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.[3]
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[4] that travel by word of mouth,by print,or by the internet and are attributed to an FOAF:friend of a friend.[4][5][6] "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."[6]
Though criticized for the "popular" rather than "academic" orientation of his books,The Vanishing Hitchhiker and others,[7] 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."[8]
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),[9] Brunvand is considered to be "the legend scholar with the greatest influence on twentieth-century media."[10]
Early life and education
Brunvand was born on March 23,1933,in Cadillac,Michigan,[7] to Norwegian immigrants[11][12] Harold N. Brunvand and Ruth Brunvand.[13] He and his two siblings,Tor and Richard,[13] were brought up in Lansing,Michigan.[14] Brunvand graduated from J. W. Sexton High School in Lansing in 1951.[15]
While attending Michigan State,Brunvand met Richard Dorson,[16] a folklorist and professor,who became a mentor.[8] 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.[17] 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."[16] These papers would later serve as the beginnings of a large archive of folklore housed at Indiana University.[17]
On June 10,1956,Brunvand married Judith Darlene Ast,also a student at Michigan State University.[15] Four days later,the couple left for Oslo,Norway,[15] where Brunvand attended the University of Oslo on a Fulbright scholarship.[15] He spent the year studying folklore.[16][17] He started publishing in academic publications during this period,notably a paper on Norwegian-American folklore in the archives of Indiana University[18] and one about the Norwegian folk hero Askeladden.[14][19] In 1957,Brunvand returned to the United States as a graduate student at Indiana University,Bloomington,Indiana.[7] He switched majors,from English to folklore,and took a series of classes offered through the university's summer institute.[20] He worked as an archivist in the Indiana University Folklore Archives from September 1958 to June 1960.[21] 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."[20] Proverbs became one of Brunvand's favorite topics to study and discuss.[20] 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.[20] 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.[20]
Benjamin Radford and Jan Brunvand at the 2014 American Folklore Society conference in Santa Fe,New Mexico
In 1961,Brunvand also received a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University.[9] His dissertation,The Taming of the Shrew:A Comparative Study of Oral and Literary Versions (Aarne-Thompson type 901),[7] later published by Routledge in 1991,[22] highlighted his interest in the structure,morphology and typology of the folktale.[23]
Brunvand taught at the University of Idaho,[7][24] Moscow,Idaho,[25] from 1961 to 1965.[9] He served as associate editor of the Journal of American Folklore from 1963 to 1967.[7]
In 1965,Brunvand taught for a year at Southern Illinois University,Edwardsville,Illinois,[7][24] focusing on folktales,folklore and literature,[26] before moving with his wife and four children[27][28] to the University of Utah,Salt Lake City,Utah,where he remained a professor until his retirement in 1996.[9]
By 1967,Brunvand was a member of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.[29] He had also served as Book Review Editor for the Journal of American Folklore,[7] which he resigned after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship research grant in 1970[9] to study folklore in Romania.[30][31] He also won a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Humanities (Folklore and Popular Culture) that same year.[9][32] Throughout the next decade,Brunvand focused his research on Romanian folklore,with a particular interest in Romanian house decoration.[33] He returned to Romania in 1973-74 and again in 1981,receiving grants from the International Research &Exchanges Board (IREX) to continue his studies.[9] 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.[33]
In 1968,The Study of American Folklore:An Introduction was published by W.W. Norton and Company.[34][35] 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."[36]
Brunvand's A Guide for Collectors of Folklore in Utah was published by Utah Publications in the American West in 1971.[37]
In the years 1973 to 1976,Brunvand,again,took on the role of associate editor for the Journal of American Folklore.[7] He was named Folklore Fellow by the American Folklore Society in 1974[7] and was elected president of the organization in 1985.[7]
From 1977 to 1980,Brunvand served as editor of the Journal of American Folklore,[7][14] with the goal of making the journal more readable and useful to its major audience,American folklorists.[7] 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."[7] He wanted to emphasize folklore and literature,folklore and history,folklife,festival and modern folklore.[7]
In 1976,Brunvand's book Folklore:A Study and Research Guide was published by St. Martin's Press.[38] The book,intended for undergraduate folklore students,was a research tool with a bibliographic guide and tips for researching term papers.[38]
