Just Folklore

‘Elliott Oring is a superb writer—clear, thoughtful, and to the point. In this gathering of essays, he provides a stimulating survey of the ideas and topics of the folklorist's discipline.’
—Henry Glassie, College Professor Emeritus of Folklore, Indiana University

‘Over the years, Elliott Oring has produced publications which have significantly shaped the study of folklore. This book presents much of this insightful commentary on a wide array of topics ranging from theory and history to many aspects of folklore and culture. It offers a lifetime of important reflections on folklore matters.’
—Frank de Caro, Professor Emeritus of English, Louisiana State University

‘Taking nothing for granted, Oring cracks open many of the concepts at the very foundations of folklore studies—folk, lore, legend, tradition, evolution, art, truth, politics, theory. He has the uncanny ability to draw complex insights from the simplest of terms while simultaneously simplifying the complexities of history and ideology with a blindingly clear logic. The essays gathered here illuminate the path that the discipline of folklore has traveled and also provide direction for a meaningful folkloristics of the future.’
—Michael Dylan Foster, Associate Professor of Folklore, Indiana University