The Baby Train And Other Lusty Urban Legends

Author : Jan Harold Brunvand
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 1994-10-17
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780393346725

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The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand Pdf

America's premier folk detective is back on the case, sniffing out those zany but dubious stories that "really happened" to a friend of your sister's boyfriend's accountant's mechanic. Jan Harold Brunvand—''Mr. Urban Legend" [Smithsonian]—tracks the most fabulous tales making today's cocktail-party circuit and shows why those stories that sound too good to be true probably are too good to be true. The eponymous episode—"The Baby Train"—sheds light on certain predawn activities that have linked unusually high birth rates to the whim of train schedule makers. Other stories offer a revealing peek behind the story of "The Exploding Bra," expose the embarrassing source of "The Hairdresser's Error," resurrect a "Failed Suicide" Buster Keaton would have died for, and show why adults are better off not bringing their comic book fantasies out of the closet. From "Superhero Hijinx" to "The Shocking Videotape" to "The Accidental Cannibal," The Baby Train uncovers the mysteries behind some of the bawdiest, goriest, funniest, most pyrotechnic urban legends yet.

Author : Jan Harold Brunvand
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 911 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2012-07-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9798216160823

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Encyclopedia of Urban Legends [2 volumes] by Jan Harold Brunvand Pdf

This revised edition of the original reference standard for urban legends provides an updated anthology of common myths and stories, and presents expanded coverage of international legends and tales shared and popularized online. From roasted babies to vanishing hitchhikers to housewives in football helmets, this exhaustive and highly readable encyclopedia provides descriptions of hundreds of individual legends and their variations, examines legend themes, and explains scholarly approaches to the genre. Revised and expanded to include updated versions of the entries from the award-winning first edition, this work provides additional entries on a wide range of new topics that include terrorism, recent political events, and Hurricane Katrina. Entries in Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition discuss the presence of urban legends in comic books, literature, film, music, and many other areas of popular culture, as well as the existence of "too good to be true" stories in Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and several other countries. Serving as both an anthology of stories as well as a reference work, this encyclopedia will serve as a valuable resource for students and a source book for journalists, professional folklorists, and others who are researching or interested in urban legends.

Author : Jody Enders
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 355 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2005-05-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226207889

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Death by Drama and Other Medieval Urban Legends by Jody Enders Pdf

Part of every legend is true. Or so argues Jody Enders in this fascinating look at early French drama and the way it compels us to consider where the stage ends and where real life begins. This ambitious and bracing study explores fourteen tales of the theater that are at turns dark and dangerous, sexy and scandalous, humorous and frightening—stories that are nurtured by the confusion between truth and fiction, and imitation and enactment, until it becomes impossible to tell whether life is imitating art, or art is imitating life. Was a convicted criminal executed on stage during a beheading scene? Was an unfortunate actor driven insane while playing a madman? Did a theatrical enactment of a crucifixion result in a real one? Did an androgynous young man seduce a priest when portraying a female saint? Enders answers these and other questions while presenting a treasure trove of tales that have long seemed true but are actually medieval urban legends. On topics ranging through politics, religion, marriage, class, and law, these tales, Enders argues, do the cultural work of all urban legends: they disclose the hopes, fears, and anxieties of their tellers. Each one represents a medieval meditation created or dramatized by the theater with its power to blur the line between fiction and reality, engaging anyone who watches, performs, or is represented by it. Each one also raises pressing questions about the medieval and modern world on the eve of the Reformation, when Europe had never engaged more anxiously and fervently in the great debate about what was real, what was pretend, and what was pretense. Written with elegance and flair, and meticulously researched, Death by Drama and Other Medieval Urban Legends will interest scholars of medieval and Renaissance literature, history, theater, performance studies, and anyone curious about urban legends.

Author : Jan Harold Brunvand
Publisher : University of Illinois Press
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0252070046

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The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story by Jan Harold Brunvand Pdf

"Here he [the author] looks in detail at a dozen rampant and long-lived examples of this vigorous category of contemporary folklore, tracing their historyies, variations, sources, and meanings."--Jacket.

