Of these, thirty-eight are _maerchen_ proper, _i.e._, tales with definite
plot and evolution; ten are sagas or legends locating romantic stories
in definite localities; no less than nineteen are drolls or comic
anecdotes; four are cumulative stories: six beast tales; while ten are
merely ingenious nonsense tales put together in such a form as to amuse
children. The preponderance of the comic element is marked, and it is
clear that humour is a characteristic of the English _folk_. The legends
are not of a very romantic kind, and the _maerchen_ are often humorous in
character. So that a certain air of unromance is given by such a
collection as that we are here considering. The English folk-muse wears
homespun and plods afoot, albeit with a cheerful smile and a steady
gaze.
Some of this effect is produced by the manner in which the tales are
told. The colloquial manner rarely rises to the dignified, and the
essence of the folk-tale manner in English is colloquial. The opening
formulae are varied enough, but none of them has much play of fancy.
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