Observations & Reflections on Texas Folklore

by Francis Abernethy

A Publication of the Texas Folklore Society, consisting of fourteen essays on Texas folklore and folk life. Beliefs and customs, riddles and proverbs, songs and the breadth of Texas folklore is well illustrated by the best of Texas’s folklorists.

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven collection of essays/stories having more or less to do with folklore in Texas. Among the "less" is the opening essay, a memoir about hunting, written by Frank Dobie (edited by Bertha McKee Dobie). In his memoir, Dobie waxes sentimental about hunting, but makes no mention of folklore, and one wonders why it was included in this book. Among the "more" is an excellent essay by Patrick B. Mullen, on folk songs and family traditions, featuring the lyrics of several folk songs collected by the author's grandfather. Throughout the book, the editor has scattered brief anecdotes, appended to the end of each chapter in the style of Readers Digest.