Interpreting Folklore [Paperback]

Alan A. Dundes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1980

"... Dundes has produced a work which will be useful to both students and teachers who wish to broaden their understanding of modern folklore." —Center for Southern Folklore Magazine

"It is impossible ever to remain unimpressed with [Dundes'] excursuses, however much one may be in disagreement (or not) with his conclusions." —Forum for Modern Language Studies

Often controversial, Alan Dundes's scholarship is always provocative, perceptive, and intelligent. His concern here is to assess the material folklorists have so painstakingly amassed and classified, to interpret folklore, and to use folklore to increase our understanding of human nature and culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (August 22, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025320240X
• ISBN-13: 978-0253202406
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cutting Edge Folklore Work, February 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Interpreting Folklore (Paperback)

Not only is he one of the finest folklore scholars in the world, but Alan Dundes is also a witty thinker and a very fine writer. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in folklore studies. Dundes offers a collection of articles that deal with the history of folklore studies, conceptions about the scope and method of study, analysis of folklore within American culture, and an array of psychoanalytical interpretations of folklore and popular culture. Read this book to find out why the number three shows up ubiquitously in ritual, sayings, rhymes, and countless cultural patterns in America. Find out why stories and jokes project anxieties about a range of troublesome concerns. Look at this book to see how the game of football relates to something other than macho expression. Above all, check out this book to see how a creative and innovative thinker solves puzzles that he sees in seemingly mundane forms of cultural expression. You'll never look at the NFL in the same way again!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great from personal experience.., October 8, 2002

By 

Donna A. Elliott (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Interpreting Folklore (Paperback)

I'm a UC Berkeley student who has recently taken prof. Dundes' folklore class...this book is part of the reading list (hehe, well, if you're going to teach, might as well use your own book, right?). You'll enjoy "interpreting folklore" for it's interesting stories and witty writing...Dundes really knows what he's talking about and has always been very clear about getting his point across, even in his lectures...his books, then, are even more succinct and concise. Buy this book and support the work of a down to earth, awesome professor/folklorist who is passionate and dedicated to this topic. ...plus, be entertained and educated at the same time! Great deal!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interpretive Leaps, February 15, 2004

By 

grasshopper4 (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Interpreting Folklore (Paperback)

Dundes' writing is always interesting to read. He has such wide ranging interests, and his scholarship is thorough and fascinating. This book is a collection of articles that show how he interprets folklore in relation to psychoanalytic theory and by piecing together ways in which folklore is part of a society's worldview. The article on the number "3" in American culture is especially interesting as he charts out ways in which unconscious patterns about numerical sequences greatly influence everyday activities. I also enjoyed his article on thinking ahead. He demonstrates how so many aspects of American culture provide templates for imagining that we are living for a brighter and rosier future. The book also shows how his main interest focuses on psychoanalytical interpretations of folklore and culture. These are always intriguing reading although some interpretations are stronger than others. The great part about this book is that Dundes provides all kinds of ways to look at folklore to show how we can think about everyday aspects of experience to learn intriguing things about ourselves.