Author : William Aspray,James W. Cortada
Publisher : Springer
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2019-08-12
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9783030229528

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From Urban Legends to Political Fact-Checking by William Aspray,James W. Cortada Pdf

This text presents an historical examination of political fact-checking, highlighting how this is part of a larger phenomenon of online scrutiny that manifests itself in multiple forms. Reflecting the long history of “fake facts” in America, the book discusses important developments in this area from the emergence of the public Internet in the 1990s to the start of the Trump-Clinton presidential election campaigns. Topics and features: describes how some of the major players in political fact-checking began with the purpose of scrutinizing and debunking of urban legends; considers how this was part of a wider culture, encompassing B-grade horror movies, truth-or-fiction television shows, and groups warning about computer viruses; explains how such developments are connected, revealing political fact-checking as one of many forms of scrutiny applied in the face of a complex, dangerous world; provides a range of detailed case studies, covering such topics as the rumors surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and academic interest in contemporary legends; discusses how pre-Internet technologies such as bulletin boards, Usenet, and proprietary online service providers such as CompuServe and AOL were used to both disseminate and debunk urban legends; examines the rise of political fact-checking, reviewing all of the major initiatives in this area undertaken in the United States. This timely study touches on issues of popular culture and major events, and offers profiles of colorful individuals and organizations, and as such will appeal to a broad audience interested in the history of fact-checking and efforts to protect the political process from falsehoods.

Author : Rodney Dale
Publisher : Wordsworth Editions
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Anecdotes
ISBN : 1840223030

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The Wordsworth Book of Urban Legend by Rodney Dale Pdf

As a genre, the urban legend was recognised and named only in the mid-1970s. This book brings together a rich variety of these tales which continued to flourish and circulate, classified under different headings for ease of reference, and linked together by the author's narrative. Uncle Joe's ashes baked in a cake (Delicious!); Granny's corpse stolen along with the family car; sewers alive with alligators...all these alleged occurrences - and many, many others - are the stuff of urban legend: the extraordinary things that you're told happen to that elusive 'friend of a friend' (foaf); someone whom you can never pin down, however hard you try.

Author : Marion Gymnich,Kathrin Ruhl,Klaus Scheunemann
Publisher : V&R Unipress
Page : 271 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2010-11-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783862346622

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Gendered (Re)Visions by Marion Gymnich,Kathrin Ruhl,Klaus Scheunemann Pdf

Basierend auf der Annahme, dass Geschlechterrollen in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend komplexer und differenzierter geworden sind, wird in den Artikeln des Bandes die Konstruktion von Geschlecht in zeitgenössischen Medienprodukten analysiert. Die AutorInnen geben Einblicke in die vielfältigen medien- und genrespezifischen Umsetzungen der Konstruktion, Perpetuierung und Infragestellung von Geschlechterkonzeptionen in audiovisuellen Medien. Dabei betrachten sie das Zusammenspiel der verschiedenen Ebenen, in denen das »gendering« in diesen Medien angesiedelt ist, und nehmen einem zentralen Ansatz des Bandes folgend eine transmediale Perspektive ein.Das Buch soll durch eingehende Analysen populärer Beispiele aus TV-Serien, Filmen und Musikvideos den Blick der LeserInnen schärfen, wie audiovisuelle Medien auf der einen Seite das Bild von »Weiblichkeit« und »Männlichkeit« beeinflussen und auf der anderen Seite gesellschaftlich verankerte Geschlechternormen reproduzieren.

Author : Pamela Donovan
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2004-02-24
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781135936419

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No Way of Knowing by Pamela Donovan Pdf

This book examines both 'old media' treatment of crime legends: news reports, fictional film and television depictions, as well as 'new' media interactive discussions of them via the Internet and electronic mail.

Author : David J. Puglia
Publisher : University Press of Colorado
Page : 381 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2022-03-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781646421602

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North American Monsters by David J. Puglia Pdf

Mining a mountain of folklore publications, North American Monsters unearths decades of notable monster research. Nineteen folkloristic case studies from the last half-century examine legendary monsters in their native habitats, focusing on ostensibly living creatures bound to specific geographic locales. A diverse cast of scholars contemplate these alluring creatures, feared and beloved by the communities that host them—the Jersey Devil gliding over the Pine Barrens, Lieby wriggling through Lake Lieberman, Char-Man stalking the Ojai Valley, and many, many more. Embracing local stories, beliefs, and traditions while neither promoting nor debunking, North American Monsters aspires to revive scholarly interest in local legendary monsters and creatures and to encourage folkloristic monster legend sleuthing.

