Mr. Pepys and the Turk: Popular Constructs of the "Turk" in England
Jul 2014 · SPECHEL e-ditions Book 1 · SPECHEL
Ebook
145
Pages
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
“Mr. Pepys and The Turk” is SPECHEL’s first inroad into publication. In line
with the mission embodied in its name, this book and subsequent publications
will be available in ebook and print-on-demand form, making it considerably
more accessible than if it were solely a physical object.
“Mr Pepys and Turk” tells of English popular notions of the “Turk” through
history, centring upon the diary entries of civil servant Samuel Pepys
(1633-1703) and the street ballads which he loved to collect. The author’s
fascination with this subject stems from his dual life as an academic/folk singer,
but also from having lived and worked most of his adult life in Hungary’s only
city with two domed mosques, a minaret and other Turkish remains. Hungary is
a country where the Turk gets bad press through incomplete and biased formal
education and popular conception, yet one of the most charming children’s
rhymes of which (included here in the author’s translation) features Mehmet the
Turk.
Unlike Hungary, England was not invaded by the Turk, unless you count a very brief visit to the Cornish coast, the only surviving trace of which is England’s oldest public house called “The Turk’s Head”. Yet popular misconceptions abound in both cultures through various media, including a seventeenth-century English street ballad about a battle in Hungary between the European forces and the Ottoman Empire.
Here, then, is the “Turk”, not a historical man but a popular concept – lustful, terrible, but also poor and innocent as English popular notions fashion and refashion him through time and perspective.
with the mission embodied in its name, this book and subsequent publications
will be available in ebook and print-on-demand form, making it considerably
more accessible than if it were solely a physical object.
“Mr Pepys and Turk” tells of English popular notions of the “Turk” through
history, centring upon the diary entries of civil servant Samuel Pepys
(1633-1703) and the street ballads which he loved to collect. The author’s
fascination with this subject stems from his dual life as an academic/folk singer,
but also from having lived and worked most of his adult life in Hungary’s only
city with two domed mosques, a minaret and other Turkish remains. Hungary is
a country where the Turk gets bad press through incomplete and biased formal
education and popular conception, yet one of the most charming children’s
rhymes of which (included here in the author’s translation) features Mehmet the
Turk.
Unlike Hungary, England was not invaded by the Turk, unless you count a very brief visit to the Cornish coast, the only surviving trace of which is England’s oldest public house called “The Turk’s Head”. Yet popular misconceptions abound in both cultures through various media, including a seventeenth-century English street ballad about a battle in Hungary between the European forces and the Ottoman Empire.
Here, then, is the “Turk”, not a historical man but a popular concept – lustful, terrible, but also poor and innocent as English popular notions fashion and refashion him through time and perspective.
About the author
English-born Dr. Andrew Clifford Rouse has been teaching British history and culture in Hungarian higher education for many years. He arrived in the country at the time of the revival in English folk and historic popular song, and has himself been performing ever since. He is known widely in Hungary for introducing Educational Drama into teacher training and English popular culture in education, as well as for his own music group, "Simply English". His studies in folklore follow the stories of the old English songs which he himself sings both as teacher and as performer. His 2005 publication follows the singer in The Remunerated Vernacular Singer: From Medieval England to the Post-War Revival. With David A. Hill he has co-authored "Traditional Folk Songs: 15 British and Irish songs to liven up your lesson", a multimedia package for teachers of English.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
