The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge Classics)
by Katharine Briggs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Katharine BriggsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-30
ISBN: 0415286018
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Routledge
Book Reviews of The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge Classics)
Book Review: The ultimate beginner's guide and reference book
Summary: 4 Stars
Serious about researching fairies? Then you must own this book. Traditions of fairies vary widely depending on the location and time period, which can create serious confusion for the beginner. Enter Katharine Briggs: The Fairies in Tradition and Literature provides a clear, excellently organized introduction to fairy folklore and allusion in the UK until 1967.
The first section, called "The Fairy Peoples," answers all the basic questions. What exactly are fairies? Where do they come from? What do they actually do? What do they eat? What is their relation to humans? Briggs is thorough; she identifies subtle differences in traits from different localities, and includes sections on related mythical creatures as well.
The second section, "Traffic with Fairies," explores human meetings with fairies. It reveals an unusual bit of information about fairies studies: that fairies have a special sort of dependence on humans.
The final section summarizes appearances of fairies in literature from about the eighteenth century on--the previous major writers having been covered in Briggs's earlier book The Anatomy of Puck. Her remarks on how the influence of writers and other nations' fairy lore change the perception and essence of British fairies are perspicacious and brilliant.
Briggs likes to summarize some point within a sentence or two, and then back it up with abundant anecdotes. The book is extremely heavy on footnotes and includes a comprehensive bibliography. For quick reference, one appendix lists all the "Fairy Types and Individuals" along with their native location and the name of the main source. Clearly, this is a valuable resource.
However, this book receives only four starts because the scholarly tone does not lend itself well to a general audience. The academic writing is sometimes rigid and boring. I wish I could recommend this excellent book to anyone, but I can't because it reads like a textbook. That said, it's the first textbook you should read if you want to study fairies.
Summary of The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge Classics)
This remarkable book explores the history in literature and tradition of the wondrous fairies. Capricious and vengeful, or beautiful and generous, they've held us in thrall for generations.Literary Theory Books
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