HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE  H0051  5/18/00  "HARDY AND FOLKLORE BOOK QUESTION"
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From: "Patrick Roper" <patrick@prassociates.co.uk>
Subject: Hardy's folklore
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 11:07:05 +0100


I have heard that there is a recently (or soon to be) published book
on folklore in Thomas Hardy.

Does anyone know what this is please?

Patricck Roper

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From: wwmorgan@mail.ilstu.edu
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 11:51:16 -0500
Subject: Re: Hardy's folklore

	I don't know about a new or soon-to-be-released study of folklore in
Hardy, but the classic study of the subject is Ruth Firor, *Folkways in
Thomas Hardy*.  I'm away from my books at the moment, but I think it was
first published (after beginning life as a dissertation, perhaps?) in the
1940's and has been reprinted several times.  
	
	Hope this helps.

							cheers,

							Bill MorganAt 11:07 AM

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Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 10:00:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: Meg Cronin <mgcronin@anselm.edu>
Subject: Re: Hardy's folklore


	Dear Patrick Roper and others, 

	Ruth Firor's book, FOLKWAYS IN THOMAS HARDY, was published by
UPenn in 1931.  It is seminal and invaluable.  I used it extensively for
my dissertation and later work.  You will notice, however, that it uses an
organization and method not often seen anymore in critical works, even
works of this type.  It reads a little bit like a wonderful, enormous
list.  The chapters are categories of folklore--Omens, etc.  Each chapter
then refers to any of the novels (and sometimes short stories) that refers
to/uses a particular type of lore.  So, big uses (like Susan Nunsuch's
construction of the Eustacia doll in ROTN) and little uses/references
(like throwing a shoe after someone for good luck--and even really
miniscule things) are put together.  Sometimes critical analyses of
Hardy's use of folklore is included, sometimes not.  Often the "source" or
Hardy's source for the bit of lore is provided or speculated about.  The
book is fascinating.  Firor also puts together Classical myth references
with local lore in a way that occasionally is confusing.  Sometimes she
ventures into a discussion of the patterns that seem to be emerging, and
sometimes she doesn't.  

	I'm sure you all know all of this, but I wanted to provide a
little more to the bibliographic info about Firor's book.  

	I'd be very very interested if a new book on H. and folklore were
to appear.  

	Meg
	
Meoghan Cronin
St. Anselm College
mgcronin@anselm.edu

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