[Hardy-l] Dorset Folklore

[Jackie Wilkinson]

Thanks, John, for that most helpful piece of information. I shall certainly
see if I can get hold of a copy of this book. What I am finding fascinating
in my research is that Hardy is so specific in his folk culture information.
Whereas one normally would expect a novelist to have a general 'background'
knowledge of his subject, sufficient, for example, to enhance his/her
descriptive passages or rural events, Hardy's usage is specific and
well-researched, apparently factual enough to be used as a reference point
by folkloric specialists and social historians. For me, this veracity adds a
further dimension to his novels, producing a fascinating hybridity between
fiction and fact.
Jacky Wilkinson
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