Jan Harold Brunvand
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Jan Harold Brunvand (born March 23, 1933) is an American retired folklorist, researcher, writer, public speaker, and professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah.<ref name="Helmer, Dona J.">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Brunvand is best known for popularizing the concept of the urban legend, a form of modern folklore or story telling. Urban legends are "too good to be true" stories<ref name="O'Brien, Joan" /> that travel by word of mouth, by print, or by the internet and are attributed to an FOAF: friend of a friend.<ref name="O'Brien, Joan">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Nicolini, Mary B">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Jensen, Joyce">Template:Cite news</ref> "Urban legends," Brunvand says, "have a persistent hold on the imagination because they have an element of suspense or humor, they are plausible and they have a moral."<ref name="Jensen, Joyce" />
Though criticized for the "popular" rather than "academic" orientation of his books, The Vanishing Hitchhiker and others,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> Brunvand felt that it was a "natural and worthwhile part of his job as a folklorist to communicate the results of his research to the public."<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" />
For his lifetime dedication to the field of folklore, which included radio and television appearances, a syndicated newspaper column, and over 100 publications (articles, books, notes and reviews),<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> Brunvand is considered to be "the legend scholar with the greatest influence on twentieth-century media."<ref>Lindahl, Carl, "Some Legendary Takes on Hurricane Katrina", American Folklore Society, March 7, 2012</ref>
Early life and educationEdit
Brunvand was born on March 23, 1933, in Cadillac, Michigan,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth">Template:Cite journal</ref> to Norwegian immigrants<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Wolkomir, Richard" /> Harold N. Brunvand and Ruth Brunvand.<ref name="1940 Census">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He and his two siblings, Tor and Richard,<ref name="1940 Census" /> were brought up in Lansing, Michigan.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold About Page">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Brunvand graduated from J. W. Sexton High School in Lansing in 1951.<ref name="News-Palladium (1956)">Template:Cite news</ref>
From high school, Brunvand attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, where, in 1955,<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> While at Michigan State, he attended a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation. Brunvand went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in English from the same university in 1957. He briefly served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth and was discharged with the rank of 1st Lieutenant.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /><ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /><ref name="News-Palladium (1956)" />
Academic careerEdit
While attending Michigan State, Brunvand met Richard Dorson,<ref name="Harrah-Conforth, Jeanne" /> a folklorist and professor, who became a mentor.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" /> Brunvand took an undergraduate American Folklore course Dorson offered in the fall quarter of 1954 and, in subsequent semesters, completed two of Dorson's graduate courses in folklore as a special enrollee.<ref name="Brunvand (1982)" /> The work Brunvand and other classmates did for Dorson's classes included "preparing a large and well organized personal collection of folklore garnered from oral tradition and furnished with informant data and background comments."<ref name="Harrah-Conforth, Jeanne" /> These papers would later serve as the beginnings of a large archive of folklore housed at Indiana University.<ref name="Brunvand (1982)" />
On June 10, 1956, Brunvand married Judith Darlene Ast, also a student at Michigan State University.<ref name="News-Palladium (1956)" /> Four days later, the couple left for Oslo, Norway,<ref name="News-Palladium (1956)" /> where Brunvand attended the University of Oslo on a Fulbright scholarship.<ref name="News-Palladium (1956)" /> He spent the year studying folklore.<ref name="Harrah-Conforth, Jeanne">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Brunvand (1982)">Template:Cite journal</ref> He started publishing in academic publications during this period, notably a paper on Norwegian-American folklore in the archives of Indiana University<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and one about the Norwegian folk hero Askeladden.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold About Page" /><ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1959)">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1957, Brunvand returned to the United States as a graduate student at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> He switched majors, from English to folklore, and took a series of classes offered through the university's summer institute.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1999)" /> He worked as an archivist in the Indiana University Folklore Archives from September 1958 to June 1960.