The literature of the almanac: Reflections on the anthropology of the literary act

A three dimensional study is made starting from popular almanacs and variou s, essentially French, German and Quebec examples: on the one hand, on the almanac's more or less unique function as a book which the almanac held in the traditional peasant society--often exceptionally along with the Bible; then on the presence of literary texts and authors in the type of almanacs; and, finally, on the predominant importance of short and 'simple' (accordi ng to the terminology of Andre Jolles) literary forms like the fable and th e dictum that seem particularly characteristic for the appearance of litera ture int he almanacs.