The Folkloresque: Reframing Folklore in a Popular Culture World

by Michael Dylan Foster (Editor/Contiubutor), Jeffrey A. Tolbert (Editor)

This volume introduces a new concept to explore the dynamic relationship between folklore and popular the “folkloresque.” With “folkloresque,” Foster and Tolbert name the product created when popular culture appropriates or reinvents folkloric themes, characters, and images. Such manufactured tropes are traditionally considered outside the purview of academic folklore study, but the folkloresque offers a frame for understanding them that is grounded in the discourse and theory of the discipline. Fantasy fiction, comic books, anime, video games, literature, professional storytelling and comedy, and even popular science writing all commonly incorporate elements from tradition or draw on basic folklore genres to inform their structure. Through three primary modes—integration, portrayal, and parody—the collection offers a set of heuristic tools for analysis of how folklore is increasingly used in these commercial and mass-market contexts. The Folkloresque challenges disciplinary and genre boundaries; suggests productive new approaches for interpreting folklore, popular culture, literature, film, and contemporary media; and encourages a rethinking of traditional works and older interpretive paradigms.
  Trevor J. Blank, Chad Buterbaugh, Bill Ellis, Timothy H. Evans, Michael Dylan Foster, Carlea Holl-Jensen, Greg Kelley, Paul Manning, Daniel Peretti, Gregory Schrempp, Jeffrey A. Tolbert

Genres: Folklore, Nonfiction, Mythology

273 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2015

Reviews

[Liz Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection about the relationship between folklore and popular culture, the combination of which the editors term "the folkloresque." Just reading down the table of contents and seeing Spirited Away, Neil Gaiman, and Harry Potter in one volume let me know that this book was for me, and it absolutely didn't disappoint. I hadn't before considered folklore as something that applied to my work with Mormon literature and speculative fiction, but now I'm seeing it everywhere. Obviously, this may not be of interest if you aren't a nerdy humanities academic, but if you are, this is paydirt.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just noting that there is only one contributor to this volume that is not a man. I think this is a great collection of essays and introduces very useful discursive tools, but I wonder how it might have shifted if more female scholars had contributed.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction gave a clear definition of the folkloresque and the subsequent essays demonstrated this method of analyzing literature using it. The author encouraged the reader to go beyond mere folklore-trope-identification, and into the meaning the presence of folklore makes.

[Mert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars (%66/100)

The Folkloresque: Reframing Folklore in a Popular Culture World by Michael Dylan Foster and Jeffrey A. Tolbert explores the intersections of folklore and popular culture, examining how folklore is reimagined and transformed in contemporary media. The book highlights how folklore is both a dynamic, evolving tradition and a commodified element in modern storytelling. While the book offers a thoughtful analysis of these phenomena, its academic tone and focus on niche cultural examples may make it more suited for scholars and enthusiasts of folklore studies than for casual readers looking for broader insights into popular culture.