shopping cart
Save up to 30% on our Staff Picks
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Interviews | November 19, 2009

Dave: IMG Finding John Irving: The Powells.com Interview



[Editor's note: The following is a reprint of our 2005 interview with John Irving, whose new novel, Last Night in Twisted River, has just come out... Continue »

Chicago History of American Civilization #0004: American Folklore

by Richard Merc Dorson

Chicago History of American Civilization #0004: American Folklore Cover

ISBN13: 9780226158594
ISBN10: 0226158594
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 3 left in stock at $3.95!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Here, grounded firmly in American history, is a skilled folklorist's survey of the entire field of America's folklorefrom colonization to mass culture.

Tracing the forms and content of American folklore, Mr. Dorson reveals the richness, pathos, and humor of genuine folklore, which he distinguishes from the "fakelore" of popularizers and chauvinists. At the same time, however, he shows what the creation of spurious folklore (the Paul Bunyan legends, for instance) discloses about our national character. Based upon authentic field collections and research, the examples cited include folkways, jests, boasts, tall tales, ballads, folk and legendary heroes.

"His volume enlarges our understanding of the American past and present through an empirical survey of the extant folk traditions and it also provides us with the means for appreciating what is valuable in these folk traditions."Virginia Quarterly Review

Synopsis:

Tracing the forms and content of American folklore, Mr. Dorson reveals the richness, pathos, and humor of genuine folklore, which he distinguishes from the 'fakelore' of popularizers and chauvinists. At the same time, he shows what the creation of spurious folklore discloses about our national character.

About the Author

Richard M. Dorson was Distinguished Professor of History and Folklore and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. His many books include Buying the Wind: Regional Folklore in the United States; The British Folklorists: A History; Folklore and Folklife; and Folktales Told around the World, all published by the University of Chicago Press.

Table of Contents

Preface

A. Foreword on Folklore

I. Colonial Folklore

II. The Rise of Native Folk Humor

III. Regional Folk Cultures

IV. Immigrant Folklore

V. The Negro

VI. A Gallery of Folk Heroes

VII. Modern Folklore

Important Dates

Bibliographical Notes

Table of Motifs and Tale Types

Acknowledgments

Index

Product Details

ISBN:
9780226158594
Editor:
Boorstin, Daniel J.
Author:
Boorstin, Daniel J.
Author:
Dorson, Richard M.
Author:
Dorson, Richard Mercer
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Location:
Chicago :
Subject:
Social life and customs
Subject:
United states
Subject:
Americas (North Central South West Indies)
Subject:
Literature
Subject:
Study aids
Subject:
Folklore
Subject:
Folklore & Mythology - Folklore
Subject:
United States Social life and customs.
Subject:
Folklore -- United States.
Edition Description:
Paperback
Series:
Chicago History of American Civilization (Paperback)
Series Volume:
0004
Publication Date:
January 1961
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
324
Dimensions:
8.06x5.27x.80 in. .70 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $18.25 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  2. $2.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    American Folklore

    Richard M Dorson
  3. $6.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $6.99 New Mass Market add to wish list
  5. $7.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  6. $3.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.