Allison Thompson Writer

Writing on English folk dance, Elsie J. Oxenham, Jane Austen, May Day and maypole dancing, Elsie J. Oxenham and more!

  • Home
  • Jane Austen
  • Abbey Girls
  • Carolan
  • Mayday
  • Dance
  • Fiction
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Contact

Abbey Girls

ag go back 2
ag new
schoolgirl jen
secrets

Flowers, May Queens, pretty girls in brightly-colored, loosely-swinging frocks dancing English folk dances on the green garth of an old Abbey, friendship, babies, and spirituality—this is the world of Elsie J. Oxenham’s Abbey Girl books, published between 1914 and 1959.These books written for girls and young women feature descriptions and appreciations of English morris, sword, and country dancing as well as homages of the founder of the English Folk Dance Society, Cecil Sharp, and his teachers.

Welcome to my “Dancing with the Abbey Girls” Project!  I am indulging myself—and hopefully you, dear Reader—by examining each of the books in reading order, which is different from publication order. Why have I undertaken this project? Partly to introduce modern folk dancers to the world of the early days, partly to help non-dancing readers of Oxenham’s novels to better understand the dances (though some have gone on to become dancers already), and mostly because it gives me great pleasure to spend time with the Abbey Girls and Elsie J. Oxenham.

ag at home
biddy
campfire
jandy

 

 

 

Subscribe To Receive New Posts

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • A30_Two Joans at the Abbey
  • Camp Fire, Part I: Origins and Influences
  • A29_Jandy Mac Comes Back
  • A28_Maid of the Abbey
  • A27_Rosamund’s Castle

Categories

  • Abbey Girls
  • Elsie J. Oxenham
  • English Folk Dance
  • Morris Dance
  • O'Carolan
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019

Copyright © 2021 | Allison Thompson Blog | All Rights Reserved