BOOK REVIEWS
A n a l y t i c Essays i n F o l k l o r e . By Alan Dundes.
Pp. x x i i + 265, b i b l i o g r a p h y , index. Foreword by Richard M. Dorson.
The Hague: Mouton, 1975.
Reviewed by Roger D . Abrahams
Alan Dundes and t h e S t a t e and F a t e o f o u r D i s c i p l i n e
A y e a r and h a l f ago I was asked t o r e v i e w Alan Dundes' book of k l e i n e s c h r i f t e n ,
A n a l y t i c Essays i n F o l k l o r e (Mouton, 1975, p r i c e p r e d i c t a b l y o u t r a g e o u s ) . Hot o f f
t h e p r e s s , a s were a number of h i s o t h e r books t h a t v i n t a g e y e a r , it seemed t o
p r o v i d e t h e i d e a l o p p o r t u n i t y t o w r i t e h i s c r i t i c a l o b i t u a r y . (He and I have a
l o n g - s t a n d i n g agreement t h a t we w i l l p u b l i s h e a c h o t h e r ' s o b i t u a r i e s b e f o r e we d i e
s o t h a t each can make a r e j o i n d e r - - i n A l a n ' s c a s e he promises something between
The a r t i c l e s i n t h i s c o l l e c t i o n a r e a k i n d of
e a r t h - d i v i n g and b u l l - r o a r i n g . )
summation n o t o n l y of A l a n ' s 0-euvres b u t of o u r g e n e r a t i o n of s c h o l a r s h i p (of which
he h a s always been t h e a c k n o w l e d g e d l e a d e r , even b e f o r e he g o t h i s degree! 1.
The v e r y s t r e n g t h s of t h e c o l l e c t i o n , however, have proved my undoing. Not o n l y could
I n o t engage i n o b i t c o m p o s i t i o n , I f e l t t h e need t o a t t e m p t t o come t o g r i p s w i t h
some of t h e l i n e s of f o r c e which have enabled f o l k l o r i s t s t o a c h i e v e a more c e n t r a l
p l a c e i n academic and p u b l i c a f f a i r s .
I f J may, t h e n , I want t o p r e s e n t a r e t r o s p e c t i v e ( i f p e r s o n a l ) view of t h e f o l k l o r i s t i c s o f o u r g e n e r a t i o n , a k i n d of r e v i e w
and overview a t mid-career.$* Let me r e v i e w t h e s t a t e of t h e a r t when Alan and t h e
r e s t of t h e " g e n e r a t i o n of t h e f i f t i e s " came i n t o t h e f i e l d , and i n t h e p r o c e s s I
promise t o a t t e m p t t o p u t A l a n ' s work ( s e r i o u s l y now) i n t h e p l a c e it d e s e r v e s .
F o l k l o r e , a s we a l l know, was p r i m a r i l y a n t i q u a r i a n , c e r t a i n l y a c u l t u r a l - h i s t o r i c a l
d i s c i p l i n e - - i n t h e main, a t l e a s t , u n t i l t h e c u l t u r a l a f t e r s h o c k of t h e Second
World War. The importance of t h e s o c i a l placement of t h e l e a d i n g f o l k l o r i s t s c a n n o t
be overlooked; t h e American F o l k l o r e S o c i e t y was founded predominantly by n o r t h e a s t e r n
m e n - o f - l e t t e r s who were concerned w i t h d i s c o v e r i n g and g i v i n g v o i c e t o American
traditions.
