Seeing the Rabbit: The Folklore of the Pooka

Presentation after the Matinee on March 18 by Folklorist Kim Stryker

In American re-interpretations of magical creatures we tend to make them out to be fortune-bestowing allies, who often get into harmless mischief: think I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Tinkerbell. But the old Celtic traditions always emphasized that any gifts you get from the magical world, come with a price. In the older folklore, magical creatures are more tricksters, like Rumplestiltskin—mischievous and potentially dangerous.

With mental health being a big topic in the headlines these days, this play is particularly interesting for how it mocks "civilized society" and "normal" behavior. Our hero is clearly Elwood (and by extension Harvey). We don't want to be the uptight folks following all the rules and codes of expected conduct. And yet, there are REAL risks and consequences to Elwood's insistence on Harvey—he faces being institutionalized and injected with serums against his will, the fate of many non-conforming poor folks before him. He spends most of his time in a bar, which doesn't seem particularly noble or fun. Still we are satisfied, as an audience, when Elwood's delusion wins out in the end. Even "infecting" his doctor with "seeing the rabbit". At the end, the winner is the Fool, the one who surrenders to life's mysteries.

To quote the bard: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Harvey speaks to the mystery in our world. That there are things beyond what science can know and categorize. It is an examination of belief, and what it takes to share in a belief with someone else. This is all part and parcel of what we explore when we study Folklore. I'm excited to get into it!

Kim Stryker is an independent folklorist with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a Master's degree from George Mason University in Folklore Studies. The focus of her thesis was a long-term ethnographic study of family orchards in Virginia. She is currently on fellowship with the Library of Congress to document Virginia vineyard and winery workers. She teaches "Introduction to Folklore and Folklife" to undergraduates at GMU; is on an advisory panel to the Folk Arts Council of North Carolina; and recently presented a talk on Mardi Gras traditions with the group "Profs & Pints" in D.C. Her research interests include agriculture, foodways, occupational culture, urban legends, and belief in the supernatural.