Oral Literature in Brittany: A Short History of Breton Collections and Collectors

Abstract

Until recently, an understanding of oral literature depended on the interpretations of scholars. Until the second half of the 18th century, popular culture was largely ignored and was even viewed with contempt by the Breton elite. Today, a considerable number of individuals and organisations are tirelessly pursuing their work in heritage preservation, which began two centuries ago. Indeed, Brittany has always been at the forefront of this movement and boasts an exceptional collection in the field of oral heritage studies. An enormous task of analysis and study of all the documentation that has been accrued awaits and there are many questions that remain unanswered: what choices were made in undertaking these collections and what were their objectives? Consciously or unconsciously, were certain approaches favored and, if so, were others consequently neglected, or omitted? Did scholars set out to confirm hypotheses they had proposed beforehand?