From a d i s c i p l i n a r y p o i n t of view it was a heterogenous bunch, c u l t u r a l
h i s t o r i a n s (John F i s k e , F r a n c i s Parkman), e t h n o g r a p h e r s (John Wesley Powell, Thomas
Dorsey, a young immigrant named Franz Boas), r e g i o n a l w r i t e r s ( J o e l Chandler H a r r i s ,
Samuel Langhorne Clemens), a s w e l l a s f i g u r e s l i k e William Wells Newell ( t h e r e a l
founder of t h e s o c i e t y ) and F r a n c i s James C h i l d , who were i n t o u c h w i t h
European s c h o l a r s and s c h o l a r s h i p . T h e i r common purpose was t o c e l e b r a t e t h e '
d i v e r s i t y of American h i s t o r y and c u l t u r e by c o l l e c t i n g and p r e s e n t i n g t h e r e l i c s
of t h e t r a d i t i o n s o f t h e many Americans. To g u a r a n t e e t h e maintenance of t h i s s o c i a l
and academic p l u r a l i s m (and t o keep t h e S o c i e t y going i n s p i t e of i n c r e a s i n g
d i s c i p l i n a r y d i v e r s i t y ) , a t r a d i t i o n developed t h a t t h e main p o s t s ( e s p e c i a l l y t h e
':As t h e r e w i l l be t h o s e scandal-mongering r e a d e r s w i t h a s e n s a t i o n a l i s t i c and
j o u r n a l i s t i c c a s t of mind who w i l l be r e a d i n g t h i s j u s t t o f i n d where I ' m going t o
throw b r i c k b a t s a t Alan, l e t m e s p e l l o u t o u r deep diffe~ences h e r e s o t h e y won't
have t o l o o k any f u r t h e r . There a r e , a s a l l o b s e r v a n t f o l k l o r i s t s know, two k i n d s of
p u n s t e r s : t h o s e who s l i p a p l a y on words i n t o a c o n v e r s a t i o n s l y l y (any c o n v e r s a t i o n )
and t h e n l o o k v e r y h a r d a t you t o s e e i f you g e t it ( t h e y grow h a r d and g l a z e d of e y e ,
t h u s c u i n g t h e message "This i s p l a y . " ) ; and t h o s e who b e g i n t o c h u c k l e a t t h e i r own
joke b e f o r e t h e y come o u t w i t h i t , c o n t i n u i n g t o c h u c k l e d u r i n g t h e d e l i v e r y ( n o mean
f e a t ) and l o n g a f t e r w a r d t o make s u r e t h a t you g e t i t . Alan i s of t h e r a n k s of t h e
former, I t h e l a t t e r .
e d i t o r s h i p of t h e J o u r n a l ) would a l t e r n a t e between t h e l i t e r a r y and t h e a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l l y o r i e n t e d f o l k l o r i s t . (The assumption, I suppose, was t h a t they were a l l c u l t u r a l
h i s t o r i a n s i n some dimension, but not u n t i l Dorson's e d i t o r s h i p was t h i s a r e a l i t y from
our contemporary p e r s p e c t i v e . ) Whether concerned with Native-, Euro- o r Afro-American
l o r e t h e p r o j e c t of f o l k l o r e was conceived a s a kind of mopping-up o p e r a t i o n .
Furthermore, t h e s e various h i s t o r i e s were conceived a s being c l o s e d c h a p t e r s , t h u s
susceptible t o h i s t o r i c a l (especially d i s t r i b u t i o n a l ) analysis.
A number of p a r i a h f i g u r e s emerge i n t h e l a t e t h i r t i e s and f o r t i e s , s u l l y i n g t h e
d i s c i p l i n e m i g h t i l y : f o l k l o r i s t s who a r e convinced t h a t they a r e not involved i n an
e n t e r p r i s e of c u l t u r a l archeology but r a t h e r a r e charged with exploring l i v i n g and
v i t a l t r a d i t i o n s - - t h e Lomaxes, Vance Randolph, Herskovits, Botkin, Korson, H a l p e r t ,
and ( a l i t t l e l a t e r ) Dorson, B o a t r i g h t , Par$des (among o t h e r s ) a l l i n s i s t i n g t h a t "the
f o l k " a r e indeed a l i v e and doing w e l l i n Upper Michigan o r Lower Patagonia. The
search f o r t h e a u t h e n t i c had come t o be a p e r s o n a l m a t t e r , one involving experience
a s well a s observation. To be s u r e , t h e r e was l i t t l e sense of common cause i n t h i s
assemblage--could t h e r e ever be with mavericks? The c o n t r o v e r s i e s between them s t i l l
a r e there--between t h o s e who s e e t h e p u r s u i t of knowledge i n academic terms i n which
t h e p u r i t y of t h e f o l k (and e s p e c i a l l y t h e i r e x p r e s s i o n ) has t o be defended, and t h o s e
who s e e t h e l o r e a s evidence of l a r g e r c u l t u r a l q u e s t i o n s , ones which engender i s s u e s
of p u b l i c p o l i c y a s well.
