Richard Carroll on Nostr: Orme on the effects of anthologising nursery rhymes: Since 1744, collections of new ...
Orme on the effects of anthologising nursery rhymes:
Since 1744, collections of new or traditional rhymes have become very common, and they have had two effects on the subject. First of all, they have caused the texts of nursery rhymes to become frozen. Before there were anthologies, the rhymes tended to vary a good deal because they passed about largely by word of mouth and were frequently altered. Once they were put into print, particular versions tended to be regarded as standard and orthodox. It would be hard nowadays to alter the accepted words of 'Hey diddle diddle', 'Jack and Jill', or 'Little Miss Muffet'.
Secondly, a gap has opened up between the rhymes that have got into the books and those that have not. Rhymes like the ones just mentioned have become classics of English literature, honoured by critics, illustrated by artists, and scrutinised for meaning by folklorists. Our concept of rhymes for young children is coloured by them. But children have never restricted themselves to such rhymes. They overhear and adopt many songs and sayings of their elders, most of which do not gain status as nursery rhymes or attract the attention of anthologists. As soon as children come into contact with siblings and other boys and girls, they meet other kinds of material: chants, rhymes, sayings, and parodies that are silly, satirical, or rude; ancient, modern, or original. This 'playground' or 'street' material was largely ignored by collectors and scholars until the Opies examined its manifestations in their book The Lore and Language of School Children (1959). Its pieces are still not generally thought of as nursery rhumes
Since 1744, collections of new or traditional rhymes have become very common, and they have had two effects on the subject. First of all, they have caused the texts of nursery rhymes to become frozen. Before there were anthologies, the rhymes tended to vary a good deal because they passed about largely by word of mouth and were frequently altered. Once they were put into print, particular versions tended to be regarded as standard and orthodox. It would be hard nowadays to alter the accepted words of 'Hey diddle diddle', 'Jack and Jill', or 'Little Miss Muffet'.
Secondly, a gap has opened up between the rhymes that have got into the books and those that have not. Rhymes like the ones just mentioned have become classics of English literature, honoured by critics, illustrated by artists, and scrutinised for meaning by folklorists. Our concept of rhymes for young children is coloured by them. But children have never restricted themselves to such rhymes. They overhear and adopt many songs and sayings of their elders, most of which do not gain status as nursery rhymes or attract the attention of anthologists. As soon as children come into contact with siblings and other boys and girls, they meet other kinds of material: chants, rhymes, sayings, and parodies that are silly, satirical, or rude; ancient, modern, or original. This 'playground' or 'street' material was largely ignored by collectors and scholars until the Opies examined its manifestations in their book The Lore and Language of School Children (1959). Its pieces are still not generally thought of as nursery rhumes