Fantasy Fiction and Welsh Myth : Tales of Belonging

This book examines how contemporary fantasy literature offers critical insights into western society and culture by drawing on the ancient myths of Wales. These books emphasise the need to have a set of social and personal values in order to be free from a sense of dislocation and alienation in a highly technologised society and in order to satisfy the sense of 'hiraeth' or longing for a place where one truly belongs. "This collection of papers from the 1993 British Sociological Association conference, 'Research Imaginations', held at the University of Essex, brings together essays which look creatively and imaginatively at issues of research methodology in sociology. Some papers revisit and redefine some existing techniques of data collection. Jenny Shaw examines the psychoanalytic and surrealist underpinnings of the Mass Observation project of the 1930s; Geoff Payne explores the hidden assumptions that framed the classic community study; Marlene Morrison and Sheila Galloway analyse the strengths and weaknesses of diaries as a data source; Susan Smith takes a fresh look at in-depth interviews; Barbara Harrison considers the general use of visual materials while Anthony Pryce concentrates on paintings. Some papers examine the need for reflexivity in the research process. Monder Ram asks fundamental questions about 'insider' research; Karen Ramsey looks at the emotional labour involved in women researching male-dominated environments; and Geoff Woolgar and Steve Cooper question the impact of political and administrative context on the research process. Finally, Mark Liddle and Paul Connolly each confront important epistemological issues arising from feminist and anti-racist research."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Welsh Myth and the Sense of Belonging....Pages 1-16 Eternal Triangles and the Cycles of Myth....Pages 17-31 Reconstructing the Present from the Stories of the Past....Pages 32-44 Children from Dysfunctional Families: Instruments of Mythic Healing....Pages 45-61 The Place of the Pig-Keeper: To Know Oneself....Pages 62-78 Arthurian Novels and the Spirit of Welsh Place....Pages 79-98 Belonging and the Right of Possession: Children’s Novels....Pages 99-119 Welsh Myth in Historical Novels....Pages 120-142 The Film Hero and Welsh Mythology....Pages 143-156 Myth, Theology and Belonging....Pages 157-166 Back Matter....Pages 167-177 This book brings together a collection of essays which look creatively and imaginatively at issues of research methods and methodology in sociology. Some papers critically revisit and redefine techniques such as the classic community study, the use of diaries, photography and art, others examine the need for reflexivity in the research process and the epistemological issues arising from being a researcher in administrative and political contexts. The diversity of research approaches discussed in this reader should make it an important contribution to research methods teaching for undergraduate and graduate students of sociology. Edited By E. Stina Lyon And Joan Busfield. Papers From The 1993 Conference Of The British Sociological Assocation. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This text examines how contemporary fantasy literature offers critical insights into western society and culture by drawing on the ancient myths of Wales.