Read complete books and articles on: American Folklore

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: American Folklore

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America: An Anthology » Read Now
by David Leeming, Jake Page. 240 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.

Our Living Traditions: An Introduction to American Folklore » Read Now
by Tristram Potter Coffin. 294 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
3.

Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction » Read Now
by Elliott Oring. 258 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Although this is not a book on American folklore, there is a decided emphasis...Brunvand , The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction , 2d ed...Brunvand, ed., Readings...
4.

Folklore from the Working Folk of America » Read Now
by Tristram Potter Coffin, Hennig Cohen. 464 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
5.

Folklore in America: Tales, Songs, Superstitions, Proverbs, Riddles, Games, Folk Drama and Folk Festivals » Read Now
by Tristram P. Coffin, Hennig Cohen. 256 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
6.

A Treasury of Southern Folklore: Stories, Ballads, Traditions, and Folkways of the People of the South » Read Now
by B. A. Botkin. 778 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Press A TREASURY OF AMERICAN FOLKLORE A TREASURY OF NEW ENGLAND...appears. Mrs. E. C. L. Adams; American Folklore Society, Inc.; The American...referred to A Treasury of...
7.

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Vol. I (1896) » Read Now
by Charles M. Skinner. 340 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
8.

Poplore: Folk and Pop in American Culture » Read Now
by Gene Bluestein. 188 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
9.

Nebraska Folklore » Read Now
by Louise Pound. 244 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Included are Nebraska folk customs as well as studies of the origins of American cowboy and folk songs and of the use of dialect in folklore. Its wit and honesty will appeal to readers everywhere.
10.

The Folklore of Maine » Read Now
by Horace P. Bec. 284 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...continuously from 1675 until the American Revolution, the English were...they would willingly admit. The folklore of the Indians, chiefly of the...valuable contributions to...
11.

Melville's Folk Roots » Read Now
by Kevin J. Hayes. 156 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

Herman Melville's reputation as a great writer has gradually developed throughout the past century. Tempered by studies which emphasized the Western literary tradition, literary appreciation for Melville's use of folklore has been slow in developing. This groundbreaking study brings to the forefront...
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Herman Melville's reputation as a great writer has gradually developed throughout the past century. Tempered by studies which emphasized the Western literary tradition, literary appreciation for Melville's use of folklore has been slow in developing. This groundbreaking study brings to the forefront the depth of Melville's immersion with and borrowing from oral traditions, both music and narrative; talltale humor; nautical folklore; superstition; and legend.
Though intended as a survey of Melville's use of folklore, this book also is important as a general introduction to his work. Unencumbered by critical jargon and narrated in an engaging manner, this book will appeal to general readers as well as seasoned scholars of Melville.
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12.

Pennsylvania Dutch: Folk Spirituality » Read Now
by Richard E. Wentz. 356 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library
13.

The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings » Read Now
by Jan Harold Brunvand. 208 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
14.

American Folklore and the Mass Media » Read Now
by Linda Degh. 217 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
15.

"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

...identity. By looking at African American folklore they intellectually distanced...Later, Lyle Saxon used African American folklore to establish his personal...however...
16.

Torching the Fink Books and Other Essays on Vernacular Culture » Read Now
by Robert Cantwell. 242 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library