Readings in American Folklore

by Jan Harold Brunvand

This book fills the long-felt need for an organized collection of scholarly studies in American folklore. The distinguished folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand has selected 26 essays, arranged in four sections of increasing sophistication and difficulty, to introduce the beginning student to the best in modern folklore scholarship. As he writes in the These articles were chosen to illustrate a variety of approaches and folklore genres; they are rich in actual examples of folk materials and are above all well written and thought-provoking. Many are definitive studies, others appeared only recently. The essays include the work of prominent folklorists as well as several student research papers. All provide practical models for student research and writing, and the editor also gives many useful suggestions for student projects in his introductions. The articles are reprinted in full, including the original illustrations; the editor provides a short introduction to each selection as well as additional footnotes to explain unfamiliar terms and allusions to the student.

Genres: Folklore

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

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.