When Alan and t h e o t h e r s of our g e n e r a t i o n entered t h e f i e l d , t h e e f f e c t s of t h i s
incursion from t h e o u t s i d e had a l r e a d y manifested i t s e l f i n t h e way i n which both
f o l k l o r i c s and f o l k l o r i s t i c s were viewed ( a Dundes coinage, I b e l i e v e , one of many).
Most important, t h e demonstrated v i t a l i t y of t h e t r a d i t i o n and, by e x t e n s i o n , of
t h e t r a d i t i o n bearers--had manifested i t s e l f i n an a l t e r a t i o n of focus from t h e
items and t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n t o t h e way i n which t h e items a r e t r a n s m i t t e d . T r a d i t i o n ,
always t h e b a s i c term of t h e d i s c i p l i n e , now came t o r e f e r p r i m a r i l y t o o r a l t r a n s m i s s i o n .
This was t h e c l e a r message t h a t Fran Utley discovered i n h i s survey of t h e d e f i n i t i o n s
of f o l k l o r e compiled a f t e r t h e war f o r t h e Funk & Wagnall's Dictionary. This focus
on t h e process of t r a n s m i s s i o n , t o be s u r e , had been a major theme i n b a l l a d and
f o l k t a l e s c h o l a r s h i p f o r some time. But i n t h a t l i t e r a t u r e it was employed a s a
way of g e t t i n g a t t h e t e x t u a l problems of v a r i a t i o n . Now, i n t h e post-war s c h o l a r s h i p ,
it begins t o p l a c e a s much emphasis on t h e b e a r e r s o f l o r e a s on t h e t e x t s , t h e l o r e
itself.
One of t h e o f f s h o o t s of t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e i s t h a t f o l k l o r i s t s p e r f o r c e go beyond t h e
boundaries of t h e d i s c i p l i n e ; i n t e r a l i a t h e concerns of t h e psychologist involved
i n c o g n i t i o n , perception, and G y = e
obviously c e n t r a l t o an understanding of
t h i s process of transmission. We began t a l k i n g about d i s r u p t i o n s of t h e c o g n i t i v e
and p e r c e p t u a l process, r e l a t i n g such f a i l u r e s t o a l t e r a t i o n w i t h i n t e x t u a l t r a d i t i o n s .
Between t h i s opening t o t h e s o c i a l s c i e n c e s and t h e growing r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e
importance of proper ethnographic f i e l d methodology, f o l k l o r i s t s were encouraged t o
explore a l t e r n a t i v e modes and models of c o l l e c t i o n and a n a l y s i s . This s h i f t meant
t h a t by focussing away from a d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e f o l k a s s e s i l e a g r a r i a n s and p a s t o r a l i s t s
t o t h e modes of passing on knowledge o r a l l y (even while e n t e r t a i n i n g and p l a y i n g ) , t h e
f o l k l o r e t e a c h e r could use a l l kinds of everyday phenomena f a m i l i a r t o t h e s t u d e n t s
For some time a l r e a d y ,
a s ways of dramatizing t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n s of transmission.
s t u d e n t s had been encouraged t o do fieldwork f o r t h e i r term r e p o r t s i f they had
a c c e s s t o a "folk" group. Now, with t h e emphasis on c o g n i t i o n and communication
processes, any group which has a sense of i t s own groupness becomes a v a i l a b l e f o r
F i e l d r e p o r t s a s term papers
t h e a n a l y s i s of t h e p a t t e r n s of emerging t r a d i t i o n s .
