Singers and Storytellers Page: 58
v, 298 p. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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SINGERS AND STORYTELLERS
until his troops had defeated the Russians. The sun stopped
in the heavens until the British victory was assured. Aside from
the reference to the Hebrew champion Joshua, it may be noted
that in 1854 the British ruler was Queen Victoria.
Tradition, Halpert concludes (quoting Robin Flower's The
Western Island), "remembers but not as history remembers ...
building its own timeless world out of the wreck of history."
Grant for the moment that this is the only way we can find
history in folklore-in a state of wreck. We may still ask, "May
anything be done with the pieces?"
From the folklorist's point of view the value of studying
the relationship between folklore's "wreck of history" and
history itself is well recognized, not requiring great elaboration
here. Such studies may throw light on the development of
popular traditions. Where documents are available for com-
parison, one may actually trace the process-the reshaping of
history to conform with the folk group's own world view, the
embellishment of bare historical detail with universal folk
motifs. And even when documents are not available, the
presence of historical elements in folklore may mark out
certain patterns. The development of literary figures such as
Virgil, Shakespeare, and Quevedo into folk heroes is a case
in point.
But the question I would like to dwell on especially is
whether historians may derive any benefit from the study of
folklore. First we may consider the importance of folklore
in the writing of history books, though it is not always easy
for us to admit that what we accept as historical fact may
be nothing but the traditions which our particular culture
approves. Everyone is aware that the medieval chronicles
are more folklore than history. Herodotus, laughing at the
Egyptians for their superstitions, has left us a mixture of Greek
folklore and history, so that one could call him the father of
folklore collectors as well as the father of history. The skeptical
eighteenth century should be different; yet the historian Gibbon58
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Singers and Storytellers (Book)
Collection of popular folklore of Texas, including personal anecdotes about storytellers and singers, as well as folk songs, myths, and ghost stories. The index begins on page 295.
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Boatright, Mody C. Singers and Storytellers, book, 1961; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67655/m1/64/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.