Brunvand edited two other textbooks:Readings in American Folklore,[39] published by W.W. Norton and Company in 1979,American Folklore:An Encyclopedia,published by Garland in 1996.[40]
"Mr. Urban Legend"
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."[41][42] 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.[41] In 1981,Brunvand's first book devoted to urban legends was published. The Vanishing Hitchhiker:American Urban Legends and Their Meanings[28][33][43] helped to popularize the topic for a student audience.[44] 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."[12] Urban legends reflect modern-day societal concerns,hopes and fears,[12][45] but are "weird whoppers we tell one another,believing them to be factual."[12]
Over the next two decades,Brunvand added to the collection with "new" urban legends:The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends,[46]The Big Book of Urban Legends (which was formatted as a comic book),[47]The Mexican Pet:More "New" Urban Legends,[35][48][49]Curses! Broiled Again!,[50]The Baby Train:And Other Lusty Urban Legends,[51][52]Too Good to be True:The Colossal Book of Urban Legends,[53] and The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story!.[54] He made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman[7][12][55] and,in 1987,began a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column called Urban Legends.[7] He participated in countless radio talk shows and dozens of press interviews,[8] educating people about this pass-along folk narrative[41] 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.[41] Though criticized for the popular orientation of his books,[7] Brunvand was dedicated to publicizing the field of folklore,[7] exploring the roots of the stories,where possible,and,in some cases debunking them.[28][51] "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."[8]
Brunvand and his books became so popular,that,when Richard Wolkomir dubbed him "Mr. Urban Legend"[41] in an article for the Smithsonian,[12] the title was later added to book jackets and other publicity.[8] 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?"[56] 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)."[56][57]
Post-retirement career
Brunvand retired from the University of Utah in 1996,but continued doing some research and writing as professor emeritus of English.[41]
He frequently writes for publications dedicated to skiing,vintage automobiles and fly fishing.[58][59][60] 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.[61][62] He writes a series of columns on Seniors Skiing.com.[63]
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.[64]
Jan Harold Brunvand trying on a pair of ski goggles on his 75th birthday
His Encyclopedia of Urban Legends,illustrated by Randy Hickman,was published by ABC-CLIO in 2001.[3][65][66][67]
He gave the keynote address at the 2003 meeting of the Missouri Folklore Society.[8] He was a speaker at the World Skeptics Congress in Italy in 2004.[9] 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.[68]
Brunvand's book Be Afraid,Be Very Afraid:The Book of Scary Urban Legends was published in 2004 by W.W. Norton and Company.[23]
Personal
In 2003,Brunvand entered the Trout Bum Tournament sponsored by Fly Rod and Reel.[69] He participated in the Solo-Angler category.[69] 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").[69] "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."[69]
His favorite hobbies are fly fishing and skiing.[14] He and his wife,Judith,continue to reside in Salt Lake City,Utah.[14]
Popular books about urban legends
The Vanishing Hitchhiker
The Vanishing Hitchhiker:American Urban Legends and Their Meanings is a book intended to introduce the idea of urban legends to the general public.[43][70] Included in the book are such chilling and humorous stories[71] as "The Vanishing Hitchhiker,"[70] "The Economical Car,"[43] "The Ghost Airliner,"[43] The Girl with the Beehive Hairdo,"[43][71] "The Solid Cement Cadillac,"[70] and "The Killer in the Back Seat."[43][70] 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."[43] Some of these stories previously appeared in an article Brunvand wrote for the June 1980 issue of Psychology Today.[72] 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.[70][72] 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),[43] and an explanation of what the legend might mean in an urban or modern context.[70][71]
Although recognized by critics for its usefulness as an introductory volume and reference point for expanding the field of folklore,[43][70] reviewers cautioned that The Vanishing Hitchhiker lacked the depth necessary for people actively researching urban legends.[70] 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.[43] 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."[70] To this,Brunvand countered:"I really won't think I have arrived until they refer to Carl Sagan as 'The Jan Brunvand of astronomy.'"[8]
The Choking Doberman
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."[46] These stories are bizarre but believable and often attributed to a friend of a friend (FOAF).[73][74] 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."[73] 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.[73]
