The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction

by Brunvand, Jan Harold

• ISBN13: 9780393972238
• ISBN10: 0393972232
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-01-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Jan Harold Brunvand is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Utah.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fourth Edition	xv	(4)
Abbreviations	xix	(4)
Collections	xxiii
I. INTRODUCTION	3	(68)
1. The Field of Folklore	3	(19)
What Is Folklore?	3	(5)
Focus: Fakelore and Nationalism	6	(1)
Focus: Folklore Answers Questions	7	(1)
Folk, Normative, Elite	8	(3)
Oral, Customary, Material	11	(1)
Definitions: What Folklore Is and What It Isn't	12	(10)
Focus: Creating a Rite of Passage	14	(8)
2. The Study of Folklore	22	(26)
Some Fundamental Questions	25	(1)
Collecting Folklore	26	(7)
Focus: Collecting Folklore	27	(1)
Focus: Metafolklore	28	(5)
Classifying Folklore	33	(2)
Analyzing: Comparative Study	35	(1)
Analyzing: Some Major Schools	36	(12)
Focus: Feminist Folkloristics	38	(10)
3. Folk Groups: Bearers of American Folk Tradition	48	(23)
Does America Have a Folklore?	48	(2)
Theories of the Folk and Folk Groups	50	(3)
Focus: Ethnic/Occupational Folk Speech	52	(1)
Occupational Groups	53	(1)
Age Groups	54	(2)
Focus: Multicultural School Joke	55	(1)
Family Groups	56	(1)
Gender-Differentiated Groups	57	(3)
Focus: Feminist Folklore Fieldwork	58	(2)
Regional Groups	60	(1)
Ethnic, Nationality, and Religious Groups	61	(10)
II. ORAL FOLKLORE	71	(298)
4. Folk Speech and Naming	73	(19)
Dialects and Speech Variations	73	(4)
Vocabularies	77	(6)
Focus: Hornswoggle	78	(4)
Focus: Buck Fanshaw's Funeral	82	(1)
Naming	83	(9)
5. Proverbs and Proverbial Lore	92	(21)
True Proverbs	93	(1)
Proverbial Phrases	94	(2)
Proverbial Comparisons	96	(1)
Wellerisms	97	(1)
Saying	97	(3)
Focus: "It Ain't Over..."	98	(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