The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction

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ISBN: 9780393972238 | 0393972232
Cover: Hardcover
Copyright: 1/17/1998

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The definitive introduction to American folklore. Distinguished folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand, famous for his collections of 'urban legends,' offers readers a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the field of folklore. New to the fourth edition are 67 "Focus" boxes that provide in-depth examples of folk genres, research methods, and theoretical approaches, and over 70 photographs that illustrate material and performative folk traditions.

Preface to the Fourth Edition

(4)

Abbreviations

xix

(4)

Collections

xxiii

I. INTRODUCTION

(68)

1. The Field of Folklore

(19)

What Is Folklore?

(5)

Focus: Fakelore and Nationalism

(1)

Focus: Folklore Answers Questions

(1)

Folk, Normative, Elite

(3)

Oral, Customary, Material

(1)

Definitions: What Folklore Is and What It Isn't

(10)

Focus: Creating a Rite of Passage

(8)

2. The Study of Folklore

(26)

Some Fundamental Questions

(1)

Collecting Folklore

(7)

Focus: Collecting Folklore

(1)

Focus: Metafolklore

(5)

Classifying Folklore

(2)

Analyzing: Comparative Study

(1)

Analyzing: Some Major Schools

(12)

Focus: Feminist Folkloristics

(10)

3. Folk Groups: Bearers of American Folk Tradition

(23)

Does America Have a Folklore?

(2)

Theories of the Folk and Folk Groups

(3)

Focus: Ethnic/Occupational Folk Speech

(1)

Occupational Groups

(1)

Age Groups

(2)

Focus: Multicultural School Joke

(1)

Family Groups

(1)

Gender-Differentiated Groups

(3)

Focus: Feminist Folklore Fieldwork

(2)

Regional Groups

(1)

Ethnic, Nationality, and Religious Groups

(10)

II. ORAL FOLKLORE

(298)

4. Folk Speech and Naming

(19)

Dialects and Speech Variations

(4)

Vocabularies

(6)

Focus: Hornswoggle

(4)

Focus: Buck Fanshaw's Funeral

(1)

Naming

(9)

5. Proverbs and Proverbial Lore

(21)

True Proverbs

(1)

Proverbial Phrases

(2)

Proverbial Comparisons

(1)

Wellerisms

(1)

Saying

(3)

Focus: "It Ain't Over..."

(2)

Analyzing and Researching Proverbs

100

(5)

Structures and Contexts of Proverbs

105

(8)

Focus: Proverb Variation

106

(2)

Focus: A Political Proverb

108

(5)

6. Riddles and Other Verbal Puzzles

113

(23)

True Riddles

114

(7)

Focus: Riddles Based on Family Relations

118

(2)

Focus: Who Has a Long One?

120

(1)

Riddling Questions and Other Nonpredictable Riddles

121

(4)

Focus: Initialisms

124

(1)

Non-Oral Riddles

125

(1)

Other Verbal Puzzles

126

(3)

Analyzing Riddles

129

(7)

7. Rhymes and Folk Poetry

136

(34)

Nursery Rhymes

138

(4)

Focus: Mother Goose Becoming Lame Duck?

140

(2)

Rhymes of Play, Games, and Fun

142

(8)

Work Rhymes

150

(4)

Written Traditional Rhymes

154

(6)

Folk Poetry

160

(10)

Focus: Folk Poetry on the Internet

160

(10)

8. Myths and Motifs

170

(26)

Native American Myths and Tales: Problems in Categorization

171

(7)

Focus: Lover's Leaps

174

(4)

Motifs and the Motif-Index

178

(3)

Using the Motif-Index

181

(5)

Focus: Escape by Reversing Shoes

182

(4)

"Our Own" Myths

186

(1)

Theories and the Origin of Myths

187

(9)

9. Legends and Anecdote

196

(33)

Myth, Legend, Anecdote

196

(2)

Religious Legends

198

(3)

Focus: Birth of a Nephite "Legend"

198

(3)

Supernatural Legends

201

(4)

Urban Legends

205

(6)

Focus: Lights Out!

206

(5)

Personal Legends

211

(8)

Focus: How Bronko Nagurski Was Discovered

212

(4)

Focus: Folklorists Relate an Anecdote

216

(3)

Local Legends

219

(10)

10. Folktales

229

(40)

Some Characteristics of Indo-European Folktales

230

(1)

The Type-Index

231

(2)

Animal Tales and Fables

233

(1)

Ordinary Folktales

234

(4)

Focus: Kind and Unkind

236

(2)

Jokes and Anecdotes

238

(8)

Focus: The J. A. M. (Jewish-American Mother) Joke

241

(5)

Tall Tales

246

(5)

Focus: Jimmy Carter, Folklore Collector

249

(2)

Formula Tales

251

(3)

Using the Type-Index and the Motif-Index

254

(3)

Researching and Analyzing Folktales

257

(12)

Focus: Parodies of Folklore Research

258

(11)

11. Folksongs

269

(34)

Problems in Defining the Folksong

269

(10)

Focus: "Wildwood Flower"

275

(4)

Wordless Folksongs, Near-Songs, and Functional Folksongs

279

(3)

Lyrical Folksongs

282

(11)

Focus: "Drunken Hiccups"

287

(6)

Researching Folksongs

293

(10)

Focus: "Green Grow the Lilacs"

