Folklore students like you will often explore various paths into the field where they collect folklore: Some, like McNeill, prefer to concentrate on "what items should I collect?". Others, like Glassie, emphasize "how should I do fieldwork?" The results often overlap. And that's today's topic.

Reading

Estimated time to read: ~30 minutes

Lynne McNeill (2013). Chapter 3 "Types of Folklore" in Folklore Rules pages 37-64

UW Library : Permalink to Folkore Rules

After reading Chapter 3, Click here to review your group's weekend discussion about the film,
Henry Glassie: Field Work, directed by Pat Collins (2019) | Viewing time: ~100 min.

Rationale: Recognize how every item of folklore is connected to others. Lynne McNeill offers a list of discrete items, but when Henry Glassie observes living material traditions (things people make), he also needs to record things people say, do, and believe.

Lecture

Compare Lynne McNeill's description of what folklorists collect, to the film's description of Henry Glassie collecting folklore.
Do the two descriptions mesh? What do they add to each other?

Optional Expansion

Read more about the film on the website:

Link : Henry Glassie: Field Work – The new film by Pat Collins out now.

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