become t h e s i n e qua non of even t h e i n t r o d u c t o r y c o u r s e , and o p e r a t i o n a l l y , t h e
concept of f o l k i s t o t a l l y a l t e r e d . Now a l l a r e f o l k i f they have developed o r
adopted t r a d i t i o n a l items i n t h e i r e x p r e s s i v e r e p e r t o i r e . Add t o t h i s t h e
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n by t h e s t u d e n t s of t h e f o l k with t h e people and t h e growing d e s i r e i n
an e g a l i t a r i a n c u l t u r e t o i d e n t i f y w i t h e f o l k , and you have t h e s i t u a t i o n which
o b t a i n s today: everyone is a "folk" a t l e a s t i n some segment of h i s l i f e . C o l l e c t i o n s
could then be made n o t only a t home with k i n f o l k but among o n e ' s f r i e n d s ; t h u s f o l k l o r i s t i c s
can r e a c t t o t h e emphasis on p e e r grouping i n o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e f a m i l y , a s o c i a l concern
self-consciously c e n t r a l i n t h e s i x t i e s . To be s u r e , t h e t y i n g t o g e t h e r of group
i s o l a t i o n with t h e f u n c t i o n a l i t y and i n t e n s i t y of group t r a t i t i o n s c o n t i n u e s t o make
t h e term paper on t h e i s o l a t e d a g r a r i a n community ( o r some o t h e r f u l l - t i m e occupation s t i l l
most a t t r a c t i v e t o do. But now s e l f - i s o l a t e d groups a r e a s a t t r a c t i v e a r e s o u r c e o f
e x p r e s s i v e behavior a s backwater communities; v a r i o u s kinds of f r i n g e ( o r f r e a k )
communities come t o provide m a t e r i a l s f o r study.
There a r e two d i r e c t i o n s i n which f o l k l o r i s t s go i n d e f i n i n g t h e important parameters
of t h e d i s c i p l i n e . F u n c t i o n a l i s t ethnography i s drawn upon, and l o r e is explored i n
terms o f where and how it f i t s i n t o group l i f e , how it is engendered, and what
s i t u a t i o n s and f a c t o r s encourage o r discourage t h e maintenance of t h e group through
its t r a d i t i o n s . This i s an extension o f t h e p r o c e s s - o r i e n t a t i o n a r i s i n g from our
i n t e r e s t i n transmission, and our experience i n working " i n t h e f i e l d " w i t h a contained
group.
The a l t e r n a t i v e s t r a t e g y f o r teaching is t o circumscribe t h e f i e l d i n terms of t h e
m a t e r i a l s which, a r i s i n g out of such communities, a r e commonly s t u d i e d by f o l k l o r i s t s .
This has, of c o u r s e , been t h e pedagogical approach championed by Alan Dundes, and a
productive d i r e c t i o n it has been. This p e r s p e c t i v e has been t h e motivating f o r c e
i n h i s s c h o l a r l y concerns a s w e l l , and h a s l e d him i n t o some s t r a n g e and o f t e n f e r t i l e
f i e l d s . He has pursued a kind o f f u n c t i o n a l i s m i n h i s f a s c i n a t i n g e x e r c i s e s i n
Freudian a n a l y s i s (many of them r e p r i n t e d h e r e ) , though t h e a n a l y t i c terms do n o t
a r i s e from t h e f o l k themselves. As t h e s e c o l l e c t e d e s s a y s demonstrate, however, he
has more g e n e r a l l y i d e n t i f i e d f o l k l o r e a s a s c h o l a r l y f i e l d by t h e l o r e r a t h e r t h a n by
t h e f o l k . He has f o r c e f u l l y l e d u s t o contend with t h o s e pursuing o t h e r d i s c i p l i n e s
who have used l o r e a s d a t a i n t h e i r own modes of s p e c i a l pleading. H i s f o o t n o t e s
t e l l t h e message of t h i s outward-looking s t r a t e g y : e x h a u s t i v e , prodding, suggestive
of a n i n f i n i t u d e of r e s o u r c e s , they seldom r e f e r t o t h e work of o t h e r American
f o l k l o r i s t s . I f f o l k l o r e i s defined by t h e m a t e r i a l s g e n e r a l l y s t u d i e d by f o l k l o r i s t s ,
t h e n anyone e l s e who s t u d i e s t h i s m a t t e r i s a l s o , by e x t e n s i o n , a f o l k l o r i s t .