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1963)">Template:Cite journal</ref> During this time, he met Archer Taylor, who, as a visiting professor, taught a course on proverbs and riddles. This course, according to Brunvand, "changed his life."<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1999)">Template:Cite journal</ref> Proverbs became one of Brunvand's favorite topics to study and discuss.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1999)" /> In 1961, Brunvand's A Dictionary of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases from Books Published by Indiana Authors Before 1890 was published as Number 15 of the Indiana University's Folklore Series.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1999)" /> Of the book, Brunvand says two things: "I've become better at choosing titles since then," and "The price was $3.00, and it was worth every penny of it.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1999)" />
In 1961, Brunvand also received a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> His dissertation, The Taming of the Shrew: A Comparative Study of Oral and Literary Versions (Aarne-Thompson type 901),<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> later published by Routledge in 1991,<ref name="Routledge (1991)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> highlighted his interest in the structure, morphology and typology of the folktale.<ref name="Jordan-SmithPaul2008">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Brunvand taught at the University of Idaho,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /><ref name="Folklore and Folklorists 1966">Template:Cite journal</ref> Moscow, Idaho,<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1961)">Template:Cite journal</ref> from 1961 to 1965.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> He served as associate editor of the Journal of American Folklore from 1963 to 1967.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" />
In 1965, Brunvand taught for a year at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /><ref name="Folklore and Folklorists 1966" /> focusing on folktales, folklore and literature,<ref name="Current Anthropology (1966)">Template:Cite journal</ref> before moving with his wife and four children<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2001)">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="FaberNancy">Template:Cite journal</ref> to the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained a professor until his retirement in 1996.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" />
By 1967, Brunvand was a member of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.<ref name="PMLA 1968">Template:Cite journalTemplate:Dead link</ref> He had also served as Book Review Editor for the Journal of American Folklore,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> which he resigned after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship research grant in 1970<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> to study folklore in Romania.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1978)">Template:Cite journal</ref> He also won a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Humanities (Folklore and Popular Culture) that same year.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /><ref name="Guggenheim Foundation">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Throughout the next decade, Brunvand focused his research on Romanian folklore, with a particular interest in Romanian house decoration.<ref name="Cochran, Robert">Template:Cite journal</ref> He returned to Romania in 1973-74 and again in 1981, receiving grants from the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) to continue his studies.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> His research would later be published in a single volume collection titled Casa Frumoasa: The House Beautiful in Rural Romania, published by East European Monographs in 2003.<ref name="Cochran, Robert" />
In 1968, The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction was published by W.W. Norton and Company.<ref name="Briggs, K.M.">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Books Received JAF (1987)">Template:Cite journal</ref> Brunvand received an Honorable Mention for this book in a 1969 Chicago Folklore Prize competition. The Chicago Folklore Prize is "supported by an endowment established by the International Folklore Association and is awarded annually by the University of Chicago for an important contribution to the study of folklore."<ref name="Folklore Notes (1969)">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Brunvand's A Guide for Collectors of Folklore in Utah was published by Utah Publications in the American West in 1971.<ref name="Glassie, Henry">Template:Cite journal</ref>
In the years 1973 to 1976, Brunvand, again, took on the role of associate editor for the Journal of American Folklore.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> He was named Folklore Fellow by the American Folklore Society in 1974<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> and was elected president of the organization in 1985.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" />