Though Robert D. Bethke called The Choking Doberman "the kind of work one immediately wants to share with friends,"[73] he also criticized the work for the "rhetorical devises" Brunvand used "apparently to suit the popular market."[73] Critics also pointed out that Brunvand's urban legend books raise a question about race and stereotypes[73][74] that,to some,are left unaddressed.[73] 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."[73]
The Mexican Pet:"New" Urban Legends
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.[48] This time,Brunvand includes stories collected from colleagues,students,professional newscasters and appeals through his own publications,lectures and media appearances.[48] He organized the book in thematic categories:animal stories,automobiles,horrors,contaminations,sex and scandal,crime,and products,professionals and personalities.[48] There are new versions of earlier legends,newly obtained pieces and leftovers from his files.[48] Among the stories included in the book are:"The Mexican Pet,"[49][75] "Cabbage Patch Kids' death certificates,"[49] "The Green Stamps."[49] Many of the stories have been disseminated through print and broadcast media.[48]
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."[8] 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.[8]
Academic books on American folklore
The Study of American Folklore. An Introduction
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.[34] 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."[76] 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).[34][76] 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.[34][76] 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.[77] 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.[78] 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."[79]
American Folklore:An Encyclopedia
American Folklore:An Encyclopedia is an illustrated volume that contains within its pages more than 500 articles covering American and Canadian folklore and folklife.[40][80] Subject areas include holidays,festivals,rituals to crafts,music,dance and occupations. The book provides short bibliographies and cross-references for further research.[40]
Selected works
A Dictionary of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases from Books Published by Indiana Authors Before 1890,compiled by Jan Harold Brunvand (Indiana University Press 1961) ( ISBN978-0-253-38015-9)
The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction (W.W. Norton & Company 1968, revised 1978, 1986, 1998) ( ISBN978-0-393-97223-8)
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) ( ISBN978-0-312-29750-3)
Readings in American Folklore, edited by Jan Harold Brunvand (W.W. Norton & Company 1979) ( ISBN978-0-393-95029-8)
The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings (W.W. Norton 1981) ( ISBN978-0-393-95169-1)
The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends (W. W. Norton & Company 1984) ( ISBN978-0-393-30321-6)
The Mexican Pet: More "New" Urban Legends and Some Old Favorites (W. W. Norton & Company 1986) ( ISBN978-0-393-30542-5)
Curses! Broiled Again! The Hottest Urban Legends Going (W. W. Norton & Company 1989) ( ISBN978-0-393-30711-5)
The Taming of the Shrew: A Comparative Study of Oral and Literary Versions (Routledge 1991) ( ISBN978-0-8240-7149-3)
The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends (W. W. Norton & Company 1993) ( ISBN978-0-393-03438-7)
Casa Frumoasa: The House Beautiful in Rural Romania (Columbia University Press 2003) ( ISBN978-0-880-33528-7)
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The book of scary Urban Legends (W. W. Norton & Company 2004) ( ISBN978-0-393-32613-0)
Related Research Articles
Urban legends is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not.
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants, may include miracles. Legends may be transformed over time to keep them fresh and vital.
Legend tripping is a name bestowed by folklorists and anthropologists on an adolescent practice in which a usually furtive nocturnal pilgrimage is made to a site which is alleged to have been the scene of some tragic, horrific, and possibly supernatural event or haunting. The practice mostly involves the visiting of sites endemic to locations identified in local urban legends. Legend tripping has been documented most thoroughly to date in the United States.
The vanishing hitchhiker is an urban legend in which people travelling by vehicle, meet with or are accompanied by a hitchhiker who subsequently vanishes without explanation, often from a moving vehicle.
Folklore studies is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the academic study of traditional culture from the folklore artifacts themselves. It became established as a field across both Europe and North America, coordinating with Volkskunde (German), folkeminner (Norwegian), and folkminnen (Swedish), among others.
The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the United States (US)-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote the responsible application of that research, publish various forms of publications, advocate for the continued study and teaching of folklore, etc. The Society is based at Indiana University and has an annual meeting every October. The Society's quarterly publication is the Journal of American Folklore. The current president is Marilyn White.