This approach has produced a kind of opening-up of t h e f i e l d which some c a l l c r e a t i v e l y
e c l e c t i c , o t h e r s a f a i l u r e of focus l e a d i n g t o o f a r away from t h e f o l k l o r i c d a t a
themselves. The argument, i f sometimes overly-dramatized i n i t s p r e s e n t a t i o n , h a s
been a u s e f u l one a t l e a s t from t h e point of view of t h e amount of focussed i n t e r e s t
it seems t o have c r e a t e d , a s well a s t h e ways i n which it underscores d i f f e r e n c e s
i n r e s e a r c h and p r e s e n t a t i o n a l s t r a t e g i e s .
Alan i m p l i c i t l y seems t o be r e j e c t i n g t h e performance-centered s t r a t e g i e s of d i s c u s s i n g
and d e f i n i n g f o l k l o r i s t i c s . Though s h a r i n g many of t h e concerns of t h o s e of u s who
would emphasize t h e s i t u a t i n g f a c t o r s of t r a d i t i o n a l items w i t h i n a n i n t e r a c t i o n a l
context, Alan i s more i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e socio-psychological p l a c e out of which t h e items
a r e generated. Thus, r a t h e r than pursuing t h e s o c i o - c u l t u r a l determinants of t h e
p a t t e r n s of e x p r e s s i v e l y heightened group a c t i v i t i e s , he e x p l o r e s t h e m e n t a l i s t i c
"deep s t r u c t u r e s " which engender t e x t u a l "surface" m a n i f e s t a t i o n s . Only such a d e s i r e
t o uncover t h e hidden r e p o s i t o r y of metaphoric and metanymic v o c a b u l a r i e s can account
f o r t h e otherwise d i s p a r a t e methodologies of Freudian and Proppian s t r u c t u r a l a n a l y s i s .
H i s p i e r c i n g i n t e l l i g e n c e and immense w i t emerges r e p e a t e d l y i n h i s g r i n n i n g d i s r o b i n g
of t h o s e s p e c i a l corpuses of n a r r a t i v e s , proverbs, games, and s o on.
Because of t h e s p e c i a l g l e e and f e r v o r he b r i n g s t o t h e s e s u b j e c t s , he has done what
few o t h e r f o l k l o r i s t s have managed t o do--forced i n t e l l e c t u a l s from a l l d i s c i p l i n e s
t o contend with h i s work, and t h u s t o c o n s i d e r t h e m a t e r i a l s and p e r s p e c t i v e s of o t h e r
If we have become more r e s p e c t a b l e i n t h e academy. Alan is more r e s p o n s i b l e
folklorists.
than any o t h e r f o l k l o r i s t .