From 1977 to 1980, Brunvand served as editor of the Journal of American Folklore,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /><ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold About Page" /> with the goal of making the journal more readable and useful to its major audience, American folklorists.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> He widened the scope of the journal by including articles written by those outside folklore, but whose work was "relevant to that being done by professional folklorists."<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> He wanted to emphasize folklore and literature, folklore and history, folklife, festival and modern folklore.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" />
In 1976, Brunvand's book Folklore: A Study and Research Guide was published by St. Martin's Press.<ref name="Feintuch, Burt">Template:Cite journal</ref> The book, intended for undergraduate folklore students, was a research tool with a bibliographic guide and tips for researching term papers.<ref name="Feintuch, Burt" />
Brunvand edited two other textbooks: Readings in American Folklore,<ref name="Baker, Ronald L.">Template:Cite journal</ref> published by W.W. Norton and Company in 1979, American Folklore: An Encyclopedia, published by Garland in 1996.<ref name="Maul, Shirley A.">Template:Cite journal</ref>
"Mr. Urban Legend"Edit
While teaching folklore at the University of Utah, Brunvand noticed a disconnect with his students and their views toward folklore. "They always seemed to think that folklore belonged to somebody else, usually in the past, that was something quaint and outdated."<ref name="Fulford, Robert">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Chatbooks (1999)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He began asking his students to think about and discuss stories from their own lives. These stories helped form the basis of a collection which Brunvand later included in several popular books on the topic of urban legends.<ref name="Fulford, Robert" /> In 1981, Brunvand's first book devoted to urban legends was published. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings<ref name="FaberNancy" /><ref name="Cochran, Robert" /><ref name="Langlois, Janet L.">Template:Cite journal</ref> helped to popularize the topic for a student audience.<ref name="Ellis, Bill">Template:Cite journal</ref> Urban legends, Brunvand explains, are "kissing cousins of myths, fairy tales and rumors. Legends differ from rumors because the legends are stories, with a plot. And unlike myths and fairy tales, they are supposed to be current and true, events rooted in everyday reality that at least could happen."<ref name="Wolkomir, Richard" /> Urban legends reflect modern-day societal concerns, hopes and fears,<ref name="Wolkomir, Richard" /><ref name="Hathaway-Bell, Stacey">Template:Cite journal</ref> but are "weird whoppers we tell one another, believing them to be factual."<ref name="Wolkomir, Richard" />
Over the next two decades, Brunvand added to the collection with "new" urban legends: The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends,<ref name="O'Conner, Patricia T.">Template:Cite news</ref> The Big Book of Urban Legends (which was formatted as a comic book),<ref name="Salvador, Normie">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Mexican Pet: More "New" Urban Legends,<ref name="Books Received JAF (1987)"/><ref name="Degh, Linda">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="McGillivray, Rosalyn">Template:Cite journal</ref> Curses! Broiled Again!,<ref name="Jordan-SmithPaul1999">Template:Cite news</ref> The Baby Train: And Other Lusty Urban Legends,<ref name="Molyneux, Michael">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Nicolaisen, W.F.H.">Template:Cite journal</ref> Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends,<ref name="Simpson, Jacqueline">Template:Cite journal</ref> and The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story!.<ref name="Campion-Vincent, Veronique">Template:Cite journal</ref> He made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /><ref name="Wolkomir, Richard" /><ref name="CBS Interactive Inc.">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and, in 1987, began a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column called Urban Legends.<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> He participated in countless radio talk shows and dozens of press interviews,<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" /> educating people about this pass-along folk narrative<ref name="Fulford, Robert" /> that, typically involves people misunderstanding or making false assumptions about a story they heard. They forget details and fill in the gaps by inventing what they are missing to make sense of the story.<ref name="Fulford, Robert" /> Though criticized for the popular orientation of his books,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> Brunvand was dedicated to publicizing the field of folklore,<ref name="Null, Elizabeth" /> exploring the roots of the stories, where possible, and, in some cases debunking them.<ref name="FaberNancy" /><ref name="Molyneux, Michael" /> "Folklorists fill different educational roles," Brunvand told members of The Missouri Folklore Society in 2003, "sometimes in classrooms, but often in a more public forum. I believe that the public and media image of what a folklorist does is in fact part of what we should be doing, whether we were trained specifically for it or not, whether we work in academe or not, and whether we like it or not."<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" />
