A classic collection of Welsh folktales put into the context of
modern folklore studies.
A classic collection of Welsh folktales put into the context of
modern folklore studies.
' . . . a fascinating collection . . . The editorial contribution cannot, to my mind, be praised too highly. Wood writes lucidly, economically and provides an immense amount of information in a small space. That is true of the introduction, and equally true of the Appendix written as a guide to further study of Welsh folk legends. This is an excellent edition.' (Folklore)
Welsh Fairy Tales is classic collection of Welsh traditional narratives, most of which a folklorist would describe as legends. It has been reprinted many times and has had an significant influence on peoples' conception of the nature and content of Welsh folk tradition both in and outside Wales. The refined prose and imaginative illustrations are characteristic of a romantic view of fairytales, both as to the people who told them and as to the kind of supernatural realm they represented. This kind of collection was, and is, popular for children and general readers.
The study of folklore however has moved away from the romantic and become a rigorous academic study. Collections of folktales are an important part of the history of the discipline and general readers both want and need an introduction to the subject. The introduction places the author and the book in context vis à vis changes in attitudes to collecting and editing folktale texts and the development of Welsh folk studies. The appendix contains suggestions for further reading in the field of modern folklore studies.
Readership: It could be used by a folklore course from sixth form upwards or by general readers. The emphasis here is on folklore as an international field of study rather than solely as an aspect of Welsh studies.
Author: William Jenkyn Thomas (1870+1959) was born in Caernarfonshire and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He published The Welsh Fairy Book in 1907 and More Welsh Fairy and Folk Tales in 1958 as well as editing a number of volumes of classical texts and collections of Welsh poetry.
Dr Juliette Wood, Honorary Lecturer, Department of Welsh, University of Wales, Cardiff; Part-time Tutor, Extramural Department, University of Reading; Reviews Editor for Folklore, Journal of the Folklore Society and Convenor, Katharine Briggs Folklore Award, The Folklore Society. Dr Wood lives in Oxford.
Illustrator: Willy Pogány was born in Hungary in 1882. In 1915 he emigrated to the USA where he later became a designer for the theatre and for Hollywood. He illustrated well over a hundred books in his lifetime.