The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction

by Jan Harold Brunvand

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.

Genres: Folklore, History, Nonfiction, School, Education

620 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1968

About the author

Jan Harold Brunvand (born 1933) is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah in the United States, best known for spreading the concept of the urban legend, or modern folklore. Before his work, folk tales were associated with ancient times or rural cultures; Brunvand's breakthrough was to take concepts developed in the academic study of traditional folktales and apply them to stories circulating in the modern world.

Brunvand is the author of several well-known books on the topic of urban legends, starting with The Vanishing Hitchhiker in 1981. This book brought urban legends to popular attention in the United States. Follow-up works include The Choking Doberman (1984), The Mexican Pet (1988), Curses! Broiled Again! (1990), The Baby Train (1993), and others. He also edited the one-volume American Folklore: An Encyclopedia (1996), as well as several textbooks.

Born in Cadillac, Michigan, Brunvand received a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University in 1961. He taught at several U.S. universities before joining the University of Utah in 1966. He retired in 1996, but remains a popular speaker and writer; he gave the keynote address at the 2003 meeting of the Missouri Folklore Society, of which he is a longtime member.

Reviews

[Joy]

I'm not sure I realized this was a textbook when I bought it from a used bookstore (lol). It was easy enough to read independently from a college class, and I definitely learned a lot. My biggest complaint is that the example text blocks rely a lot on referencing other books for more context or to answer the questions, which made them useless to me. That aside, this was a great overview of how wide folklore studies can be, and gave me a lot of points of interest to research further.

[Eileen O'Finlan]

An excellent overview of the myriad facets of the study of American folklore.

[Rachel]

Not a bad book. I had to read it for a college class and while it was dry at times that can be expected from a textbook.

[Lia]

While the book isn't really set up like a textbook, and thus it can be hard to flip to info you need while doing homework (and my highlighter bleeds right through!)... I'm enjoying the content.

I also wish the mini sections within chapters wouldn't just start at random spots (maybe they don't, it just seems so) and have to be skipped while you're finishing the chapter text. Then I forget to go back and read them. And content from within them HAS been on the quizzes. They should have put them all at the end of the chapter or something.

One other thing that bothers me... the book is dismissive of certain arts in the "Superstitions" chapter. Even though at the start of the chapter it tries to point out that the word superstition is a loaded word, but useful, out of traditional use in folklore study. But it proceeds to be rather judgemental about divination, dowsing, astrology, and the like. It even claims that dowsing supposedly works by "magic". Of all the claims of the mechanics of dowsing I've seen when researching the topic, magic was never mentioned. Sensing electromagnetic fields, yes. Magic? No. Ah well... one author and his bias.

[Laura]

I read this for my American Folklore class this semester. It approached the subject by dividing it into categories: i.e. folklore, folk music, folk crafts, folk foods, etc. I enjoyed connecting with some of the areas, like making "Cat's Cradle" or discussing superstitions like "knock on wood" and saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes. This book may not challenge your thinking much, but there is some neat history.

[Stu]

Fine overview covering many fields of folklore and folklife. If you're new to the discipline, this is for you. Even if you're an old hand, this will fill in some gaps and, perhaps, introduce you to some new authors and concepts.

[Aaron]

It was okay. Good if you want a resource that includes references to Mormon folkways. The big takeaway from this one is that folklore is difficult to define. Everything—and nothing—constitutes folklore.

[Fredrick Danysh]

As the title implies this is an introductory of American folklore. It discusses the role of folklore in cultures.

[Edgar Gunn]

A nice study of folklore and it's origin.

[Leah]

Good overview of the topic in general

[Brent]

I carried this with me as a keeper after reading it initially. I need to read the more recent edition of this classic text.
Highly recommended.