It has long been known that humans learn scripts (or whatever term one might prefer) for understanding the world about them. This applies to ordering a meal in a restaurant as much as to reading a book. One learns various scripts in studying folklore, and not knowing - or applying - the relevant script may often be seen as a basic cause for confusion.
The history of the study of the traditional drama of Britain seems to me to be filled with examples of individuals following various and sometimes conflicting scripts, whether that of a concern with determining the origin of the tradition as a whole or of thinking about mumming as plays, in the sense of what is performed at Stratford-upon-Avon.
This paper looks at examples of the three major families of chapbooks which have long been considered a part of the study of traditional drama - the Christmas Rhyme book, Alexander and the King of Egypt, and The Peace Egg - and argue that each contains evidence that is frequently misread (or ignored) concerning their composition, concerning their reflection of contemporary oral traditions, and concerning the various regional traditions that are signified by "traditional drama."
