The Truth about Tall Tales: American Folklore from Johnny Appleseed to Paul Bunyan

American folklore is as vibrant and diverse as Americans themselves. Some tales offer embellished accounts of real historical figures, and in others, figures are invented to serve a cultural or commercial purpose. Often didactic and always fantastic, these tales, in one way or another, help us make sense of the world. Join Christopher Fee, the co-editor of An Encyclopedia of American Myth, Legend, and Folklore, for an entertaining and revealing look at the cast of characters that color our nation's folkloric imagination. In this compelling twenty-four-lecture series, you'll meet figures such as Daniel Boone and John Henry and learn the stories of characters such as Water Jar Boy and the Woodcutter and the Fairy. Specters also abound, and you'll encounter frightening figures ranging from the Headless Horseman to La Llorona. Having explored traditional forms of folklore, myth, and legend in America, you will turn to new storytelling methods and discuss the more recent development of genres such as conspiracy theory, urban myth, and "fakelore." Finally, you will conclude by discussing how these kinds of stories represent a search for deeper truths, which suggests why American folklore still matters so much to so many.

About the Author :
Christopher R. Fee is an expert on medieval literature. He is currently Professor of English and the Chair of the English department at Gettysburg College, where he served as the Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities. Named one of the 300 best professors in America by the Princeton Review, he has received a variety of honors, grants, and fellowships for his teaching and research. Having earned his Ph.D. in English at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, he is a frequent visiting faculty member at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen. Christopher R. Fee is an expert on medieval literature. He is currently Professor of English and the Chair of the English department at Gettysburg College, where he served as the Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities. Named one of the 300 best professors in America by the Princeton Review, he has received a variety of honors, grants, and fellowships for his teaching and research. Having earned his Ph.D. in English at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, he is a frequent visiting faculty member at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen.