What is Folklore?
Introduction
This seminar is an overture to the module. In it, we will consider the nature of folklore and its value to the historian. We will also begin to discuss issues which we will return to across the module.
Seminar Questions
What is folklore?
What can the historian learn from the study of folklore?
What are the key issues which the historian of folklore needs to address?
Required Reading
You should each read three of the following items:
Bascom, William R., 'Four Functions of FolkloreLink opens in a new window', The Journal of American Folklore 67/266 (1954), 333–349
Baycroft, Timothy, 'Introduction' in Timothy Baycroft and David Hopkin, eds, Folklore and Nationalism in Europe during the Long Nineteenth CenturyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window (Leiden, 2012)
Bendix, Regina F., and Galit Hasan-Rokem, 'Introduction' and 'Introduction to Part I', in Regina F. Bendix and Galit Hasan-Rokem, eds, A Companion to FolkloreLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window (Malden, MA, 2012)
Bronner, Simon J., Folklore: The BasicsLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window (London, 2017), Introduction and Chapter One.
Pooley, William G., 'Native to the Past: History, Anthropology, and Folklore in Past and PresentLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Past & Present 239: 1 (2018), e1–e15
Further Reading
Bell, Karl, The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack: Victorian Urban Folklore and Popular Cultures (London, 2012)
Bendix, Regina F., and Galit Hasan-Rokem, eds, A Companion to Folklore (Malden, MA, 2012)
Bennett, Margaret, ed., Scottish Customs: From the Cradle to the Grave (Edinburgh, 1992)
Blank, Trevor J., ed., Folk Culture in the Digital Age: The Emergent Dynamics of Human Interaction (Logan, UT, 2012)
Bronner, Simon J., Folklore: The BasicsLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window (London, 2017)
Burke, Peter, 'History and Folklore: A Historiographical SurveyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Folklore 115/2 (2004), 133–139
Cheeseman, Matthew, 'Introduction', in Folklore and Nation in Britain and Ireland, ed. Matthew Cheeseman and Carina Hart (London, 2022), 1-21
Gencarella, Stephen Olbrys, 'Gramsci, Good Sense, and Critical Folklore StudiesLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Journal of Folklore Research 47:3 (2010), 221–252.
Hobsbawm, Eric, 'Introduction: Inventing Traditions' in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds, The Invention of TraditionLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window (Cambridge, 1983)
Kingshill, Sophia, and Jennifer Westwood, The Fabled Coast: Legends and Traditions from Around the Shores of Britain and Ireland (London, 2014)
Limón, José E., 'Breaking with Gramsci: Gencarella on Good Sense and Critical Folklore StudiesLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Journal of Folklore Research 47:3 (2010), 253-257.
Limón, José E., 'Western Marxism and Folklore: A Critical IntroductionLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', The Journal of American Folklore 96: 379 (1983), 34–52.
Lindahl, Carl, John McNamara and John Lindow, eds, Medieval Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs, 2 vols (Oxford, 2000)
Lombardi-Satriani, Luigi, 'Folklore as Culture of ContestationLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Journal of the Folklore Institute 11:1/2 (1974), 99–121.
Meder, Theo, ‘In Search of the Dutch Lore of the Land: Old and New Legends throughout the Netherlands’, Folklore 122/2 (2011), 117–34.
Norman, Mark, Telling the Bees and Other Customs: The Folklore of Rural Crafts (Cheltenham, 2020)
Ó Giolláin, Diarmuid, Locating Irish Folklore: Tradition, Modernity, Identity (Cork, 2000)
Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí, The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopaedia of Myth, Legend and Romance (Woodbridge, 2006)
Ó Súilleabháin, Seán, A Handbook of Irish Folklore (Dublin, 1942)
Owen, Trefor M., Welsh Folk Customs (Cardiff, 1959)
Pooley, William G, 'Native to the Past: History, Anthropology, and Folklore in Past and Present', Past & Present 239/1 (2018), e1-e15.
Rees, Gareth E., Unofficial Britain: Journeys through Unexpected Places (London, 2020)
Roud, Steve, The English Year: A Month-by-Month Guide to the Nation's Customs and Festivals, from May Day to Mischief Night (Harmondsworth, 2008)
Roud, Steve, The Lore of the Playground: One Hundred Years of Children's Games, Rhymes and Traditions (London, 2010)
Roud, Steve, The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland (Harmondsworth, 2003)
Simpson, Jacqueline, and Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore (Oxford, 2003)
Simpson, Jacqueline, Green Men & White Swans: The Folklore of British Pub Names (London, 2010)
Vickery, Roy, Vickery's Folk Flora: An A-Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants (London, 2019)
Walsham, Alexandra, 'Recording Superstition in Early Modern Britain: The Origins of Folklore', Past & Present 199, supplement 3 (2008), 178–206
Westwood, Jennifer, and Jacqueline Simpson, The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys (Harmondsworth, 2005)
Westwood, Jennifer, and Sophia Kingshill, The Lore of Scotland: A Guide to Scottish Legends (London, 2009)
Wood, Juliette, 'Perceptions of the Past in Welsh Folklore StudiesLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window', Folklore 108:1-2, (1997), 93-102