A collection of 20 essays which seek to reveal the evolving theoretical underpinnings of folkloristics from its 19th-century origins to its academic coming-of-age in the 20th century. Each piece is prefaced by editorial introductions placing them in a historical and intellectual context.

International folkloristics is a worldwide discipline in which scholars study various forms of folklore ranging from myth, folktale, and legend to custom and belief. In this volume, twenty classic essays, beginning with a piece by Jacob Grimm, reveal the evolving theoretical underpinnings of folkloristics from its nineteenth century origins to its academic coming-of-age in the twentieth century.