William Pughe’s chosen title characterising the Mabinogi as ‘tales for the young’ in 1795 via the root word ‘mab’ boy, child, young person, was to have far reaching effects on Mabinogi culture. His successor Charlotte Guest. is critiqued by key scholars for merely writing “charming” prose for her children.[1]Ellis and LLoyd 1929:vii. Jones and Jones 1949:xxvii. That the Mabinogi can be read as simple tales, and as such enjoyed by children, encourages them to be seen as children’s literature.[2]The Lanier edition of Guest’s translation 1881, aimed at a boy readership, the first of many children’s adaptations. Early scholars who saw the text as poor, damaged survivals of ancient myths,[3]e.g. W.J.Gruffydd from 1912 – 1953. also fed this concept of the Mabinogi as secondary level literature. It was not until the 1970s that the Mabinogi began to move towards full recognition as a sophisticated literature in its own right.[4]See John Bollard 1974; Gantz, Ford and later academics.
ALSO
« Library IndexNOTES
| 1. | ⇑ | Ellis and LLoyd 1929:vii. Jones and Jones 1949:xxvii. |
| 2. | ⇑ | The Lanier edition of Guest’s translation 1881, aimed at a boy readership, the first of many children’s adaptations. |
| 3. | ⇑ | e.g. W.J.Gruffydd from 1912 – 1953. |
| 4. | ⇑ | See John Bollard 1974; Gantz, Ford and later academics. |