Fairies and Folk

Emily Lyle

Fairies and Folk. Approaches to the Scottish Ballad Tradition

ISBN 978-3-88476-957-7, 340 S., kt., € 19,50 (2007)

(BASE - Ballads and Songs, Engagements, Bd. 1)

Fairies and Folk brings together the results of many years of research by the eminent Scottish scholar, Emily Lyle. As the title indicates, the first part is focussed on a group of fairy ballads, namely "Thomas the Rhymer", "The Wee Wee Man", "King Orpheus", "Sir Colin", "Tam Lin" and "The Queen of Elfan's Nourice", and sets them in the context of traditional beliefs and of Scottish culture, present (sung performances) and past (the medieval world of the romances).

The second part, Folk, treats Scottish antiquaries, scholars, and singers (many of them women) who were involved with the ballad heritage in the rich century of collection and research from Motherwell's first field-work in South-West Scotland in 1825 to the publication in 1925 of ballads from the North-East gathered by Greig and Duncan. The interchange of letters between William Motherwell and Peter Buchan, published here for the first time, makes fascinating reading, and so does the intriguing correspondence between F. J. Child and the Scots who contributed so substantially to his classic edition, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads.

Fairies and Folk offers many exciting new insights and is a must for anyone with an interest in ballad studies or Scottish culture.

Buchvorschau / Inhaltsverzeichnis (pdf)