Peter and Iona Opie
Encyclopedia
Iona Archibald Opie and Peter Mason Opie (1918–1982) were a husband-and-wife team of folklorists, who applied modern techniques to children's literature
, summarized in their studies, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They are also noted anthologists, and assembled large collections of children's literature, toys and games.
an folklore
and children's street culture
. She is considered an authority on children's rhymes, street & playground games and the Mother Goose
tradition.
Peter Opie, who was educated at Eton College
, was an English specialist in children's literature
, and the customs of schoolchildren. He was joint winner of the £1,000 Chosen Books competition, with his autobiographical discursion The Case of Being a Young Man (published in paperback, 1946).
The couple met and married during World War II
. They worked together closely, from their home near Petersfield
, Hampshire
, conducting primary fieldwork, as well as library research, and interviewing thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games as they were currently being played. They collaborated on a number of celebrated books and, combined, produced over 30 works. They worked in their home in Alton, Hampshire
.
Speaking in 2010, Iona speaks of working with her husband as being "like two of us in a very small boat and each had a oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic
. Also "We would never discuss ideas verbally except very late at night."
The 1959 book The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren was meant to counter the argument that mass media and the entertainment industry had ruined childhood traditions.
The Opies' collection of children's books and ephemera covers the 16th to 20th century and is the richest library of children's literature. It was begun in 1944, amounting in the end to 20,000 pieces. During 1988, it was donated to the Bodleian Library
at Oxford University, after a two-year public appeal raised the £500,000 cost; currently, the books are being transferred to microfiche. Their large collection of historic toys and games is still owned by Iona Opie.
Latest editions
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, summarized in their studies, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They are also noted anthologists, and assembled large collections of children's literature, toys and games.
Overview
Iona Opie is a world-renowned researcher and writer on EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and children's street culture
Children's street culture
Children's street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children . It is most common in children between the ages...
. She is considered an authority on children's rhymes, street & playground games and the Mother Goose
Mother Goose
The familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
tradition.
Peter Opie, who was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, was an English specialist in children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, and the customs of schoolchildren. He was joint winner of the £1,000 Chosen Books competition, with his autobiographical discursion The Case of Being a Young Man (published in paperback, 1946).
The couple met and married during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They worked together closely, from their home near Petersfield
Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, conducting primary fieldwork, as well as library research, and interviewing thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games as they were currently being played. They collaborated on a number of celebrated books and, combined, produced over 30 works. They worked in their home in Alton, Hampshire
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
.
Speaking in 2010, Iona speaks of working with her husband as being "like two of us in a very small boat and each had a oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Also "We would never discuss ideas verbally except very late at night."
The 1959 book The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren was meant to counter the argument that mass media and the entertainment industry had ruined childhood traditions.
The Opies' collection of children's books and ephemera covers the 16th to 20th century and is the richest library of children's literature. It was begun in 1944, amounting in the end to 20,000 pieces. During 1988, it was donated to the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
at Oxford University, after a two-year public appeal raised the £500,000 cost; currently, the books are being transferred to microfiche. Their large collection of historic toys and games is still owned by Iona Opie.
Selected works
- Peter Opie, author, 1946, The Case of Being a Young Man, a discursion (Chosen Books, competition prize winner)
- Iona and Peter Opie, collectors and editors, 1947. I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth (Williams & Norgate Ltd)
- Iona and Peter Opie, editors, 1951. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press)
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1959, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (Oxford University Press)
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1963, The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes (Penguin/Puffin)
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1969, Children's Games in Street and Playground (Oxford University Press)
- Iona and Peter Opie, editors, 1974. The Classic Fairy Tales (Oxford University Press). Presents the texts of twenty-four familiar fairy taleFairy taleA fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s as they were first published in English; summarizes the history of each tale, especially from the textual point of view. - Iona and Peter Opie, 1985. The Singing Game (Oxford University Press).
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1988. Tail Feathers of Mother Goose (Little Brown & Company).
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1997. Children's Games with Things (Oxford University Press).
Latest editions
- Iona and Peter Opie, Maurice Sendak illustrations, 1992. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (Walker Books, London) (Republication of 1947 book)
- Iona Opie, 1993. The People in the Playground (Oxford University Press, USA)
- Iona Opie, 1996. My Very First Mother Goose (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick)
- Iona Opie, 1999. Here Comes Mother Goose (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick)
- Iona and Peter Opie, 1999. The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes (Penguin/Puffin). Republication of 1963 book.
- Iona and Peter Opie, 2000. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick) (Republication of 1947 book)
- Iona and Peter Opie, 2000. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (New York Review Book Classics) (Republication of 1959 book with new introductions by Marina Warner and Iona Opie)