Customer Reviews

Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In his retelling of the "Uncle Remus" stories (first collected by Joel Chandler Harris), Mr. Lester takes some liberties. Mr. Lester's Uncle Remus is undefined, a narrator who lends a clear and distinctive voice to the stories, yet is never identified or described, unlike the elderly ex-slave of the Harris tellings. This was done so the reader could develop his or her own ideas of just who the new Uncle Remus is. Second, Mr. Lester unabashedly uses modern language and references (like shopping malls and the like). There are those who would say that by doing so Mr. Lester is ruining the Uncle Remus stories. However, Mr. Lester makes it very clear that his intent was not to ruin the stories, but to save them.

This assertion is underscored by the fact that although the language of the book is modern, the stories themselves are largely untouched. Mr. Lester does not present us with the Disney version of Brer Rabbit; a likeable character who serves the role of passive protagonist. Mr. Lester's Brer Rabbit, like Harris' Brer Rabbit, is an unrepentent troublemaker whose cleverness does more than lift him out of jams. He steals, lies, stirs up conflict and on a few occasions, commits murder. In that sense, despite the updated language, Mr. Lester's versions are far closer to the source material than most authors who retell the Uncle Remus stories.

I take nothing away from the works of Harris. For those who wish to read the original works in the original dialect and accept them as products of the age in which they were written, then the books are an excellent read. Unfortunately, most modern readers will not want to struggle with the dialect or accept Uncle Remus' congenial attitude towards his own enslavement. In that case, only scholars would read them and the stories would fall into obscurity. I for one praise Mr. Lester's efforts to keep the Uncle Remus stories alive and relevent. Yes, some changes were made, but don't forget, the stories were also changed when they were imported from Africa

I too have mixed emotions about this version of the Tales of Uncle Remus. Thankfully I have borrowed, and not bought it--I will purchase the complete tales in their original form and joyfully deal with any difficulties. As an aspiring author myself, the idea of anyone going back and "touching up" my book is decidedly unpleasant. Though I have enjoyed reading these stories to my son, I have not enjoyed having to watch out for Adidas and MTV references. I feel strongly that these attempts to "modernize" these stories is at best distasteful, and completely unnecessary. I also found this inserted statement in one of the stories hypocritical and offensive (forget which one just now, but it's there): white people were being foolish by attempting to tan because if the Lord had wanted them to be beautiful like black folks He would have made them black. Perhaps Mr. Lester would say he was just kidding, but even if that is the case I feel there is not a level playing field here.

Though the original has material offensive to some, I view it as a historical document that should not be glossed over or otherwise edited, no matter how good the intentions may be. Let the stories speak for themselves, and if need be, include a modernized english version on the facing pages, but please do not "amend" the text itself.

I have decidedly mixed feelings about this version of what is an African-American folklore masterpiece. I give the two stars to the original stories and the author's valliant struggle to craft something palatible to the modern PC requirements that, thanks to the de-emphasis on phonics over the past four decades, make Gullah difficult to follow.

Around 1880, when the original version was written, Gullah was the true language of most Africans in America. It has the unique twists and distinct meanings that characterize it as a legitimate dialectic mixture of both English and the major African languages spoken by slaves. This distinctive and authentic flavor is completely lost in the updated version. Most adults who were educated after 1950 have great difficulty following the original dialect because its understanding and pronunciation depend to a great extent on knowing basic phonics. Reading based solely on word recognition will leave most adult readers baffeled, but any five year old versed in phonics will have no trouble.

Lester, et al, did a reasonably good job, considering what they were faced with. They saved the gist of the delightful stories but, due to PC pressures, were forced to sacrifice the original dialect which, to me, was about half of the charm. Imagine having to change "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to "Snow White and the Seven Height-Challenged Men." Then we might also have to take a second look at "White," perhaps dropping it altogether.

The fact that the Uncle Remus tales can survive as great children's stories even after PC buchery ("updating") is a tribute to their original merit as wonderfully imaginative African-American folklore literature. In this respect Lester, et al, did a good job, and the kids probably won't care. They will enjoy the stories, anyway.

This is just a watered down version, by replacing the colorful language they have also taken away part of the beauty of the story. I wish I had not wasted my money on this version.

The artwork of the book is excellent and the format is great but if you want the original feel of the Joel Chandler Harris stories go out and get the originals. The language used by Harris is challenging for both reader and listener, however, and this book by Lester may present a good alternative when reading the stories to young children or if you are not particulary apt with reading different dialects.

This is a brilliant and lively retelling of the Brer Rabbit stories. The kids love it and never let me stop at one story. It's an absolute riot.

As Julius Lester writes, folk tales are intended to be told and retold. This version does it with wit and style, liberating the stories from Chandler's unreadable semi-phonetic transliterations while retaining the speech patterns, and most importantly, losing non of the original spirit of the stories. These are the real Brer Rabbit stories vividly retold and brought back to life. This book is an absolute favorite at our house.

Joel Chandler Harris did a wonderful job collecting African American Folk Tales in the original dialect spoken by the people who told him the stories (slaves). This edited version carries a hint of the dialect. The simplified dialect makes these stories more accessible to the average person today. Many of the stories can be found in collections African Folk Tales. They are full of wit and wisdom.

I have not read the original Uncle Remus stories so I can not compare these with them. What I can say is that these stories show Brer Rabbit's and the other animals' resourcefulness and cleverness and are told with humor. It is the humor which sets them apart from other fairy/folk tales. I don't think I would be able to read these effectively myself, but the audio book, which is read by the author, has mesmerized my children (ages 18 months to 6 yrs) and left them cackling over and over again.

I tried to read the original Joel Chandler stories to my 5 year old son and found that the only way to do it was to read the stories on my own and then tell him a "translated" version at bedtime. This book was far easier to use, and I was able to read the stories to him verbatim. Much more appropriate for small children than the original...

The Uncle Remus Stories are interesting to read for more than just the story line. Amazon also sells the story as written by the original author. It, unlike this "revised" version is written in the original author's native language - English. The language used in the original allows a person to begin discussion of the times and circumstances of the author. This includes the narrator having come from a slave background and the rich influence of Gullah on the language of the times depicted in the book. An honest discussion of issues is far better for a person of any age than this, where a great work of literature has been made to be "politically korrect". Apart from losing an educational opportunity for parents and a discussion topic for friends, the loss of the sound of the original langusge used takes away a geat deal of the charm from the stories. I enjoy reading stories which make other languages come alive. It helps me visualize the characters better. The Irish brougue, chinese sing song, german verb pacement -- all enrich a story.

The altering of Chandler's text to remove the words he, as the author, chose to use is a comment on the sad state of affairs currently being encouraged by those to whom diversity and truth are things to be hidden rather than understood. That is, indeed, too bad.