Reference Services
Here in the GRPL Reference Department we receive many research requests, both strange and interesting. We've decided to share some of the questions, along with their answers, here on the blog. We hope you'll enjoy this new feature and feel free to leave comments.
A recent request from a storyteller:
I'm working to prepare a presentation of the Cornish folk tale Duffy and the Devil. I'm looking for information on the roles of women vs men during the time period of the story. For example, what work was performed during the seasons, what happened during apple cider time, season festivals, and what the marketplaces looked like (who was there and what activities were happening). Any suggestions? I know that this story is still performed in England.
Answer:
Hi,
The kinds of things we would have at GRPL are such as would provide some pictures of folk life in England over the centuries.
A History of Everyday Things in England 1066-1799 and Life and Work of the People of England, 14th through 16th centuries
The general browsing numbers are 914.2 and 942. Through interlibrary loan, and with more time, you could borrow from the larger libraries that would have more focused works on life in old Cornwall or the West country of England, or on the Christmas folk plays of that territory. These can be found using WorldCat, our union catalog of large library holdings around the world.
The Name of the Helper is a wonderful website with multiple versions of these Rumplestiltskin type stories, including Duffy and the Devil.
For a cinematic approximation of some of the old west country English villages, you could try the movie versions of Thomas Hardy's novels, such as Tess (of the D'Urbervilles), The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Far from the Madding Crowd.