Women's and Gender Studies

Daphne du Maurier's 'Frenchman's Creek' has probably surprised other folklorists, as it did the authors of this article, with its representations of a very familiar traditional ballad figure. Thomas J. Rountree linked the novel with 'The Gypsy Laddie'. With all due respect, we think that Rountree identified the wrong ballad parallel, and that he thus fails to recognize the significance of the novel's traditional counterparts. Instead, we suggest that narrative songs about cross-dressing women, and particularly about female sailors, provide a better analogue to the novel's characters, plot, and conclusion.