The Hook, or the Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a raincoat and rain hat that conceals most of his features, especially his face.
The killer in the backseat is an urban legend from the United States and United Kingdom. It was first noted by folklorist Carlos Drake in 1968 in texts collected by Indiana University students.
The Choking Doberman is an urban legend that originated in the United States. The story involves a protective pet found by its owner gagging on human fingers lodged in its throat. As the story unfolds, the dog's owner discovers an intruder whose hand is bleeding from the dog bite.
The Baby Train, or simply Baby Train, is an urban legend told in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The legend first appeared in Christopher Morley's 1939 novel Kitty Foyle. According to the legend, a certain small town had an unusually high birth rate. This was allegedly caused by a freight train passing through the town and blowing its whistle, waking up all the residents. Since it was too late to go back to sleep and too early to get up, couples would have sex. This resulted in a mini-baby boom.
William R. Bascom was an award-winning American folklorist, anthropologist, and museum director. He was a specialist in the art and culture of West Africa and the African Diaspora, especially the Yoruba of Nigeria.
The tale known as "The Poison Dress" or "Embalmed Alive" features a dress that has in some way been poisoned. This is a recurring theme throughout legends and folktales of various cultures, including ancient Greece, Mughal India, and the United States. Although lacking evidence suggesting that some American urban legends are directly linked to the classical tales, they share several common motifs.
Alexander Haggerty Krappe was a folklorist and writer. Along with Francis Peabody Magoun, he was the first translator of folktales collected by the Brothers Grimm into the English language. He was also a linguist, teacher, translator of scientific and other materials, a Roman philologist, a comparative mythologist, a classicist and Scandinavianist.
Gerbilling, also known as gerbil stuffing or gerbil shooting, is an urban legend description of a fictitious sexual practice of inserting small live animals into one's rectum to obtain stimulation. Some variations of reports suggest that the rodent be covered in a psychoactive substance such as heroin prior to being inserted. There is no evidence that the practice has ever occurred in real life, and its existence remains highly dubious, as all rodents have long nails and teeth for digging or burrowing and naturally try to burrow out of any small spaces.
William Albert "Bert" Wilson was a scholar of Mormon folklore. The "father of Mormon folklore" helped found and organize folklore archives at both Utah State University (USU) and Brigham Young University (BYU). He directed the folklore archive at USU from 1978 to 1985, and chaired the English department at BYU from 1985 to 1991. He and his students collected jokes, legends, stories, songs, and other information to add to the Mormon folklore archives.
The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature is a six volume catalogue of motifs, granular elements of folklore, composed by American folklorist Stith Thompson. Often referred to as Thompson's motif-index, the catalogue has been extensively used in folklore studies, where folklorists commonly use it in tandem with the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index (ATU), an index used for folktale type analysis.
Thomas Edward Cheney (1901–1993) was an American folklorist who made contributions to the field of Mormon folklore. As one of the first Mormon folklorists, he collected folk songs in Utah and Idaho and authored books and articles on Utah, Idaho, and Mormon folklore. He served as president of the Folklore Society of Utah from 1963 to 1964. Cheney also compiled songs for the American Folklore Society, which were published in 1968. Along with books on Mormon Folklore, Cheney wrote a book about J. Golden Kimball, which was considered controversial. He was also a professor of English at Brigham Young University (BYU) and taught courses in English Romantic literature, ballads, and Mormon folklore.
Gillian Bennett was a folklorist, most notable for her work on contemporary legends.
Thelma Gray James (1899–1988) was a folklorist and lecturer. She was a pioneer of the collection and study of urban folk traditions and was elected president of the American Folklore Society in 1949.
MacEdward Leach (1892-1967) was an American folklorist, whose work "greatly influenced the development of folklore as an academic discipline".
References
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1 2 Jensen, Joyce (8 April 2000). "Old urban legends never die (but they don't get any truer)". The New York Times. No.Late Edition (East Coast). New York, NY. p.B.9.
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1 2 "Folklore and Folklorists". Western Folklore. 25 (4). Western States Folklore Society: 259. October 1966. JSTOR1498524.
