Synopses & Reviews
Folklore Rules is a brief introduction to the foundational concepts in folklore studies for beginning students. Designed to give essential background on the current study of folklore and some of the basic concepts and questions used when analyzing folklore, this short, coherent, and approachable handbook is divided into five chapters: What Is Folklore?; What Do Folklorists Do?; Types of Folklore; Types of Folk Groups; and, finally, What Do I Do Now?
Through these chapters students are guided toward a working understanding of the field, learn basic terms and techniques, and learn to perceive the knowledge base and discourse frame for materials used in folklore courses. Folklore Rules will appeal to instructors and students for a variety of courses, including introductory folklore and comparative studies as well as literature, anthropology, and composition classes that include a folklore component.
Review
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This simple, straightforward handbook gives students essential background on the current study of folklore and its basic concepts and questions. It will be useful for a variety of classes that do not allow for a full introduction or focus solely on the fieldandmdash;film and folklore, literature and folklore, or introduction to cultural/comparative studies.andquot;
andmdash;Martha Sims, Ohio State University
Review
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Recapturing the andquot;funandquot; of folkloreandmdash;not just for students, but for instructors as wellandmdash;drives McNeilland#39;s book, and is ultimately where it succeeds the most. . . . McNeill has put forth an engaging and concise but deceptively detailed text that will surely find its way into syllabi across the country. For instructors, and the students they teach,and#160;Folklore Rulesand#160;will be a valuable new addition to their pedagogical toolbox, and one that will surely be useful in scholarsand#39; ongoing efforts to expand the scope and reach of folkloristics to new generations of learners.andquot;
andmdash;John E. Price,and#160;New Directions in Folklore
Review
andquot;Folklore Rulesand#160;i
sand#160;an absolute joy to teach. It is a fabulous introductory tool to major themes and concepts in the discipline and delightfully customizable to an individual instructorand#39;s strengths.andquot;
andmdash;Kimberly J. Marshall, University of Oklahoma, Dept. of AnthropologyReview
andquot;McNeilland#39;s books is confidently situated at the portal of academic folklore studies, ready to give directions and conscisely explain the rules of folklore, and how folklore rules.andquot;
andmdash;Nelda R. Ault,and#160;Journal of American Folklore
andquot;This concise introduction to the study of folklore offers an appealing alternative to existing folklore textbooks. Lynne McNeilland#39;s talent for teaching undergraduates is clear in this eloquently writter text, which presents the fundamentals of folklore study in a uniquely engaging way.andquot;
andmdash;Elizabeth Tucker, Folklore
About the Author
Lynne S. McNeill, PhD, is an instructor and director of online development for the folklore program at Utah State University and co-founder of and faculty advisor for the USU Folklore Society.