Brunvand and his books became so popular, that, when Richard Wolkomir dubbed him "Mr. Urban Legend"<ref name="Fulford, Robert" /> in an article for the Smithsonian,<ref name="Wolkomir, Richard">Template:Cite journal</ref> the title was later added to book jackets and other publicity.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" /> In an article for Western Folklore, Brunvand mentioned a notice he found on a computer newsgroup dated 1 March 1989, presumably an insider's joke: "I think Jan Harold Brunvand, alleged author of The Choking Doberman, is an urban legend. Has anybody ever actually seen this guy?"<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1990)">Template:Cite journal</ref> A Harvard Lampoon publication, Mediagate, parodied urban legend books with this fake publisher's notice: "Bookman Publishing's Catalog for Fall '87: The Embarrassing Fart and More New Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand. Yet another set of rumors, tall tales, and fourth-hand hearsay compiled by the author of The Vanishing Hitchhiker. Includes more recent urban legends such as the Senile President, the Adulterous Evangelist, and the Smelly Gym Sock in the Big Mac. 233 pages hardbound. $34.95 (Harvard 1988: 229)."<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1990)" /><ref name="The Harvard Lampoon">Template:Cite book</ref>
Post-retirement careerEdit
Brunvand retired from the University of Utah in 1996, but continued doing some research and writing as professor emeritus of English.<ref name="Fulford, Robert" />
He frequently writes for publications dedicated to skiing, vintage automobiles and fly fishing.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Once in a while, Brunvand's hobbies and academic interests intersect, notably with an article in The American Fly Fisher debunking a fake quotation by Thoreau.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He writes a series of columns on Seniors Skiing.com.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Brunvand was a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered in September 1999. He spoke to Noah Adams about his book Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends.<ref name="NPR (1999)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
His Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, illustrated by Randy Hickman, was published by ABC-CLIO in 2001.<ref name="Helmer, Dona J." /><ref name="Hanson, Todd A.">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Hobbs, Sandy">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Deutsch, James">Template:Cite journal</ref>
He gave the keynote address at the 2003 meeting of the Missouri Folklore Society.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)">Template:Cite journal</ref> He was a speaker at the World Skeptics Congress in Italy in 2004.<ref name="World Skeptics Conference 2004" /> His is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. In 2003 Brunvand was awarded CSICOP's Distinguished Skeptic Award.<ref name="Binga, Timothy">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Brunvand's book Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends was published in 2004 by W.W. Norton and Company.<ref name="Jordan-SmithPaul2008" />
PersonalEdit
In 2003, Brunvand entered the Trout Bum Tournament sponsored by Fly Rod and Reel.<ref name="Reilly, Jim">Template:Cite journal</ref> He participated in the Solo-Angler category.<ref name="Reilly, Jim" /> Known during the tournament as the Vanishing Fly Fisher (a nod to his book, The Vanishing Hitchhiker), Brunvand spent 10 days alone fishing some of his favorite spots in Utah: Mammoth Creek, Gooseberry Creek, Price River, and Antimony River (where he "fell twice and bashed his knee, though the injury wasn't anything a cold towel and a cold beer wouldn't fix").<ref name="Reilly, Jim" /> "Day 10," Jim Reilly wrote in an article describing the competition," was the last we heard from Jan. We assume he made it home, but maybe he...vanished."<ref name="Reilly, Jim" />
His favorite hobbies are fly fishing and skiing.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold About Page" /> He and his wife, Judith, continue to reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold About Page" />
Popular books about urban legendsEdit
The Vanishing HitchhikerEdit
The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings is a book intended to introduce the idea of urban legends to the general public.<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /><ref name="Fine, Gary Alan">Template:Cite journal</ref> Included in the book are such chilling and humorous stories<ref name="Minnesota History" /> as "The Vanishing Hitchhiker,"<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> "The Economical Car,"<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /> "The Ghost Airliner,"<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /> The Girl with the Beehive Hairdo,"<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /><ref name="Minnesota History">Template:Cite journal</ref> "The Solid Cement Cadillac,"<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> and "The Killer in the Back Seat."<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /><ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> Brunvand's approach, according to reviewer Janet L. Langlois, "sensitizes the reader in a highly readable and effective way to both the dynamic narrative process in an urban context and the discipline of folklore and folklife studies."