Yet, because he maintains t h a t t h e study of f o l k l o r e must u l t i m a t e l y focus p r i m a r i l y
on t h e l o r e has made him somewhat l e s s c e n t r a l i n f o l k l o r i s t i c a c t i v i t y within t h e
p r o f e s s i o n . H i s unwillingness t o address t h e p l a c e of l o r e i n t h e s o c i o - c u l t u r a l
dynamic means t h a t t h e very f o r c e s of p h i l i s t i n i s m d i r e c t e d a t f o l k l o r e ( t h r o u g h t h e
invasions of spurious i m i t a t i o n s f a g a i n s t which he has t o i l e d may now be r e i f i e d . The
burden of Alan's work has been t o show t h e c e n t r a l i t y of f o l k l o r i c m a t e r i a l s i n t h e
study of man; but by foregoing ( f o r t h e most p a r t ) a n a l y s i s of t h e process by which
f o l k l o r e i s employed i n our q u o t i d i a n l i v e s , he c a l l s f o r t h a c c u s a t i o n s of model-building
f o r i t s own sake. His mission--to e l e v a t e t h e study of f o l k l o r e and f o l k l o r i s t i c s t o
i n t e l l e c t u a l r e s p e c t a b i l i t y - - i s , t h e n , somewhat undercut by h i s unwillingness t o
contend with a new f o l k l o r i s t i c s , one which underscores t h e importance of t h e f o l k
r a t h e r than t h e l o r e , and which seeks t o d i s t i n g u i s h f o l k l o r e from l i t e r a r y p r o c e s s e s
(through i t s i n h e r e n t o r a l i t y and face-to-face m i l i e u ) and from o t h e r more i n s t i t u t i o n a l
r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s of c u l t u r e .
This i s more than an i n t e l l e c t u a l and academic m a t t e r . We a r e i n t h e midst of a
world-wide s o c i a l movement i n which groups a r e seeking t o understand sources of t h e i r
own "ethnic" i d e n t i f i c a t i o n more f u l l y . This means t h a t t h e s e e t h n i c groups, a s w e l l
a s governmental and p r i v a t e agencies, a r e looking t o t h e s t u d e n t s of expressive c u l t u r e
f o r g u i d e l i n e s by which t h e a u t h e n t i c may be d i s t i n g u i s h e d from t h e spurious. Any
d e f i n i t i o n of f o l k l o r e which emphasizes product r a t h e r than process, l o r e r a t h e r than
f o l k , is not going t o provide i n s i g h t s needed t o engage i n t h i s dialogue. Furthermore,
t h e p r o f e s s i o n now f i n d s i t s e l f c a l l e d upon t o speak with one v o i c e t o t h e o u t s i d e
world, and i n t o n e s decipherable t o everyone. To continue t o d e f i n e what f o l k l o r e i s
s o l e l y i n terms of t h e l o r e i s t o i n v i t e t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n o b t a i n i n g advice about
developing p u b l i c a t i o n programs t o go t o almost anyone who has c o l l e c t e d o r analyzed
t r a d i t i o n a l m a t t e r s and m a t e r i a l s . This, of course, would simply encourage t h e
f a k e l o r i c takeover--a very r e a l and c o n s t a n t t h r e a t , a s anyone who h a s worked i n f o l k
f e s t i v a l s knows.
This i s n o t i n any way t o gainsay t h e Dundes achievement. That we continue t o be swept
up by t h e enthusiasm and i n t e g r i t y of h i s arguments t e s t i f i e s t o h i s importance i n our
i n t e l l e c t u a l l i v e s . H i s v i r t u o s i t y even more than h i s models themselves, w i l l continue
t o be t h e model by which we judge our continuing f o l k l o r i s t i c products.
Folk Housing i n Middle
-----By Henry G l a s s i e .
Virginia:
A Structural
-
Analysis of H i s t o r i c A r t i f a c t s .
Pp. v i i + 231, index, s e l e c t e d ( c a t e g o r i z e d ) bibliography, comprehensive n o t e s ,
photographs and drawings by t h e a u t h o r .
Knoxville: The University of Tennessee P r e s s , 1975. $12.50 c l o t h .
Reviewed by Charles L. Perdue
I was glad t o g e t t h i s book t o review. My wife and I both have a n c e s t r a l l i n e s t h a t
go back t o Louisa and Goochland Counties (Stamps, Byrds, B a l l i n g e r s f o r me; Atkinsons
and Fulchers f o r h e r ) and we have d r i v e n through t h i s a r e a numerous times. We have
In
a l s o spent s e v e r a l days i n t h e county courthouses doing g e n e a l o g i c a l r e s e a r c h .
a d d i t i o n , I know t h a t my g r e a t g r a n d f a t h e r , Daniel Walton Mabry Perdue, was a p r i v a t e
r,