folklore, mythology, cultural studies and related disciplines
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Foamy custard
is currently sponsored by Heart of Albion Press publishers of Explore Folklore Explore Mythology and The Myths of Reality |
June 2005 updateI'm pleased to announce three new contributions to foamy custard, by two well-respected authors who have not contributed to the site before.Wade Tarzia has provided an introduction to mythography. In some respects this parallels Bob Trubshaw's overview of mythology theory. But introductions to myth are few and far between, yet very necessary, so I'm more than happy to include both. Hopefully visitors to this site will enjoy comparing and contrasting the approaches and opinions of the two authors. John Fraim has contributed an especially interesting article about symbols of control and also a review of The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. My grateful thanks to both new contributors – here's hoping to many more contributions, so please keep them coming!
May 2005 updateApologies for the lack of updates in recent months. In part this is because of an absence of contributions. But the bigger reason is that I've been waiting for the publication of Simon Danser's new book The Myths of Reality. This has already been described by Professor William Doty (author of Mythography: The study of myths and rituals) as '... the best book I know in terms of disclosing the pragmatic functioning of myth in society.'Simon Danser is the author of two foamy custard articles (Beyond anti-capitalism and The Matrix as metamyth). In The Myths of Reality he has not only pulled together all the key ideas of foamy custard but gone on to show in detail how mythic fragments and folkloric transmission come together to act as the processes by which we create (and continually recreate) what we take to be reality. Not for nothing is the final chapter called 'Enpowerment and enlightenment'! The Myths of Reality is a major step forward from all the articles making up foamy custard as Danser systematically looks at the myths which form the core of our belief systems: religion, politics, commerce, science, knowledge, consciousness, self-identity, and much else that we take as 'given'. The Myths of Reality is especially pertinent at a time when the Bush:Blair political hegemony is deliberately fuelling political mythmaking (Danser quotes a White House aide who reputedly said 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality judiciously, as you will we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'). Simon Danser has allowed us to publish Chapter 13 of The Myths of Reality on the foamy custard site – the chapter is called 'Recapitulation and application'. However anyone who is interested in the premise of foamy custard will want to read the whole book. The Myths of Reality is published by Alternative Albion end May 2005; for further details visit the Alternative Albion Web site The only other update to the foamy custard site is to slightly expand the introduction to postmodernism. Again thanks to all who have completed the foamy custard questionnaire. So far over 300 people have been kind enough to share their opinions with me – please keep them coming! Finally, I am still interested in publishing articles which are relevant to the scope of foamy custard – please email all suggestions. P.S. A second update in May to mend two broken links and add links to The Myth of U.S. Cultural, Religious, Political, and Social Superiority by Kristina M. Gronquist (many thanks to Richard Alexander for informing me of these).
July 2004 updateMy recent reading has included several books particularly relevant to the scope of foamy custard; I have added brief assessments to the reviews.References to some of these books have been added to the introductions to hegemony, 'popular' and 'elite' culture and psychology and the study of folklore and mythology. As ever, thanks for all the feedback. To date over 170 people have completed the 'fun' questionnaire. The overall impression gained from these responses is interesting (and, in at least one respect, reassuring) although I do not what to prejudice future responses by saying why they are interesting or reassuring. But thanks to everyone who has taken the time to complete this questionnaire.
June 2004 updateMostly just a change in the Web address for the foamy custard site, although three new links have been added at the start of the web resources page.
February 2004 updateThe site has been pruned a little, although all the introductory guides and articles remain. Brendan McMahon has kindly allowed foamy custard to reprint his article on psychotherapy, myth and meaning which, although written for his fellow psychotherapists, discusses in more detail issues touched upon elsewhere in other foamy custard articles. Also Simon Danser has contributed a fascinating new article on The Matrix and Metamyth, which again links to a number of other previous foamy custard articles.I remain very grateful for all the feedback and am intrigued by the many responses to the fun questionaire. As these are submitted anonymously I cannot thank people personally (unless they chose to include email details in their feedback) but, if you've come back to this site after emailing me in this way then thank you. Such feedback has been added to the witchhunts today article and the introduction to postmodernism. For the benefit of American visitors to foamy custard it has been suggested that I provide a description of what the word 'custard' usually refers to. However, as American writers generally assume that the rest of the world is familiar with 'bagels', 'grits', and a great many other culinary terms – not to mention the many types of Starbucks coffee – then I am content for this reference to a ubiquitous example of British culture to remain ambiguous. ;-)
June 2003 updateI am very grateful to all the people who have emailed anonymously with feedback, and those who have taken part in the fun questionnaire. The feedback shows that foamy custard's articles and introductory guides are filling gaps in the online coverage of these topics.Sadly I have not been swamped with offers of articles and contributions by people with similar interests in the overlap of folklore, mythology and cultural studies. I refuse to believe that I am the only person on the planet interested in these possibilities, so come out the woodwork if you're there! In the meantime I've added yet more of my own thoughts in the form of a substantial exploration of psychology and the study of folklore and mythology. I have been too busy with other projects to expand on the external Web links, but this is still on my 'to do' list. I have made some minor additions to one page:
February 2003 updateBig thanks to all who have emailed me with words of encouragement since this site launched about a month ago. Among them are several people in the fields of folklore, mythology and cultural studies whose opinions I greatly respect, which helps to reassure me that foamy custard is helping to identify some useful areas for cross-pollinating these disciplines rather than merely being an undergraduate-level exercise in 'compare and contrasting'.Big thanks too to everyone who has responded to the 'fun questionnaire'. The number of replies has surprised me and has prompted me to add the option for feedback to the end of many of the individual articles. However I am disappointed that no one has contacted me with offers of additional articles or started a discussion of the existing content. My vision for foamy custard is not a 'static' site based too much on my ideas, but to develop into a forum for the exchange of ideas and approaches relating to folklore, mythology, cultural studies and related ideas. Please email me with suggestions! I have made some minor additions to a few pages:
Bob Trubshaw |