<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /> Some of these stories previously appeared in an article Brunvand wrote for the June 1980 issue of Psychology Today.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1980)">Template:Cite journal</ref> As with Heard About the Solid Cement Cadillac or the Nude in the Camper?, Brunvand categorizes the different legends included in The Vanishing Hitchhiker into classic urban legend types.<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /><ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (1980)" /> For each legend type, Brunvand offers samples that show variations on the legends themselves, historical evidence of how the legend may have originated (often with European or East Asian roots),<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /> and an explanation of what the legend might mean in an urban or modern context.<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /><ref name="Minnesota History" />
Although recognized by critics for its usefulness as an introductory volume and reference point for expanding the field of folklore,<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /><ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> reviewers cautioned that The Vanishing Hitchhiker lacked the depth necessary for people actively researching urban legends.<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> Janet L. Langlois, for example, wondered what criteria Brunvand used in selecting stories for the book, as well as what made the legends American, urban and modern.<ref name="Langlois, Janet L." /> Reviewer Gary Alan Fine wrote, "The paperback edition makes an excellent supplementary reading for introductory folklore students. It's all good fun, and Brunvand, folklore's Carl Sagan, should thrive and prosper, letting the all-purpose intelligentsia know that folklore is just as much fun as interplanetary travel and not nearly as expensive."<ref name="Fine, Gary Alan" /> To this, Brunvand countered: "I really won't think I have arrived until they refer to Carl Sagan as 'The Jan Brunvand of astronomy.'"<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" />
The Choking DobermanEdit
Patricia T. O'Connor, writer for The New York Times, described The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends as "a collection of 'urban legends,' fictitious narratives that are passed from person to person in the guise of true stories and sometimes persist until they reach the status of folklore."<ref name="O'Conner, Patricia T." /> These stories are bizarre but believable and often attributed to a friend of a friend (FOAF).<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /><ref name="Goetz, Lin">Template:Cite news</ref> Like in his book, The Vanishing Hitchhiker, Brunvand provided the reader with a survey of urban legends, stories such as "The Choking Doberman," "The Poison Dress," and "The Death of Little Mikey."<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /> Each story, with its accompanying variations, are categorized into themes and motifs: victimized women and children, food and beverage contamination, fearful encounters, sexual embarrassment, and humorous retribution.<ref name="Bethke, Robert D.">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Though Robert D. Bethke called The Choking Doberman "the kind of work one immediately wants to share with friends,"<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /> he also criticized the work for the "rhetorical devises" Brunvand used "apparently to suit the popular market."<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /> Critics also pointed out that Brunvand's urban legend books raise a question about race and stereotypes<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /><ref name="Goetz, Lin" /> that, to some, are left unaddressed.<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." /> Bethke wrote "We are told that the stories are projective of American popular culture, but precisely what racial segment of the culture participates in the currency of such stories? Specifically, we are dealing with a phenomenon like the ethnic joke, examples of which are told by target groups, or is the urban legend essentially a mainstream occurrence? I don't think the final word has been written yet on the genre, but Jan Brunvand has made admirable strides toward that end."<ref name="Bethke, Robert D." />
The Mexican Pet: "New" Urban LegendsEdit
The Mexican Pet: "New" Urban Legends is Brunvand's third book in a series of books about urban legends meant to appeal to a general audience.<ref name="Degh, Linda" /> This time, Brunvand includes stories collected from colleagues, students, professional newscasters and appeals through his own publications, lectures and media appearances.<ref name="Degh, Linda" /> He organized the book in thematic categories: animal stories, automobiles, horrors, contaminations, sex and scandal, crime, and products, professionals and personalities.<ref name="Degh, Linda" /> There are new versions of earlier legends, newly obtained pieces and leftovers from his files.<ref name="Degh, Linda" /> Among the stories included in the book are: "The Mexican Pet,"<ref name="McGillivray, Rosalyn" /><ref name="Johnson, George">Template:Cite news</ref> "Cabbage Patch Kids' death certificates,"<ref name="McGillivray, Rosalyn" /> "The Green Stamps."<ref name="McGillivray, Rosalyn" /> Many of the stories have been disseminated through print and broadcast media.<ref name="Degh, Linda" />
