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"The most satisfactory general collection of folktales to come out of England since the advent of modern collection and classification techniques."--Journal of American Folklore   Tales of unnatural beings, curses, and ghosts, tall tales, shaggy dog stories--this collection from a renowned British folklorist offers a wide historical range, as well as commentaries. If wonder tales are not as abundant in England as elsewhere, other kinds of folktales thrive: local traditions, historical show more legends, humorous anecdotes. Many of the favorite tales which English-speaking peoples carry with them from childhood come from a long tradition--stories as familiar to Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Spenser, and their many contemporaries as they are to us. This volume is a "fine, homely feast" for anyone interested in the folklore of the world (Times Educational Supplement). "Should be of special concern to Americans since many of the tales are parallel to or the source of our own folk stories."--Choice "This is entertainment, to be sure, but is also part of man's attempts to comprehend his world."--Quartet show less

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2 reviews
This is a scholarly collection mean for folklorists, not children or casual readers, though some of the individual stories might be amusing. The foreword gives a history of folktale collecting in England from the 18th century onward, and the introduction discusses the tales in terms of the international tale motif classifications. The tales themselves are organized thematically, with three broad categories (Wonder Tales, Legends, and Jocular tales, the two latter larger categories being subdivided into more meaningful divisions such as saints, giants, ghosts, etc. The tale sources range from medieval to contemporary.
Exceptional Forward to an exceptional book.

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38+ Works 2,657 Members
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4+ Works 171 Members

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Folktales of England
Original publication date
1965
Important places
England, UK

Classifications

Genre
Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
398.20942Society, government, & cultureCustoms, etiquette & folkloreFolklore & FolktalesFolk literatureHistory, geographic treatment, biographyEuropean folktalesFolklore of England
LCC
GR141 .B7Geography, Anthropology and RecreationFolkloreFolkloreBy region or country
BISAC

Statistics

Members
148
Popularity
222,081
Reviews
2
Rating
(4.05)
Languages
English, German, Italian
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
10
ASINs
6