Read complete books and articles on: African-American Folklore

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10 of the Best Books and Articles on: African-American Folklore

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America: An Anthology » Read Now
by David Leeming, Jake Page. 228 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

This marvelous collection brings together the great myths and legends of the United States--from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s, and beyond. This thoroughly engaging anthology is sweeping in its scope...
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This marvelous collection brings together the great myths and legends of the United States--from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s, and beyond. This thoroughly engaging anthology is sweeping in its scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and even the Iroquois Flying Head and Elvis. In the book's section on dogmas and icons, for instance, Leeming and Page discuss the American melting pot, the notion of manifest destiny, and the imposing historical and literary figure of Henry Adams. And under Heroes and Heroines, they have assembled everyone from "Honest Abe" Lincoln and George "I Cannot Tell a Lie" Washington to Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For every myth or hero rendered here, the editors include an informative yet readable excerpt, often the definitive account of the story in question. Taken as a whole, Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America reveals how waves of immigrants, encountering this strange land for the first time, adapted their religions, beliefs, and folklore to help make sense of a new and astounding place. Covering Johnny Appleseed and Stagolee as well as Paul Bunyan and Moby Dick, this wonderful anthology illuminates our nation's myth-making, enriching our idea of what it means to be American.
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2.

Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore » Read Now
by Francis Edward Abernethy. 380 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Juneteenth Texas reflects the many dimensions of African-American folklore. The personal essays are reminiscences about the past and are written from both black and white perspectives. They are followed by essays which classify and describe different aspects of African-American folk culture in...
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Juneteenth Texas reflects the many dimensions of African-American folklore. The personal essays are reminiscences about the past and are written from both black and white perspectives. They are followed by essays which classify and describe different aspects of African-American folk culture in Texas; studies of specific genres of folklore, such as songs and stories; studies of specific performers, such as Lightnin' Hopkins and Manse Lipscomb and of particular folklorists who were important in the collecting of African-American folklore, such as J. Mason Brewer; and a section giving resources for the further study of African Americans in Texas.
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3.

From Trickster to Badman: The Black Folk Hero in Slavery and Freedom » Read Now
by John W. Roberts. 233 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...heroes that do emerge in African American folklore, according to Weldon...tendency to evaluate all African American folklore as a reflection of Euro-American...thinking...
4.

Tales of the Congaree » Read Now
by Edward C. L. Adams, Robert G. O'Meally. 439 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
5.

A Treasury of Southern Folklore: Stories, Ballads, Traditions, and Folkways of the People of the South » Read Now
by B. A. Botkin. 804 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
6.

African-American Traditions in Song, Sermon, Tale, and Dance, 1600s-1920: An Annotated Bibliography of Literature, Collections, and Artworks » Read Now
by Eileen Southern, Josephine Wright. 428 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

"As any well-organized, carefully annotated bibliography does, this work by Southern and Wright brings order out of chaos. The 2,328 entries identify books, articles, sermons, pamphlets, and broadsides, among other formats, all centered on black folk culture with emphasis on the manifestations of...
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"As any well-organized, carefully annotated bibliography does, this work by Southern and Wright brings order out of chaos. The 2,328 entries identify books, articles, sermons, pamphlets, and broadsides, among other formats, all centered on black folk culture with emphasis on the manifestations of that culture from 1600 to 1920 through song, dance, games, sermons, and illustrations. . . . This carefully done and useful bibliography is recommended for libraries on all campuses where there is an interest in the black experience." Choice
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7.

Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom » Read Now
by Lawrence W. Levine. 524 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
8.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Folklore, Folkloristics, and African American Literary Criticism, in African American Review » Read Now
by Anand Prahlad. 12 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
9.

"One of Dese Mornings, Bright and Fair/Take My Wings and Cleave de Air": The Legend of the Flying Africans and Diasporic Consciousness, in MELUS » Read Now
by Wendy W. Walters. 27 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
10.

"In This Folk-Lore Land": Race, Class, Identity, and Folklore Studies in Louisiana, in Journal of American Folklore » Read Now
by Rosan Augusta Jordan, Frank de Caro. 29 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library