Brunvand wrote in a 2003 article, "Nowadays it would be naive to ask for mere press releases and print articles when most people turn to websites and on-line databases for information."<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" /> He recognized that urban legend reference sites, like Snopes.com provide readers with far more timely examples and current information than he could keep up with in his books.<ref name="Brunvand, Jan Harold (2003)" />
Academic books on American folkloreEdit
The Study of American Folklore. An IntroductionEdit
The Study of American Folklore. An Introduction is a book intended for students of folklore with a particular emphasis on American Folklore as transmitted in the English language.<ref name="Briggs, K.M." /> For the purposes of this book, Brunvand defines folklore as "those materials in culture that circulate traditionally among members of any group in different versions, whether in oral form or by means of customary example."<ref name="Richmond, W. Edson" /> The book is divided into three main categories: verbal (dialect and speech habits, proverbs, riddles, tales, rhymes, folk-songs, ballads), partly verbal (superstitions, customs, dances, plays), and non-verbal (gestures, music, handcrafts, folk architecture, food).<ref name="Briggs, K.M." /><ref name="Richmond, W. Edson" /> Within the text, Brunvand provided for the reader information on data collecting methods, a general assessment of folklore material, bibliographic essays, and extensive lists of books and articles.<ref name="Briggs, K.M." /><ref name="Richmond, W. Edson">Template:Cite journal</ref> To some, like reviewer Elliott Oring, the classification system used by Brunvand made The Study of American Folklore more of an "index" of American folklore rather than a "study" of it.<ref name="Oring, Elliot">Template:Cite journal</ref> Reviewer Kenneth Laine Ketner criticized the book for its failure to make explicit the background theory used to evaluate the works and classification system included in the book, contradictions in detail and narrative, its authoritarian tone, and its charismatic or arbitrary approach to knowledge with serious ethnocentric biases.<ref name="Ketner, Kenneth Laine">Template:Cite journal</ref> Peter Tokofsky, in his article Introducing Folklore: A Review Essay, suggested that "the longevity and, presumably, continuing strong sales of the Brunvand text seems to confirm that introducing folklore by way of genres remains an effective and, for many, a preferred teaching tool even if it does not reflect the most current theoretical perspectives."<ref name="Tokofsky, Peter">Template:Cite journal</ref>
American Folklore: An EncyclopediaEdit
American Folklore: An Encyclopedia is an illustrated volume that contains within its pages more than 500 articles covering American and Canadian folklore and folklife.<ref name="Maul, Shirley A." /><ref name="Bronner, Simon J.">Template:Cite journal</ref> Subject areas include holidays, festivals, rituals to crafts, music, dance and occupations. The book provides short bibliographies and cross-references for further research.<ref name="Maul, Shirley A." />
Selected worksEdit
- A Dictionary of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases from Books Published by Indiana Authors Before 1890, compiled by Jan Harold Brunvand (Indiana University Press 1961) (Template:ISBN)
- The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction (W.W. Norton & Company 1968, revised 1978, 1986, 1998) (Template:ISBN)
- A Guide for Collectors of Folklore in Utah (University of Utah Press 1971)
- Norwegian Settlers in Alberta (Canadian Centre for Folk Cultural Studies 1974)
- Folklore: A Study and Research Guide (St. Martin's Press 1976) (Template:ISBN)
- Readings in American Folklore, edited by Jan Harold Brunvand (W.W. Norton & Company 1979) (Template:ISBN)
- The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings (W.W. Norton 1981) (Template:ISBN)
- The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends (W.W. Norton & Company 1984) (Template:ISBN)
- The Mexican Pet: More "New" Urban Legends and Some Old Favorites (W.W. Norton & Company 1986) (Template:ISBN)
- Curses! Broiled Again! The Hottest Urban Legends Going (W.W. Norton & Company 1989) (Template:ISBN)
- The Taming of the Shrew: A Comparative Study of Oral and Literary Versions (Routledge 1991) (Template:ISBN)
- The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends (W.W. Norton & Company 1993) (Template:ISBN)
- The Big Book of Urban Legends (Paradox Press 1994) (Template:ISBN)
- American Folklore: An Encyclopedia, edited by Jan Harold Brunvand (Taylor & Francis 1996) (Template:ISBN)
- Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends (W.W. Norton & Company 1999, revised 2001) (Template:ISBN)
- The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story (University of Illinois Press 2000) (Template:ISBN)
- Encyclopedia of Urban Legends (ABC-CLIO, Inc. 2001) (Template:ISBN)
- Casa Frumoasa: The House Beautiful in Rural Romania (Columbia University Press 2003) (Template:ISBN)
- Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The book of scary Urban Legends (W.W. Norton & Company 2004) (Template:ISBN)