dubbing: A Translation Quality Assessment of Extralinguistic Cultural References in The Simpsons · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in understanding how relatedness is affected by the interaction range. The research seeks to address this gap by measuring relatedness within and beyond the interaction range.

  Supplementary Figures from Interaction range of common goods shapes Black Queen dynamics beyond the cheater–cooperator narrative · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the analysis of the myth about twins in the novel 'Cutting for Stone'. The gap includes the lack of understanding of the significance of the theme of twinship in the novel.

  Myth about twins in the novel “Cutting for stone” by A. Verghese · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies

• The Myth of Asia's Miracle · Foreign Affairs · 1994 · 1,240 citations
• The Raven's Progressive Matrices: Change and Stability over Culture and Time · Cognitive Psychology · 2000 · 1,166 citations
• The Structural Study of Myth · Journal of American Folklore · 1955 · 599 citations
• The Mountain Man Myth: A Contemporary Consuming Fantasy · Journal of Consumer Research · 1998 · 503 citations
• Culture tales: A narrative approach to thinking, cross-cultural psychology, and psychotherapy. · American Psychologist · 1991 · 383 citations
• Community Narratives: Tales of Terror and Joy · American Journal of Community Psychology · 2000 · 230 citations
• White Mythology: Metaphor in the Text of Philosophy · New Literary History · 1974 · 215 citations
• The Tree of Life: Universal and Cultural Features of Folkbiological Taxonomies and Inductions · Cognitive Psychology · 1997 · 213 citations
• The Mythic Mannish Lesbian: Radclyffe Hall and the New Woman · Signs · 1984 · 205 citations
• The Imaginary · Anthropological Theory · 2006 · 170 citations

Most recent work

• Performing the Self: A Bakhtinian Carnivalistic Reading of Amita Parikh's The Circus Train · Journal of Language Teaching and Research · 2026
• Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore · Folklore Electronic Journal of Folklore · 2026
• Mythopolitics: or the Battleground of Stories of Power · Political Theology · 2026
• Shifting the Focus Towards “Tradhusbands:” A Black Feminist Examination of the Visible Tradwife and the Invisible but Integral Role of the Tradhusband · Psychology of Women Quarterly · 2026
• Cripting the Classics: Disabled Women Reclaim The Ugly Duckling and Rapunzel · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• ‘That’s what I saw in MY story!’ Reading and rewriting Chinese folktales with bilingual children · Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development · 2026
• Beyond Heroes and Villains: Mapping Fairytale Characters Across Palestinian and Grimm Traditions · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• The Analysis of Space in the Fairy Tale "The Thousand-Voiced Nightingale or Alo-Dino's Tale" (with Special Reference to its Scottish Counter-part) · Herald of Social Sciences · 2026
• Making Grace Sherwood the Witch of Pungo: Legend Entrepreneurs and the Development of Virginia Folklore · Journal of Folklore Research · 2026
• Fictional Intentional Communities in Literature · Communal Societies · 2026

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