294

(9)

12. Ballads

303

(42)

Defining and Classifying Ballads

303

(2)

British Traditional Ballads

305

(2)

Ballad Characteristics

307

(7)

Focus: Youthful Barnyard Humor

310

(3)

Focus: Ballads as Lullabies

313

(1)

Ballad Transmission and Changes

314

(4)

British Broadside Ballads

318

(8)

Native American Ballads

326

(10)

Focus: "Young Charlotte"

332

(4)

Researching and Studying Ballads

336

(9)

Focus: Burying "The Unfortunate Rake/Dying Cowboy"

337

(8)

13. Folk Music

345

(24)

Styles and Forms

346

(10)

Focus: The Ozark Ballad-Singing Style

347

(7)

Focus: Learning Bluegrass from Bill Monroe

354

(2)

Fieldwork: Using the Tape Recorder

356

(2)

Transcribing Folk Music

358

(1)

Researching and Analyzing Folk Music

358

(11)

III. CUSTOMARY FOLKLORE

369

(132)

14. Superstitions

371

(34)

What Are Superstitions?

371

(2)

Superstitions in Modern Life

373

(8)

Focus: First-of-the-Month Ritual

374

(7)

The Wayland D. Hand System of Classifying Superstitions

381

(1)

Superstitions about the Life Cycle

381

(7)

Focus: St. Joseph Sells Real Estate

385

(3)

Superstitions about the Supernatural

388

(2)

Folk Religion

390

(1)

Superstitions about Cosmology and the Natural World

391

(3)

Focus: Texas Fishermen's Beliefs

393

(1)

Theories of Superstitions

394

(3)

Research in Superstitions

397

(8)

15. Customs and Festivals

405

(31)

What Are Customs?

405

(3)

Rite-of-Passage Customs

408

(9)

Focus: Family Birthday Customs

410

(7)

Other Customs

417

(4)

Focus: A Surprising Announcement

420

(1)

Calendar Customs

421

(3)

Folk Festivals

424

(12)

Focus: Norwegian-American Julebukk

425

(11)

16. Folk Dances and Dramas

436

(24)

Folk Dances

437

(6)

Focus: A Jewish-American Hoedown

440

(1)

Focus: Mormon Fiddlers at a Mexican-American Baile

441

(2)

Play-Parties

443

(4)

The Dramatic Element in Folklore

447

(1)

Folk Drama

448

(12)

Focus: Three Camp Skits

452

(8)

17. Folk Gestures

460

(17)

Gestures and Meaning

460

(7)

Focus: Sign of the Double-Cross

461

(3)

Focus: Thumbs Up

464

(3)

Folk Gestures

467

(4)

Focus: Rude Gestures

470

(1)

Classifying and Studying Gestures

471

(6)

18. Folk Games

477

(24)

Game Lore

477

(3)

Games of Action

480

(4)

Focus: "Little Sally Walker"

482

(2)

Games with Objects

484

(2)

Mental Games

486

(2)

Other Folk Recreations

488

(4)

Focus: A Folklore Quiz

490

(2)

Studying and Analyzing Games

492

(9)

Focus: Are Children's Games Dying Out?

493

(8)

IV. MATERIAL FOLK TRADITIONS

501

(114)

19. Folklife

503

(21)

Folklife and Folklore

503

(5)

Focus: What Is Folklife?

506

(2)

Conceptions and Misconceptions

508

(5)

Focus: Changing Folklife in North Carolina

511

(2)

Fieldwork: Using the Camera

513

(3)

Studying Folklife

516

(8)

Focus: An Idaho Homestead

518

(6)

20. Folk Architecture

524

(20)

Focus: Connected Farm Buildings in New England

525

(1)

Architectural Form

526

(2)

Cabin Types

528

(6)

Focus: Life in a One-Room or Two-Room House

529

(3)

Focus: Dinner in a Deep-South Dogtrot House

532

(2)

Barn Types

534

(1)

Building Materials

535

(4)

Focus: Hewn Logs versus Round Logs, and Prefab Log Houses

538

(1)

Researching and Studying Folk Architecture

539

(5)

21. Folk Crafts and Art

544

(28)

Folk Crafts

544

(3)

Folk Crafts and Art: Problems in Identity

547

(4)

Focus: Reinventing the Wheel's Function

549

(2)

Folk Crafts and Art: Studies and Examples

551

(21)

Focus: Charleston Blacksmith

555

(2)

Focus: Making a Palmetto Hat

557

(15)

22. Folk Costumes

572

(19)

Focus: What to Wear Square Dancing

574

(2)

Historical Study

576

(3)

Occupational Dress

579

(2)

Immigrant Dress

581

(4)

Focus: Folklife Revival Visited by Time Travelers

584

(1)

Researching Folk Costumes

585

(6)

Focus: The Letter Sweaters of War

585

(6)

23. Folk Foods

591

(24)

Historical Study

592

(10)

Focus: Who Eats Turtle Soup, and Why?

596

(5)

Focus: Norwegian Soul Food--Lutefisk

601

(1)

Regional Foods

602

(2)

The Folk Meal

604

(2)

Focus: Company Meals and Everyday Fare in Arkansas

604

(2)

"Playing with Your Food"

606

(2)

Researching Folk Foods

608

(7)

Permissions Acknowledgments

615

(2)

Index

617

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The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials