The Anatomy of Puck

The Anatomy of Puck examines fairy beliefs surrounding Shakespeare and the writers who followed him, placing Puck and Robin Goodfellow within the wider traditions of early modern folklore. Katharine Briggs considers how fairies, elves, goblins, hobgoblins, brownies and related beings appeared in literature and popular belief during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Alongside discussions of Shakespearean figures such as Puck and Oberon, the book draws on poems, plays, prose writings and older accounts of fairy lore. It considers changing attitudes towards these beings, including their links with magic, spirits and literary invention. Appendices, a bibliography and an index support its examination of British fairy tradition and its place in English literary history.