Andrew Lang: Master of Fairyland

Abstract

Andrew Lang, 19th century British anthropologist and editor of folk tales for children, represents a unique synthesis of culture and personality. A proponent of cultural evolutionism, Lang believed that prehistoric and contemporary "uncultivated" peoples inhabit an enchanted mental universe. This same pre-logical thinking, however, is expressed in Lang's own methodology, and later, when evolutionary theory had become disreputable, in Lang's Colour Fairy Books. This irony's likelihood is enhanced by his extreme bibliophilia and the delicate moral temper of his times. Both suggest a peculiar sensibility. A spectacular writing style and his popularizing efforts mark Lang's contribution to the field.