Editing Uncle Remus

{{Short description|Folktale of the southern United States}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox character
| name             = Uncle Remus
| series           =
| image            = Uncle Remus crop 1881 (high res transparent).png
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| first            = ''Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation''
| last             =
| creator          = [[Joel Chandler Harris]]
| portrayer        = [[James Baskett]] (''[[Song of the South]]'')
| voice            = [[Dallas McKennon]] (record releases)
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| gender           = Male
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| nationality      = American
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'''Uncle Remus''' is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of [[African American]] [[folktales]] compiled and adapted by [[Joel Chandler Harris]] and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post–[[Reconstruction era]] [[Atlanta]], and he produced seven Uncle Remus books.  He did so by introducing tales that he had heard and framing them in the plantation context. He wrote his stories in a dialect which was his interpretation of the [[African-American Vernacular English|Deep South African-American language]] of the time. For these framing and stylistic choices, Harris's collection has garnered controversy since its publication.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Montenyohl|first=Eric|date=1986|title=The Origins of Uncle Remus|journal=Folklore Forum|volume=18 |issue=2|pages=136–167|hdl=2022/1941}}</ref>

==Structure==
[[File:Old Plantation Play Song, 1881.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Old Plantation Play Song", from ''Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation'', 1881]]

''Uncle Remus'' is a collection of animal stories, songs, and oral folklore collected from Southern black Americans. Many of the stories are [[didactic]], much like those of [[Aesop's Fables]] and [[Jean de La Fontaine]]'s stories. Uncle Remus is a kindly old [[freedman]] who serves as a story-telling device, passing on the folktales to children gathered around him, like the traditional African [[griot]].

The stories are written in an [[eye dialect]] devised by Harris to represent a [[Deep South]] Black dialect. Uncle Remus is a compilation of [[Br'er Rabbit]] storytellers whom Harris had encountered during his time at the [[Turnwold]] Plantation. Harris said that the use of the Black dialect was an effort to add to the effect of the stories and to allow the stories to retain their authenticity.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/whosafraidofsong0000kork|title=Who's afraid of the Song of the South? : and other forbidden Disney stories|last=Jim|first=Korkis|date=2012|publisher=Theme Park Press|others=Norman, Floyd.|isbn=978-0984341559|location=Orlando, Fla.|oclc=823179800|url-access=registration}}</ref> The genre of stories is the [[trickster]] tale. At the time of Harris's publication, his work was praised for its ability to capture plantation Black dialect.<ref>{{cite news|work=Life on the Mississippi|date=1883|author=Clemens, Samuel L. |title=Chapter XLVII: 'Uncle Remus' and Mr. Cable}}</ref>

Br'er Rabbit ("Brother Rabbit") is the main character of the stories, a character prone to tricks and troublemaking, who is often opposed by [[Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear]]. In one tale, Br'er Fox constructs a doll out of a lump of tar and puts clothing on it. When Br'er Rabbit comes along, he addresses the "[[Tar-Baby|tar baby]]" amiably but receives no response. Br'er Rabbit becomes offended by what he perceives as the tar baby's lack of manners, punches it and kicks it and becomes stuck.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2306| title = Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings| publisher = Project Gutenberg| access-date = 2010-05-25| date = 2000-08-01}}</ref>

==Related works==
Harris compiled seven volumes of ''Uncle Remus'' stories between 1881 and 1907; a further three books were published posthumously, following his death in 1908.

* ''Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation'' (1881)
* ''Nights with Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation'' (1883)
* ''Daddy Jake the Runaway and Short Stories Told After Dark'' (1889)
* ''Uncle Remus and His Friends: Old Plantation Stories, Songs, and Ballads With Sketches of Negro Character'' (1892)
* ''The Tar-Baby and Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus'' (1904)
* ''Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation'' (1905)
* ''Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit'' (1907)
* ''Uncle Remus and the Little Boy'' (1910)
* ''Uncle Remus Returns'' (1918)
* ''Seven Tales of Uncle Remus'' (1948)

== Adaptations in film and other media ==
<!--- NOTE: Only list things here that are direct treatments of the Uncle Remus stories. Do not list popular entertainment that mentions his name. All such will be deleted. --->
===Comics===
In 1902, artist Jean Mohr adapted the ''Uncle Remus'' stories into a two-page comic story titled ''Ole Br'er Rabbit'' for ''[[The North American]]''.<ref name=FunnyAnimal-ch1>{{cite book |last1=Becattini|first1=Alberto|title=American Funny Animal Comics in the 20th Century: Volume One |date=2019 |publisher=Theme Park Press |location=Seattle, Washington |isbn=978-1683901860|chapter=Genesis and Early Development |pages=10–11}}</ref>

The [[McClure Newspaper Syndicate]] released a ''Br'er Rabbit'' Sunday strip drawn by J. M. Condé from June 24 to October 7, 1906.<ref name=Holtz>{{cite book |last1=Holtz |first1=Allan |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |date=2012 |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |isbn=9780472117567 |page=83}}</ref>

