Literary Collections

Uncle Remus

Name: Uncle Remus
Author: Harris, Joel Chandler
ISBN: 9781438526591

by Harris, Joel Chandler

Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

In 1880, Joel Chandler Harris, a moderate white Southern journalist, published a collection of black folktales, proverbs, songs, and character sketches based on stories he had heard as a child. In his introduction, Robert Hemenway discusses the book's enduring popularity, pointing out that the character of Uncle Remus, the docile and grandfatherly ex-slave storyteller, is a utopian figure-a literary creation by Harris that reassured white readers during the tense and tentative Reconstruction. By contrast, the feisty Brer Rabbit was a mainstay of black folklore long before Harris heard of his exploits. Brer Rabbit's cunning and revolutionary antics symbolically inverted the slave-master relationship and satisfied the deep human needs of a captive people.

Presents the legends, songs, and sayings of Uncle Remus, following the text of the first edition of Joel Chandler Harris' attempt to record traditional black stories of his time.

Synopsis

In Uncle Remus Joel Harris has in the folklore scenes tried to preserve the legends themselves in their original simplicity and to preserve the southern dialect. The stories have the genuine flavor of the old plantation. Uncle Remus is known for his wit and wisdom. His songs and saying have delighted children for generations. "How the Animals Came to Earth," "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby," and "Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Bear" are some of his more well-known tales. This book includes legends, songs and sayings.