Domestic Folk-Lore

Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-192Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 292K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Domestic folk-lore by T. F. Thiselton-DyerAuthor: Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-1923,Language: English, Class: GR: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Folklore, Release Date: Oct 5, 2014

Editor's review

This book is the folklorist Thiselton-Dyer's work on the folklore of English domestic life, prepared by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. Its value lies in drawing folklore back from festivals and legends into everyday spaces: the taboos, omens, and customs attached to the home, the hearth, the doorstep, the table, and occasions such as marriages and funerals are gathered by the author under themes into entries that can be looked up. This approach makes the book more a small dictionary of domestic folklore than a tightly argued academic monograph; readers may consult a particular custom at random or follow a theme through to read one side of domestic life in full. The book preserves a large body of oral material from the nineteenth century and earlier, and is useful for understanding the continuity and variation of English folk beliefs. It should be noted that the collecting methods and interpretive framework of the author's time have obvious limitations, and some classifications and causal inferences should not be taken as settled conclusions. It is suitable for enthusiasts of folklore and social history as introductory material, and also for checking details of domestic customs when writing or translating.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in English folklore and the history of everyday life
Students of folklore and social history using it for reference
Those who need to verify details of English domestic customs when writing or translating
Casual readers who like entry-based books that can be dipped into at random

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking contemporary folklore theory and critical analysis
Readers expecting systematic argument or a complete historical narrative
Readers who find old-fashioned English expressions and a mass of custom terms difficult

Reading tips

Read by theme, skipping between chapters, starting with domestic settings you know well, such as marriage, funerals, or food.
When you come across a custom, note any clues about region or period to help judge its range of circulation.
Compare the book's explanations with present-day folklore knowledge and note the methodological limitations of the author's era.
There is no need to finish it; use it as a reference volume on folklore to be consulted repeatedly.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book mainly cover festival folklore or everyday domestic folklore?

Judging from the title and the classification information, the book focuses on folklore within domestic life, including customs and taboos in everyday settings such as the home, marriages and funerals, and food, rather than mainly on festivals and legends.

Are the book's explanations of folklore still reliable today?

The author lived from the nineteenth into the early twentieth century, and his collecting and interpretations bear the limitations of his time; some inferences should not be treated as settled. When reading, it is best to keep the material and the explanations separate, since the material itself still has reference value.

Is it suitable as an academic citation source?

It can be cited as primary material for early folklore records, but its interpretive conclusions should be cited with caution; it is best to compare them with contemporary research and to note the author's historical context.

Comments

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About the author

Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-192 Author

Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer (1848–192) was an English folklorist whose life is sparsely documented in publicly available sources. Seven of his works are held here, mostly on folklore, legend and the history of customs. Folk-lore of Shakespeare traces the folk beliefs and customs in Shakespeare's plays; The Folk-lore of Plants surveys plant symbolism and uses in popular belief; The Ghost World, Domestic folk-lore and British Popular Customs, Present and Past deal with ghost stories, everyday taboos and festivities, and a historical view of English traditions. Strange Pages from Family Papers and Royalty in All Ages touch on family anecdotes and court life. His writings are largely compilations and classifications for general readers, part of the popularization of Victorian folklore studies.