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Myths, legends, and folktales of America : an anthology

Author: David Adams Leeming; Jake Page
Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 2000, ©1999.
Edition/Format:   Book : English : 1st pbk. edView all editions and formats
Summary:
This marvelous collection brings together the great myths and legends of the United States-from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s, and beyond. This thoroughly engaging anthology is sweeping in its scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and even the Iroquois Flying Head  Read more...
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Details

Genre/Form: Folklore
Document Type: Book
All Authors / Contributors: David Adams Leeming; Jake Page
ISBN: 0195117840 9780195117844
OCLC Number: 44742078
Description: xi, 221 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Contents: Part 1 Deities demideities dogmas and icons for a new land --
Chap. 1 Native American --
Chap. 2 European American --
Hispanic visions --
Anglo visions --
Chap. 3 African American --
Chap. 4 Asian American --
Part 2 New world mythical monsters and fabulous creatures --
Chap. 1 Native American --
Chap. 2 European American --
Chap. 3 African American --
Chap. 4 Asian American --
Part 3 New world heroes and heroines --
Chap. 1 Native American --
Chap. 2 European American --
Chap. 3 African American --
Chap. 4 Asian American.
Responsibility: [edited by] David Leeming and Jake Page.

Abstract:

This marvelous collection brings together the great myths and legends of the United States-from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s, and beyond. This thoroughly engaging anthology is sweeping in its scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and even the Iroquois Flying Head and Elvis. In the book's section on dogmas and icons, for instance, Leeming and Page discuss the American melting pot, the notion of manifest destiny, and the imposing historical and literary figure of Henry Adams. And under Heroes and Heroines, they have assembled everyone from "Honest Abe" Lincoln and George "I Cannot Tell a Lie" Washington to Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For every myth or hero rendered here, the editors include an informative yet readable excerpt, often the definitive account of the story in question. Taken as a whole, Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America reveals how waves of immigrants, encountering this strange land for the first time, adapted their religions, beliefs, and folklore to help make sense of a new and astounding place. Covering Johnny Appleseed and Stagolee as well as Paul Bunyan and Moby Dick, this wonderful anthology illuminates our nation's myth-making, enriching our idea of what it means to be American.

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