Folklore : An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music and Art
By Thomas A. Green
ABC-CLIO | ISBN: 087436986X | 1998 | PDF | 932 pages | 10.8 mb
Amazon Link : http://www.amazon.com/Folklore-volumes-Encyclopedia-Beliefs-Customs/dp/087436986X
A comprehensive two-volume reference set providing an overview of the study of folklore, this text comprises over 200 articles contributed by European and North American scholars. The various forms of folk culture covered include the ballad, riddle, legend and myth, whilst character types include the hero, fool and trickster.
This lucid, specialized reference work draws on the extraordinary scholarship of 77 authorities to provide more than 200 definitive essays on North American and European folklore. The splendidly illustrated references and in-depth, signed articles offer information on the forms of folk culture (e.g., ballad, riddle, legend, tales, myth), define the standard conceits of the discipline (e.g., hero, fool, trickster), and present extensive discussion of the methodology of the professional folklorist (e.g., comparative mythology, field work, semiotics). The comprehensive reference covers new approaches to folk study (e.g., gender studies, gay literature, minorities), as well as traditional topics like music, dance, storytelling, and folk art. The geographic scope embraces Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the United States. The work provides not only a fundamental understanding of folklore but also insights into the more general story of culture and society. Editor Green (anthropology, Texas A&M Univ.) has compiled a thoroughly referenced and excellently arranged guide to essential resources and ready reference citations for folklorists, social scientists, historians, journalists, and interested readers. Superseding Maria Leach's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend (HarperCollins, 1984), this is now the standard source.