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↑ "Proceedings of the annual business meeting". The Journal of American Folklore. 87 (Supplement). American Folklore Society: 3–59. May 1974. JSTOR539121.
↑ Brunvand, Jan Harold (April–June 1978). ""Romanian Design Portfolio," American Fabrics/Fashions". The Journal of American Folklore. 91 (360): 724–725. doi:10.2307/538934. JSTOR538934.
1 2 3 Cochran, Robert (Spring 2008). "Casa Frumoasa: The House Beautiful in Rural Romania by Jan Harold Brunvand". The Journal of American Folklore. 121 (480). University of Illinois Press on behalf of the American Folklore Society: 244–245. doi:10.2307/20487603. JSTOR20487603.
1 2 3 4 Briggs, K.M. (Spring 1969). "The Study of American Folklore. An Introduction by Jan Harold Brunvand". Folklore. 80 (1). Taylor and Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 62. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1969.9716618. JSTOR1259339.
1 2 "Books Received". The Journal of American Folklore. 100 (395). American Folklore Society: 125–126. January–March 1987. JSTOR540017.
↑ Newall, Venetia (Autumn 1969). "Folklore Notes". Folklore. 80 (3). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 232–234. doi:10.1080/0015587x.1969.9716641. JSTOR1259120.
↑ Glassie, Henry (October 1973). "A Guide for Collectors of Folklore in Utah". Western Folklore. 32 (4). Western States Folklore Society: 286–287. doi:10.2307/1498314. JSTOR1498314. S2CID165446629.
1 2 Feintuch, Burt (July–September 1978). "Reviewed work: Folklore: A Study and Research Guide, Jan Harold Brunvand". The Journal of American Folklore. 91 (361): 872–874. doi:10.2307/538694. JSTOR538694.
↑ Baker, Ronald L. (July 1981). "Readings in American Folklore by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. 40 (3). Western States Folklore Society: 270–272. doi:10.2307/1499699. JSTOR1499699.
1 2 3 Maul, Shirley A. (May 1997). "Outstanding Reference Sources: The 1997 Selection of Recent Titles". American Libraries. 28 (5). American Library Association: 62–66, 68–69. JSTOR25634449.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Fulford, Robert (1 February 2000). "That stuff that urban legends are made of: If there's an alligator in your sewer, Jan Brunvand will find it". No.National Edition. Don Mills, Ontario: National Post. p.B1/Front.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Langlois, Janet L. (July–September 1983). "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand". The Journal of American Folklore. 96 (381). American Folklore Society: 356–357. doi:10.2307/540959. JSTOR540959.
↑ Ellis, Bill (1994). ""The Hook" Reconsidered: Problems in Classifying and Interpreting Adolescent Horror Legends". Folklore. 105 (1–2). Taylor & Francis Enterprises, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 61–75. doi:10.1080/0015587x.1994.9715874. JSTOR1260630.
↑ Hathaway-Bell, Stacey (August 1998). "Satan's Shelving: Urban Library Legends". American Libraries. 29 (7). American Library Association: 44–49. JSTOR25635063.
1 2 O'Conner, Patricia T. (14 December 1986). "New & Noteworthy: Book Review Desk". The New York Times. No.Late City Final Edition. p.Section 7; page 38, column 1.
↑ Salvador, Normie (2003). "The Big Book of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand by Robert Loren Fleming; Robert F. Boyd". Marvels & Tales. 17 (2). Wayne State University Press: 269–272. doi:10.1353/mat.2003.0034. JSTOR41388671. S2CID162214169.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Degh, Linda (May–August 1987). "The Mexican Pet: "New" Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". Journal of Folklore Research. 24 (2). Indiana University Press: 192–193. JSTOR3814364.
1 2 3 4 McGillivray, Rosalyn (January 1988). "The Mexican Pet: More "New" Urban Legends and Some Old Favorites by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. 47 (1). Western States Folklore Society: 69–70. doi:10.2307/1500063. JSTOR1500063.
↑ Jordan-Smith, Paul (17 December 1999). "It Happened to a Friend of a Friend CURSES! BROILED AGAIN! The Hottest Urban Legends Going by Jan Harold Brunvand". Los Angeles Times. No.Home Edition. p.1.
