Christopher R. Fee

History's Great Plagues

Jeffrey B. Webb

These volumes survey of the history of tall tales, folklore, and mythology in the United States from earliest times to the present, including stories and myths from the modern era that have become an essential part of contemporary popular culture. Organized alphabetically, the coverage includes Native American creation myths, "tall tales" like George Washington chopping down his father's cherry tree and the adventures of "King of the Wild Frontier" Davy Crockett, through to today's "urban myths." Each entry explains the myth or legend and its importance and provides information about the people and events involved. Each entry also includes a short bibliography. Special attention is paid to African American folklore, Asian American folklore, and the folklore of other traditions that are often overlooked or marginalized in other studies of the topic.

An Encyclopedia of American Folklore

American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales [3 Volumes]

A fascinating survey of the entire history of tall tales, folklore, and mythology in the United States from earliest times to the present, including stories and myths from the modern era that have become an essential part of contemporary popular culture. Folklore has been a part of American culture for as long as humans have inhabited North America, and increasingly formed an intrinsic part of American culture as diverse peoples from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania arrived. In modern times, folklore and tall tales experienced a rejuvenation with the emergence of urban legends and the growing popularity of science fiction and conspiracy theories, with mass media such as comic books, television, and films contributing to the retelling of old myths. This multi-volume encyclopedia will teach readers the central myths and legends that have formed American culture since its earliest years of settlement. Its entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the collective American imagination over the past 400 years through the stories that have shaped it. Organized alphabetically, the coverage includes Native American creation myths, "tall tales" like George Washington chopping down his father's cherry tree and the adventures of "King of the Wild Frontier" Davy Crockett, through to today's "urban myths." Each entry explains the myth or legend and its importance and provides detailed information about the people and events involved. Each entry also includes a short bibliography that will direct students or interested general readers toward other sources for further investigation. Special attention is paid to African American folklore, Asian American folklore, and the folklore of other traditions that are often overlooked or marginalized in other studies of the topic.

An Encyclopedia of American Folklore [3 volumes]

American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales

A fascinating survey of the entire history of tall tales, folklore, and mythology in the United States from earliest times to the present, including stories and myths from the modern era that have become an essential part of contemporary popular culture. • Presents a compelling mix of some 500 entries drawn from traditional Native American and European American culture as well as Mexican American, African American, Chinese American, and other national traditions • Includes numerous primary documents that help readers to pinpoint and understand the origins of different myths and legends as well as how they evolve over time • Features a wide variety of entries drawn from newer traditions of science fiction, urban legends, and conspiracy theories • Supplies bibliographic references with each entry that include websites for further reading and research

An Encyclopedia of American Folklore (3 Volumes)

American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore [3 volumes]

Placing heroes from a wide range of medieval traditions shoulder to shoulder, this title provides the opportunity to examine what is common across medieval mythic, legendary, and folkloric traditions, as well as what seems unique. • Each chapter begins with historical context, includes examination of key terms, and ends with suggestions for further reading • A chronology and bibliography are also included

Heroic Tales of Monsters, Magic, and Might

Mythology in the Middle Ages: Heroic Tales of Monsters, Magic, and Might

An examination of the greatest heroes of medieval literature looks at a variety of themes and motifs to discover common threads in medieval mythic, legendary, and folkloric traditions.

Mythology in the Middle Ages

The islands of Britain have been a crossroads of gods, heroes, and kings-those of flesh as well as those of myth-for thousands of years. Successive waves of invasion brought distinctive legends, rites, and beliefs. The ancient Celts displaced earlier indigenous peoples, only to find themselves displaced in turn by the Romans, who then abandoned the islands to Germanic tribes, a people themselves nearly overcome in time by an influx of Scandinavians. With each wave of invaders came a battle for the mythic mind of the Isles as the newcomer's belief system met with the existing systems of gods, legends, and myths. In Gods, Heroes, and Kings, medievalist Christopher Fee and veteran myth scholar David Leeming unearth the layers of the British Isles' unique folkloric tradition to discover how this body of seemingly disparate tales developed. The authors find a virtual battlefield of myths in which pagan and Judeo-Christian beliefs fought for dominance, and classical, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Celtic narrative threads became tangled together. The resulting body of legends became a strange but coherent hybrid, so that by the time Chaucer wrote "The Wife of Bath's Tale" in the fourteenth century, a Christian theme of redemption fought for prominence with a tripartite Celtic goddess and the Arthurian legends of Sir Gawain-itself a hybrid mythology. Without a guide, the corpus of British mythology can seem impenetrable. Taking advantage of the latest research, Fee and Leeming employ a unique comparative approach to map the origins and development of one of the richest folkloric traditions. Copiously illustrated with excerpts in translation from the original sources,Gods, Heroes, and Kings provides a fascinating and accessible new perspective on the history of British mythology.

The Battle for Mythic Britain

Gods, Heroes, & Kings

This up-to-date introduction to the complex world of conspiracies and conspiracy theories provides insight into why millions of people are so ready to believe the worst about our political, legal, religious, and financial institutions. • Provides an in-depth, easy-to-access account of conspirators and secret organizations behind key plots to control American legal, political, and financial systems • Presents the history of key American conspiracy theories, taking a longer view of how current conspiracy thinking developed over generations • Explains the similarities and differences among conspiracy theories held by people on the far right and far left of the political spectrum • Explores the cultural significance of widespread, popular reactions to advances in science, technology, and medicine, as well as the public's skepticism about highly trained professionals and their expert knowledge • Offers an up-to-date survey of popular conspiracy theories regarding celebrity deaths and the popular distrust of the American media and police investigations • Details the importance of the internet and social media in organizing conspiratorial movements and spreading conspiracy theories

Christopher R. Fee

About

Books

Join the club