Rough Music
Folk Customs, Transgression and Alternative Britain
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Reaktion Books
Published:1st Mar '25
Should be back in stock very soon
Rough Music explores transgression and shame in British folklore and customs from ancient Britain to the present day. From Bonfire Night to Wassail, Morris dancing, Mari Lwyd and Twelfth Night, along with events like street football and the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, Liz Williams reveals the roots and roles of violence, mockery, protest and public shaming. She also looks at alternative culture and modern protests, such as the Battle of the Beanfield and the Stonehenge Free Festival, as well as interaction between racism and traditions involving blackface, alongside the emergence of all-female Morris sides.This engaging book offers an entertaining and revealing look at British folklore and culture.
A lively and well-informed account of traditional British popular customs, with a novel and valuable pair of twists: showing the close relationship of those customs with subversion and disorder, and following their observance up into the current time. It is thus a revealing commentary on both past and present. * Ronald Hutton, Professor of History, University of Bristol, and author of Pagan Britain *
Liz Williams casts a refreshing twenty-first-century eye over a range of vibrant customs and traditions, questioning ideas of timelessness and exploring the relevance of folklore in society today. Her book is an engaging and thoughtful contribution to the current New Wave of folklore studies in Britain. * Owen Davies, Professor of Social History, University of Hertfordshire, and author of Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells *
ISBN: 9781836390602
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
384 pages