An ''Uncle Remus and His Tales of Br'er Rabbit'' newspaper [[Sunday comics|Sundays]]-only strip ([[King Features Syndicate]]) ran from October 14, 1945, through December 31, 1972, as an offshoot of the [[Disney comics]] strip ''[[Silly Symphony (comic strip)|Silly Symphony]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cartoonician.com/disneys-uncle-remus-strips/ |title=Disney's "Uncle Remus" strips|work=Hogan's Alley|number=16|date= 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034715/http://www.cartoonician.com/disneys-uncle-remus-strips/|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>

===Films and television===
;Films
* [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Song of the South]]'' (1946), a live action/animated musical drama with [[James Baskett]] as Remus.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brasch, Walter M. |date=2000|title=Brer Rabbit, Uncle Remus and the "Cornfield Journalist": The Tale of Joel Chandler Harris|publisher= Mercer University Press|page= 275}}</ref> Baskett was given an [[Honorary Academy Award]] in 1948.<ref>Murfin, Patrick (March 21, 2013). "An Oscar for Uncle Remus". ''Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout''. Retrieved June 26, 2020.</ref>
* [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s film ''[[Coonskin (film)|Coonskin]]'' (1975), a satire of the Disney film which adapts and mocks the Uncle Remus stories in a contemporary [[Harlem]] setting.
* ''[[The Adventures of Brer Rabbit]]'' (2006) from [[Universal Animation Studios]], a modern adaptation of the stories featuring the voice of [[Nick Cannon]] as the title character.

;Television
* ''[[:hu:Rémusz bácsi meséi (televíziós sorozat)|Rémusz bácsi meséi]]'' (1967) from [[Magyar Televízió]], a Hungarian 13-episode television series.
* ''Jänis Vemmelsäären seikkailut'' (1987–1988) from [[Yle]], an eight-part Finnish television series that aired on [[Yle TV2]], as a part of the children's show ''[[Pikku Kakkonen]]''.
* ''Brer Rabbit Tales'' (1991), a 47-minute television film written and directed by [[Al Guest]] and [[Jean Mathieson]] for Emerald City Productions.
* ''Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol'' (1992) from Island Animation and Magic Shadows, a 58-minute sequel to the earlier film from the same writer-director staff retreading the plot of [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' with the Remus characters.

=== Music ===
"[[Uncle Remus (song)|Uncle Remus]]" is a song by [[Frank Zappa]] and [[George Duke]] from Zappa's 1974 album ''[[Apostrophe (')]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lowe|first=Kelly Fisher|date=2007|title=The Words and Music of Frank Zappa|publisher=[[Bison Books]]|page=112|isbn=978-0803260054}}</ref>

[[Bob Dylan]] lists several people that are commonly looked to for hope and inspiration in his poem "[[Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie]]", saying "that stuff ain't real... And Uncle Remus can't tell you and neither can Santa Claus."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/last-thoughts-woody-guthrie/|title=Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie - The Official Bob Dylan Site}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.residents.com/historical/?page=notavailable|title=Not Available - Historical - The Residents|website=www.residents.com|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>

===Influence===
Uncle Remus has been claimed as a major influence on [[Beatrix Potter]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/19/origin-of-beatrix-potter-tales-african-folklore-brer-rabbit |title=Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit story originated in African folktales, expert argues |work=The Guardian |date=2023-05-19 |access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Uncle Remus characters]]
* [[Tar-Baby]]
*[[Magical Negro]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite web|url=http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwelf/elfjch.html|title=Joel Chandler Harris 1845 or 48 -- 1908|website=Eaton Literary Festival|location=Eatonton, Georgia|access-date=2008-06-01|archive-date=2017-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029205929/http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwelf/elfjch.html|url-status=dead}} Short biography of Joel Chandler Harris with photograph
* {{cite news|url=http://www.bartleby.com/55/1.html |author=Roosevelt, Theodore |title=Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919). An Autobiography. 1913 (Boyhood and Youth)}} References in Theodore Roosevelt's autobiography to Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remus.
* {{cite web|title=William Ruhlmann|website= AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/william-ruhlmann-mn0001799502}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings|Uncle Remus}}
{{Commons category|Uncle Remus}}
* Full text of [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/868 books by Uncle Remus] from [[Project Gutenberg]]
* [http://www.uncleremusmuseum.org/ Official Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, GA]
* [http://www.uncleremus.com/ Official Site of Uncle Remus]
* {{librivox book | title=Uncle Remus | author=Joel Chandler HARRIS}}
*[https://tales.org.ua/tag/kazky-diadechka-rymusa/ Uncle Remus tales in Ukrainian translation]

{{Uncle Remus}}
{{American folklore}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncle Remus}}
[[Category:Characters in American novels of the 19th century]]
[[Category:African-American characters in literature]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 19th century]]
[[Category:Fictional slaves]]
[[Category:Fictional storytellers]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1881]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:Song of the South characters]]
[[Category:Br'er Rabbit]]