Charms, Charmers And Charming: International Research

Description:
Charms, Charmers and Charming addresses popular verbal magic. Its nineteen chapters focus on charms (the words), charmers (the people) and charming (the activity) in a broad range of times and places, from early modern Finland to contemporary Malaysia, and from late medieval England to colonial Madagascar. A selection of experts from America, Asia and Europe discuss rat charms, snake charms, how impossibility and inevitability are expressed in charms, why charming has revived following the Balkan wars, the literary use of charms by Shakespeare and by Malagasy story-tellers, the ramifications of Byzantine charms in later times and places Byzantium, and how charms are (amongst other things) a means of coping. Taken together, the book offers some of the best and most diverse scholarship produced in the current revival in the study of charms.

Review:
'In this a New Age' of mass production of manuals of magic and Wicca-books, it is amazing how little scholarship has been produced about practical uses of magic, past and present. This rich book, authored by the leading charm experts, provides us not only with pieces of verbal magic, but also with interpretations, discussions and thoughtful comparisons. Charms, once considered a minor genre of folklore, are here opened up as a powerful source of diverse knowledge about European heritage, human thought, worldview, social conflicts and about magical solutions that charmers have offered to crisis situations worldwide.' - Aulo Valk, Professor of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu, Estonia, and President, International Society for Folk Narrative Research 'Thanks to its eclectic manner this book is a perfect source of information on what has happened in the fi eld of charm-related research lately. Last but not least, those who are interested in specific themes, methods, or types of charms will find the editor's introduction and the detailed table of contents with sub-headlines of essays particularly helpful. Charming, indeed.' - Toms A encis, Numen

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Unity and Diversity in Charms Studies; J.Roper PART I: TOPICS AND ISSUES IN CHARMS STUDIES The Charmer's Body and Behaviour as a Window onto Early Modern Selfhood; L.Stark 'If not, shall employ 'Rough on Rats'': Identifying the common elements of rat charms; P.Cowdell Miracles and Impossibilities in Magic Folk Poetry; E.Pocs Snakebite Charms from a Gender Perspective; R.Herjulfsdotter Charms as a Means of Coping; U.Wolf-Knuts Towards the Systematization of Narrative Elements of Slavic Charms; V.Klyaus Conformity and Originaligy in Middle English Charms; T.M.Smallwood The Nightmare Charm in King Lear; J.Simpson Expressions of Impossibility and Inevitability in Mari Charms; N.Glukhova& V.Glukhov PART II: NATIONAL TRADITIONS Russian Charms in a Comparative Light; A.Toporkov Slovenian Charms and Conjuring: Between South Slavic and Central European Tradition; M.Kropej Finnish Snake Charms; H.Ilomaki Estonian Narrative Charms in European Context; J.Roper Lithuanian and Latvian Charms: Searching for Parallels; D.VaitkeviAiienAo Charms in Late Middle English Recipe Collections; L.Olsan The Charms of the Biljana, a Bajalica (Conjurer) in Budisava, Serbia; M.Vivod Verbal Charms in Malagasy Folktales; L.Haring The Structure and Use of Charms in Georgia, The Caucasus; M.Tsiklauri Malay Magic; K.O.Low

Author Biography:
JONATHAN ROPER is Teaching Fellow in English Language at the University of Leeds. He is interested in traditional linguistic genres, and is the author of English Verbal Charms (2005) and editor of Charms and Charming in Europe (2004).