The Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany by Francois-Marie Luzel

The Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany by Francois-Marie Luzel

Twenty-nine Breton tales, as told over a series of long winter nights, featuring an ingenious miller, a Jerusalem-bound ant, a mad dash at midnight, and more

In the late nineteenth century, the folklorist François-Marie Luzel spent countless winter evenings listening to stories told by his neighbors, local Breton farmers and villagers. At these social gatherings, known as veillées, Luzel recorded the tales in unusual detail, capturing a storytelling tradition that is now almost forgotten. The Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany collects twenty-nine stories gathered by Luzel, many translated into English for the first time. The tales are presented in a series of five imaginary veillées, giving readers a unique opportunity to listen in on a long-ago winter’s night of storytelling.

Some of the stories mix the apparently supernatural with the everyday—as in the title tale, when a mysteriously nocturnal washerwoman causes three handsome lads to flee so quickly they lose their clogs in the process. Others invite listeners to root for the underdog, as when a simple miller outwits a powerful seigneur. Another tale must have been greeted with raucous laughter as it recounts an ascending ladder of obstacles—from a mouse to a cat to a man to God (or the Devil) himself—confronted by a traveling ant. Michael Wilson, the volume’s editor and translator, provides a substantive introduction that discusses Luzel’s work and the significance of Breton storytelling.

"This book will be fascinating for anyone who has an interest in storytelling and the oral tradition and Professor Wilson has done a fine job of making a potentially obscure heritage of stories available and understandable to a modern audience"---Terry Potter, The Letterpress Project
"Entertaining. . . . Academic readers will also find food for thought."---Christine Goldberg, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews
"A wonderful set of stories."---Michael Cronin, Irish Times

Michael Wilson is professor of drama at Loughborough University, UK, where he is also Director of the Storytelling Academy, a research and teaching collective. He is the author of Storytelling and Theatre.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780691252698
ISBN 10	0691252696
Title	The Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany
Author	Francois-Marie Luzel
Series	Oddly Modern Fairy Tales
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Princeton University Press
Year published	2024-01-16
Number of pages	264
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.