{"product_id":"9780691252698-the-midnight-washerwoman-and-other-tales-of-lower-brittany","title":"The Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwenty-nine Breton tales, as told over a series of long winter nights, featuring an ingenious miller, a Jerusalem-bound ant, a mad dash at midnight, and more\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the late nineteenth century, the folklorist François-Marie Luzel spent countless winter evenings listening to stories told by his neighbors, local Breton farmers and villagers. At these social gatherings, known as \u003ci\u003eveillées\u003c\/i\u003e, Luzel recorded the tales in unusual detail, capturing a storytelling tradition that is now almost forgotten. \u003ci\u003eThe Midnight Washerwoman and Other Tales of Lower Brittany\u003c\/i\u003e collects twenty-nine stories gathered by Luzel, many translated into English for the first time. The tales are presented in a series of five imaginary \u003ci\u003eveillées\u003c\/i\u003e, giving readers a unique opportunity to listen in on a long-ago winter’s night of storytelling.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome of the stories mix the apparently supernatural with the everyday—as in the title tale, when a mysteriously nocturnal washerwoman causes three handsome lads to flee so quickly they lose their clogs in the process. Others invite listeners to root for the underdog, as when a simple miller outwits a powerful seigneur. Another tale must have been greeted with raucous laughter as it recounts an ascending ladder of obstacles—from a mouse to a cat to a man to God (or the Devil) himself—confronted by a traveling ant. Michael Wilson, the volume’s editor and translator, provides a substantive introduction that discusses Luzel’s work and the significance of Breton storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57547753881974,"sku":"9780691252698","price":17.47,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_26859128.jpg?v=1774375744","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780691252698-the-midnight-washerwoman-and-other-tales-of-lower-brittany","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}