Narratív és vizuális panelek jelentésrétegződése a pandémia folklórjában
The semantic layering of narrative and visual panels in pandemic folklore

Summary/Abstract: The paper outlines the discursive process of how the extended social role of the face mask resulted in a complexity of meanings. Originally, it was an object of the health industry, but through time – as a result of the extension of the COVID-19 pandemic – it has become an emblematic material with many semantic layers. In addition, since its presence in everyday life, it has been regarded as a symbol of the pandemic itself and has penetrated folklore. As one of the most common contemporary folklore motives, the facemask was used for example for making a joke about the pandemic. Jokes help us handle obstacles, and the face mask was an obvious tool for creativity and humour. The author started her research at the very beginning of the pandemic (in March 2020) and published her archives and conclusions in an online series on the website of the Research Institute of Ethnology, ELKH. This paper gives an analysis and context of a special topic derived from this archive, with also giving an insight into the folklore of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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