Folklore, Fighting and Fairies aims to explore the changes in the treatment of fairies by Folklore Society members and how far these reflect wider academic and folkloric trends, by using folkloriography as a methodology. It covers the era from the Society’s foundation in 1878 until the eve of WW2. The Society’s journal Folklore is used as the main mouthpiece to exemplify the declining interest in and more critical treatment of the fairy figure during this era. The Cottingley Affair and WW1 are explored as turning points between the great Victorian fairy pre-occupation and the post-war benign nursery fairy. Folklore’s pages mirror this pattern of diminution.
This blog follows a post-graduates’ experiences of finding her feet with the fairies, research, writing and academia.
awaywiththefairiesblog 