18世紀イングランドのチャップブックからみる民衆文化

ウェールズ人表象の問題を中心に

抄録

This article analyzes representations of the Welsh people in chapbooks, which were low-priced publications prevalent in eighteenth-century England. After presenting the real conditions of the Welsh immigrants in England and the transition of their images since the Middle Ages, the author examines those chapbooks published in the eighteenth century which included various stereotypes of the Welsh. It is revealed that the representation of the Welsh in chapbooks did not change dramatically throughout the eighteenth century: similar stereotypes, particularly those ridiculing the Welsh, were published repeatedly. Considering the fact that life of the Welsh immigrants varied depending on periods and regions, it can be argued that the representations of the Welsh in chapbooks were not an accurate reflection of the real conditions of the Welsh immigrants in England. This article further elucidates that many of publishers of these chapbooks quitted their business in a few years, and that most of the authors’ names were unknown. Based on the findings, the author concludes that eighteenth-century chapbook publishing was essentially a temporary business intending to make a profit from the growing demand for cheap and ephemeral reading.