1 2 Molyneux, Michael (12 February 1995). "New & Noteworthy Paperbacks". The New York Times. No.Late Edition–Final. p.36, section 7, column 1.
↑ Nicolaisen, W.F.H. (1997). "The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". Folklore. 108. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 134–135. JSTOR1260739.
↑ Simpson, Jacqueline (October 2002). "Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". Folklore. 113 (2). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 285–286. JSTOR1260694.
↑ Campion-Vincent, Veronique (October 2001). "The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story! by Jan Harold Brunvand". Folklore. 112 (2). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 245–246. JSTOR1260855.
1 2 Brunvand, Jan Harold (January 1990). "Some News from the Miscellaneous Legend Files". Western Folklore. 49 (1). Western States Folklore Society: 111–120. doi:10.2307/1499485. JSTOR1499485.
↑ Brunsvand, Jan (July–August 2012). ""One of the Finest Sports in the World": An English Victorian Lady tries skiløbning on a Visit to Norway". Skiing Heritage. 24 (4): 25–27.
↑ Brunvand, Jan (Fall 2015). "More on the Mickey Finn (origin of a fly pattern and its name)". The American Fly Fisher. 41 (4): 16–19.
↑ Brunsvand, Jan (July 2023). "Studebakers on Utah's Scenic State Route #12". Turning Wheels. 55 (7): 36–38.
↑ "Urban Legends". NPR.org. 2 September 1999. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
↑ Hanson, Todd A. (Autumn 2003). "Encyclopedia of Urban Legends". The Journal of American Folklore. 116 (462). University of Illinois Press on behalf of American Folklore Society: 490–491. doi:10.1353/jaf.2003.0063. JSTOR4137766. S2CID161943284.
↑ Hobbs, Sandy (August 2003). "Encyclopedia of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". Folklore. 114 (2). Taylor and Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.: 273–274. JSTOR30035106.
↑ Deutsch, James (October 2003). "Encyclopedia of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". American Studies International. 41 (3). Mid-America American Studies Association: 107–108. JSTOR41280001.
↑ Binga, Timothy (September 1998). "FOAFlore". American Libraries. 29 (8). American Library Association: 34. JSTOR25635095.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fine, Gary Alan (April 1982). "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. 41 (2). Western States Folklore Society: 156–157. doi:10.2307/1499791. JSTOR1499791.
1 2 3 "News & Notes". Minnesota History. 48 (2). Minnesota Historical Society Press: 90–92. Summer 1982. JSTOR20178777.
1 2 Brunvand, Jan Harold (June 1980). "Heard About the Solid Cement Cadillac or the Nude in the Camper?". Psychology Today: 50–62.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bethke, Robert D. (April 1985). "The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. 44 (2). Western States Folklore Society: 147–149. doi:10.2307/1499565. JSTOR1499565.
1 2 Goetz, Lin (26 September 1999). "An 'Anecdote' has made the rounds for years". New Jersey Weekly Desk. No.Late Edition–Final. The New York Times. p.Page 19, Section 14NJ, column 1.
↑ Johnson, George (8 May 1988). "New & Noteworthy". The New York Times. p.42, column 1.
1 2 3 Richmond, W. Edson (January–March 1969). "The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction by Jan Harold Brunvand". The Journal of American Folklore. 82 (323). American Folklore Society: 80–83. doi:10.2307/539061. JSTOR539061.
↑ Oring, Elliot (October 1973). "The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. 32 (4). Western States Folklore Society: 284–286. doi:10.2307/1498313. JSTOR1498313.
↑ Ketner, Kenneth Laine (April 1980). "The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction". Western Folklore. 39 (2). Western States Folklore Society: 130–133. doi:10.2307/1500071. JSTOR1500071.
↑ Tokofsky, Peter (Spring–Summer 1998). "Introducing Folklore: A Review Essay". Western Folklore. 57 (2/3). Western States Folklore Society: 179–189. doi:10.2307/1500219. JSTOR1500219.
↑ Bronner, Simon J. (October 1993). "Exploring American Traditions: A Survey of Folklore and Folklife Research in American Studies". American Studies International. 31 (2). Mid-America American Studies Association: 37–69. JSTOR41279162.
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