Elsie
J. Oxenham (1880 - 1960)
wrote nearly ninety books for English schoolgirls, forty of which,
the "Abbey Girls" series, incorporated English folk dancing into the
schoolgirl plots and romances. Cecil Sharp (founder of the English
Folk Dance Society (EFDSS)), Maud Karpeles, May Gadd (longtime Director
of the Country Dance & Song Society of America), Helen Kennedy
North and other teachers of the folk revival make appearances in Oxenham's
works. Some of Oxenham's descriptions and comments are detailed enough
to provide the reader with insight into the early folk revival in
England: the range of dances available, methods of teaching dance,
and the attitudes and impressions of devotees and onlookers towards
dancing. Oxenham wrote in picturesque and romantic terms about the
pleasure that folk dance brings to its participants. Her work thus
represents one easily-accessed window onto the romantic fervor that
fueled the folk dance revival in both England the United States. Lighting
The Fire summarizes and analyzes Oxenham's work as it relates
to English folk dancing.
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