Morning Dew and Roses
Nuance, Metaphor, and Meaning in Folksongs
The legendary folklorist on song meanings
Cloth – $42
978-0-252-02134-3
Publication Date
Cloth: 01/01/1995
About the Book
The legendary folklorist on song meaningsIn this lively exploration of folksongs and their meanings, Barre Toelken looks closely at riddle songs and other ambiguous folksongs, as well as the various "ballad commonplaces." Ranging through metaphors such as weaving, plowing, plucking flowers, and walking in the dew, Toelken shows how each contributes to meaning in vernacular song. He also includes comparisons to German folksongs, medieval poetry, Italian folk lyrics, and a wide range of Euro-American vernacular expression.
About the Author
Barre Toelken (d. 2018) was the former director of the Folklore Program at Utah State University and served on boards in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts Folklife Program, and the Western Folklife Center.Reviews
"A major academic work that is also brilliantly, clearly, humanely, and poetically written. It can be enjoyed not only by ballad and bawdry scholars but by everyone who picks it up."—Kenneth S. Goldstein, University of Pennsylvania, former president of the American Folklore Society
"Toelken's insights are unique. His study broadens and deepens scholarly appreciation of how folksong metaphors carry their own semantic weight. One of the best expressions of the power of music in folksong that I have seen in recent years."
—James Porter, author of The Traditional Music of Britain and Ireland
Awards
• Winner, Choice: Outstanding Academic Titles, 1996Related Titles
