Figgy Duff and Newfoundland culture

• Main Author: Saugeres, Lise
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1991
• Subjects: Duff; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/5503/; https://research.library.mun.ca/5503/1/Saugeres_Lise.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/5503/3/Saugeres_Lise.pdf

This work is a study of the artistic use of traditional culture in creating a sense of regional identity. Specifically it will examine the Newfoundland folk revival band, Figgy Duff, as a group of urban musicians, who in the arrangements and performance of Newfoundland traditional songs and tunes, were attempting to express a sense of Newfoundland identity. The members of Figgy Duff decided to translate this traditional music into a different idiom by adapting it to their urban aesthetics. This translation from rural to urban culture will be discussed as a somewhat paradoxical process. It will also be shown that it is in this process of translation that the urban artists create a sense of place rooted in an idealized folk culture.