Author : Bill Ellis
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Legends
ISBN : 1617030015

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Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults by Bill Ellis Pdf

Author : Simon J. Bronner
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Page : 497 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2012-09-10
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781628467789

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Campus Traditions by Simon J. Bronner Pdf

From their beginnings, campuses emerged as hotbeds of traditions and folklore. American college students inhabit a culture with its own slang, stories, humor, beliefs, rituals, and pranks. Simon J. Bronner takes a long, engaging look at American campus life and how it is shaped by students and at the same time shapes the values of all who pass through it. The archetypes of absent-minded profs, fumbling jocks, and curve-setting dweebs are the stuff of legend and humor, along with the all-nighters, tailgating parties, and initiations that mark campus tradition—and student identities. Undergraduates in their hallowed halls embrace distinctive traditions because the experience of higher education precariously spans childhood and adulthood, parental and societal authority, home and corporation, play and work. Bronner traces historical changes in these traditions. The predominant context has shifted from what he calls the “old-time college,” small in size and strong in its sense of community, to mass society’s “mega-university,” a behemoth that extends beyond any campus to multiple branches and offshoots throughout a state, region, and sometimes the globe. One might assume that the mega-university has dissolved collegiate traditions and displaced the old-time college, but Bronner finds the opposite. Student needs for social belonging in large universities and a fear of losing personal control have given rise to distinctive forms of lore and a striving for retaining the pastoral “campus feel” of the old-time college. The folkloric material students spout, and sprout, in response to these needs is varied but it is tied together by its invocation of tradition and social purpose. Beneath the veil of play, students work through tough issues of their age and environment. They use their lore to suggest ramifications, if not resolution, of these issues for themselves and for their institutions. In the process, campus traditions are keys to the development of American culture.

Author : Gary Alan Fine,Bill Ellis
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2013-02-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0199750459

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The Global Grapevine by Gary Alan Fine,Bill Ellis Pdf

Far from mere idle tales, rumors are a valuable window into our anxieties and fears. Rumors let us talk as a community about some very inflammatory issues--issues that may be embarrassing or disturbing to discuss-allowing us to act as if we are talking about real events, not personal beliefs. We can air our hidden fears and desires without claiming these attitudes as our own. In The Global Grapevine, two leading authorities on rumor, folklore, and urban legend--Gary Alan Fine and Bill Ellis--shed light on what contemporary rumors can tell us about the fears and pressures of globalization. In particular, they examine four major themes that emerge over and over again: rumors about terrorism, about immigration, about international trade, and about tourism. The authors analyze how various rumors underscore American reactions to perceived global threats, show how we interpret our changing world, and highlight fears, fantasies, and cherished beliefs about our place in the world. Along the way the book examines a wide variety of rumors-that the Israelis were behind 9-11, the President knew of the attack in advance, tourists wake up in foreign countries with their kidneys stolen, foreign workers urinate in vats of beer destined to be shipped to America. These rumors, the authors argue, reflect our anxieties and fears about contact with foreign cultures-whether we believe foreign competition to be poisoning the domestic economy or that foreign immigration to be eroding American values. Rumors are the visible tip of a vast iceberg of hidden anxieties. Illuminating the most widely circulated rumors in America in recent years, The Global Grapevine offers an invaluable portrait of what these tales reveal about contemporary society.

Author : Christoph Schmitt
Publisher : Waxmann Verlag
Page : 436 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : German fiction
ISBN : 383095767X

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Homo narrans by Christoph Schmitt Pdf

Author : Timothy R. Tangherlini
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2015-02-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781317550655

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Interpreting Legend (RLE Folklore) by Timothy R. Tangherlini Pdf

This book, first published in 1994, sets ‘repertoire against raconteur’ in order to explore one of the world’s largest collections of folk literature. The author’s findings, and his creative and synthetic methodologies, enhance greatly our understanding of the world of the legend, and especially the basic question of ‘Who tells what to whom in the form of a legend and why?’ This work is an in-depth exploration of rural Denmark, and provides us with an excellent vantage point from which to understand legends in their cultural contexts and within the lives of their tellers.

Author : Jan Harold Brunvand
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 1990-08-17
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780393346732

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Curses! Broiled Again! by Jan Harold Brunvand Pdf

From the master folklorist and sly wit, Jan Brunvand, comes a collection of all-new urban legends. Did your cousin's wife's dentist's daughter go to the tanning parlor once too often and had her insides cooked? Has your husband's brother's nephew teacher try to make a dead rabbit look alive? If so, you've heard—or you yourself may have told—two of the seventy-plus legends in this collection. Urban legends are "those bizarre but believable stories about batter-fried rats, spiders in hairdos, Cabbage Patch dolls that get funerals, and the like that pass by word of mouth as being the gospel truth." But of course, though often told as having happened to a FOAF (friend of a friend), they aren't true. Included in this collection are legends about sex, horror, cars, business, and academia. Among them are "The Bible Student's Exam," "The Pregnant Shoplifter," "The Ice Cream Cone Caper," "Don't Mess with Texas," and "Mrs. Fields' Cookie Recipe."