Last lecture Todays lecture

1
Last lecture Todays lecture

• Folklore and the unconscious
• Zipes and the seditious nature of the culture
  industry
• Disneyfication of the world

• Zipes commentary and one more example
• Legends in the contexts of other genres
• The content, function, and meaning of legends

2
Zipes commentary

• He draws our attention to that which may be
  hidden (works on the unconscious)
• Recall all of the accusations of subliminal cuts
• Culture industry and Soviet system do/did
  actually have seditious intent
• But Zipes is perhaps overly negative
• By being negative, he is actually fulfilling a
  cultural imperative

3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7
(No Transcript)
8
Legends true oral form

• Adult (and teenage) lore not child
• Supposed to be true tales are once upon a time,
  3X9 kingdoms away (but have their own truth)
• Related to myth, in that myth is also true
• Legends essentially of 2 categories
• Historical
• Contemporary

9
(No Transcript)
10
Brunvand on legend

• He brings attention to the urban legend
• Provides structure
• Validation (FOF)
• Implied interdiction
• Interdiction violated
• Consequences rather than resolution
• Implied resolution existing norms confirmed
• Possible re-validation

11
Legend function and content

• Multifunctional like tales
• Content is perennial issues like relationship to
  family
• Runaway Grandma
• Contemporary issues like fear of new technology
  (though fear of new is perennial concern)
• Microwave oven, tanning salon
• Pop Rocks, fast food issues
• Stories about cars
• New developments in the social realm
• Trafficking in women, imported goods, here and
  Russia

12
Connection to reality

• Is it legend or is it fact
• SHOULD have happened, whether or not it did
• Poison ivy
• Baby in microwave in Richmond
• Cat in the bag also Richmond
• Alligators in sewers, also whitefish, gold fish

13
Connection to other genres
14
Myth examples

• American sacred, religious, perhaps Jefferson
  vis-à-vis UVA
• Russian
• Earth diver
• Birth of unclean force
• Necessity of death
• Hour of death
• Why men dominate women

15
Historical legends

• American George Washington and the cherry tree,
  silver dollar
• General Custer and the battle of Little Big Horn
  2 versions
• Fits pattern of the death of the arrogant hero
  hubris punished
• Parallels in Robin Hood, Turkish Koroglu, Russian
  Volga, Sviatogor
• Role of old woman ( time)