Work
Introduction
Work plays a significant part in the lives of most of people: it provides the means by which we live and tends to take up the majority of our time. This being the case, it is perhaps not surprising that people have made up stories and songs dealing with various aspects (often negative) of work. At the same time, particular occupations and professions have their own traditions, practices, rituals and superstitions that their practioners adhere to and pass on to new recruits.
In this seminar we will consider the representation of work in the folklore of Europe.
Seminar Question
- How are crafts and work represented in the folklore of Europe?
- What is the relationship between folk songs and music and work?
Required Reading
Koch, Gertrand, 'Work and Professions', in Regina F. Bendix and Galit Hasan-Rokem, eds, (Malden, MA, 2012), pp. 154-168.
Norman, Mark, (Cheltenham, 2020) [Choose and read one chapter]
Listen to and analyse at least one of the following work songs:
- info and lyrics
- info and lyrics
- info and lyrics (to a slightly different version of the song in the video)
- lyrics (and English translation)
Two sea shanties: - info and lyrics ; - info and lyrics
Further Reading
Evans, George Ewart, Ask the Fellows who Cut the Hay (London, 1962)
Evans, George Ewart, The Crooked Scythe (London, 1993)
Evans, George Ewart, The Farm and the Village (London, 1975)
Evans, George Ewart, Where Beards Wag All: The Relevance of the Oral Tradition (London, 1970)
Messenger, Betty, Picking up the Linen Threads: A Study in Industrial Folklore (London, 1978)
O虂 hO虂ga虂in, Da虂ithi虂, The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopaedia of Myth, Legend and Romance (Woodbridge, 2006)
Westwood, Jennifer, and Jacqueline Simpson, The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys (Harmondsworth, 2005)
Electronic Resources
- Online database of sea shanties from around the world
Alan Lomax, Folk Music of Italy: Italian Work Songs - , , ,
See here.