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A review by danelleeb
Afro-American Folktales by Roger D. Abrahams
4.0
Here I am at book number 15 (or 16?) of my collection of fairy and folk tales. I thought it would be remiss not to read this one now.
Consisting of stories from North, South, Central Americas and the Caribbean, they are heavy on trickster stories. (What else would you expect from stories whose origins often stem from slavery times, though?) Each story lists it's origin at the end, whether it be Jamaica, Mississippi, etc.
From the introduction:
Make no mistake: this is a book of elaborate fictions told by tale spinners, first and last, for the fun of it, even when the stories are told in the face of a death in the community.
In the Afro-American world, populated largely by blacks and yet commonly under the political and economical control of whites, the usefulness of learning wariness and counteractive devices of wit is obvious.
One of the main differences in the stories in this volume as compared to other volumes of fairy and folk tales that I've read is the lack of a "the end" or a "happily ever after." There's an implied "to be continued" that I haven't encountered in many (except for a section in the Arab tales, I believe). And when you think about that, it makes sense, I mean, think of the characters: Anansi or Brer Rabbit.
Getting on, there are seven parts to this book:
1. 'Getting Things Started: How the World Got Put Together That Way' - stories that speak to the value of accommodating yourself to the way the world is and to the fact that life isn't usually very fair. (When all the folks in the courthouse are foxes and you are just a common goose there ain't gonna be much justice for colored folk.) In this section, I learned that if you are visiting God, when you get there you have to ask for what you want and don't ever be late. Other lessons in this section - no good ever comes from being greedy and when you don't do what you're told to do, you will get into trouble sooner or later. Story #13, Tadpole Loses His Tail was one of my favorites.
2. 'Minding Somebody Else's Business and Sometimes Making It Your Own' - stories that are how problems first came to humans and how detrimental it is to do something in a "boastful manner." There were some similarities in the stories in this section to those of what one would call "typical" fairy tales. Story #31, 'A Boarhog For a Husband' has characters of a Boarhog that transforms into a man and a stepmother that's really a bird. Also #33, 'My Mother Killed Me My Father Ate Me.'
3. 'Getting a Comeupance: How (And How Not) To Act Stories - here are the stories that discuss how to behave, what's considered good behavior and bad behavior. There are also stories at how untrustworthy others are. One of my favorite stories in this section described how a wasp came to be shaped as they are: it's because one wasp laughed so hard and so long at mosquito, his waist began to disappear. The story went on to say that if he laughs today, he will split in two.
4. 'How Clever Can You Get? Tales of Trickery and Its Consequences' - here are more stories of tricksters, but now it's their immoralities that are in the spotlight.
5. 'The Strong Ones and the Clever: Contests and Confrontations' - in this section, many of the characters are animals with human traits or vice-versa. They participate in contests and fights drawing power from the 'non-human' world to help them. In this section we read about the "spirit world" and many of the stories revolve around dealings with the Devil.
6. 'Getting Around Old Master (Most of the Time)' - Inevitably, the experiences of slavery and the social marginalization that arose in the plantation world came to be recorded in the stories blacks told about the interactions between themselves and whites. Here we have stories re: the black response to their exclusion and exploitation. Many of the stories report both brazen and subtle acts in the face of Old Master's authority. Story #93, A Flying Fool, tells the story of a black man who died and went to Heaven: This colored man died and went up there to meet his Maker. But when he got to the gates, St. Peter said that God wasn't home or having any visitors - by which he meant 'no negroes allowed.' Well, this man waited until St. Pete had to pee, sneeks past the gates into Heaven, gets his wings, flies all over. Then St. Peter calls out for the "heavenly police force" to get him, he's caught and then thrown out. But he tells the story over and over again about how he flew all over.
7. 'In the End, Nonsense' - this section was short and was compromised of clownish routines, jokes, etc.
Another excellent read.
Consisting of stories from North, South, Central Americas and the Caribbean, they are heavy on trickster stories. (What else would you expect from stories whose origins often stem from slavery times, though?) Each story lists it's origin at the end, whether it be Jamaica, Mississippi, etc.
From the introduction:
Make no mistake: this is a book of elaborate fictions told by tale spinners, first and last, for the fun of it, even when the stories are told in the face of a death in the community.
In the Afro-American world, populated largely by blacks and yet commonly under the political and economical control of whites, the usefulness of learning wariness and counteractive devices of wit is obvious.
One of the main differences in the stories in this volume as compared to other volumes of fairy and folk tales that I've read is the lack of a "the end" or a "happily ever after." There's an implied "to be continued" that I haven't encountered in many (except for a section in the Arab tales, I believe). And when you think about that, it makes sense, I mean, think of the characters: Anansi or Brer Rabbit.
Getting on, there are seven parts to this book:
1. 'Getting Things Started: How the World Got Put Together That Way' - stories that speak to the value of accommodating yourself to the way the world is and to the fact that life isn't usually very fair. (When all the folks in the courthouse are foxes and you are just a common goose there ain't gonna be much justice for colored folk.) In this section, I learned that if you are visiting God, when you get there you have to ask for what you want and don't ever be late. Other lessons in this section - no good ever comes from being greedy and when you don't do what you're told to do, you will get into trouble sooner or later. Story #13, Tadpole Loses His Tail was one of my favorites.
2. 'Minding Somebody Else's Business and Sometimes Making It Your Own' - stories that are how problems first came to humans and how detrimental it is to do something in a "boastful manner." There were some similarities in the stories in this section to those of what one would call "typical" fairy tales. Story #31, 'A Boarhog For a Husband' has characters of a Boarhog that transforms into a man and a stepmother that's really a bird. Also #33, 'My Mother Killed Me My Father Ate Me.'
3. 'Getting a Comeupance: How (And How Not) To Act Stories - here are the stories that discuss how to behave, what's considered good behavior and bad behavior. There are also stories at how untrustworthy others are. One of my favorite stories in this section described how a wasp came to be shaped as they are: it's because one wasp laughed so hard and so long at mosquito, his waist began to disappear. The story went on to say that if he laughs today, he will split in two.
4. 'How Clever Can You Get? Tales of Trickery and Its Consequences' - here are more stories of tricksters, but now it's their immoralities that are in the spotlight.
5. 'The Strong Ones and the Clever: Contests and Confrontations' - in this section, many of the characters are animals with human traits or vice-versa. They participate in contests and fights drawing power from the 'non-human' world to help them. In this section we read about the "spirit world" and many of the stories revolve around dealings with the Devil.
6. 'Getting Around Old Master (Most of the Time)' - Inevitably, the experiences of slavery and the social marginalization that arose in the plantation world came to be recorded in the stories blacks told about the interactions between themselves and whites. Here we have stories re: the black response to their exclusion and exploitation. Many of the stories report both brazen and subtle acts in the face of Old Master's authority. Story #93, A Flying Fool, tells the story of a black man who died and went to Heaven: This colored man died and went up there to meet his Maker. But when he got to the gates, St. Peter said that God wasn't home or having any visitors - by which he meant 'no negroes allowed.' Well, this man waited until St. Pete had to pee, sneeks past the gates into Heaven, gets his wings, flies all over. Then St. Peter calls out for the "heavenly police force" to get him, he's caught and then thrown out. But he tells the story over and over again about how he flew all over.
7. 'In the End, Nonsense' - this section was short and was compromised of clownish routines, jokes, etc.
Another excellent read.