The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation

by Ronald M. James

By considering the folklore of Cornwall in a Northern European context, this book casts light on a treasury of often-ignored traditions. Folklore studies internationally have long considered Celtic material, but scholars have tended to overlook Cornwall's collections. The Folklore of Cornwall fills this gap, placing neglected stories on a par with those from other regions where Celtic languages have deep roots.

The Folklore of Cornwall demonstrates that Cornwall has a distinct body of oral tradition, even when examining legends and folktales that also appear elsewhere.  The way in which Cornish droll tellers achieved this unique pattern is remarkable; with the publication of this book, it becomes possible for folklorists to look to the peninsula beyond the River Tamar for insight.

A very readable text with popular appeal, this book serves as an introduction to folklore studies for the novice while also offering an alternative means to consider Cornish studies for advanced scholars. The comparative analysis combined with an innovative method of The Folklore of Cornwall is not to be found in other treatments of the subject.

Genres: Folklore

256 pages, Hardcover

Published December 15, 2018

About the author

Ronald M. James is the author or co-author of ten books, and he received the Wilbur S. Shepperson Humanities Book Award in 1998. His articles on history, folklore, and archaeology have appeared in six countries, and he has lectured on western history throughout the nation. James also lectures occasionally at the University of Nevada, Reno in history and folklore. He is the chairman of the National Historic Landmarks Committee for the National Park Service, and he served as Nevada’s State Historic Preservation Officer for three decades.

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

American folklorist Ronald M. James here constructs a pithy and entertaining study of the various creatures of Cornish folklore, looking at what makes the creatures and stories featured particularly Cornish, and tracing their antecedents and links to other legends of northern European folklore tradition. THE FOLKLORE OF CORNWALL is a brief but lively read that examines various stories about piskies, giants, knockers, and fairies, examining their usage in individual tales, listing the main county folklorists, and listing the similarities and differences of these Cornish folk tales to similar legends from around the British isles.

[Tyler is totally literate · Rating 4 out of 5]

James does a great job of summarizing several centuries of scholarship into an easily digestible book. I had originally only planned on reading the piskies chapter but the introduction hooked me and I ended up reading the whole book. The footnotes were also very useful and have given me a whole list of new books to check out as well.

[Mills College Library]

398.09423 J289 2018