Tall tale

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A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely fictional tales set in a familiar setting, such as the European countryside, the American frontier, the Canadian Northwest, the Australian outback, or the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Contents

Events are often told in a way that makes the narrator seem to have been a part of the story; the tone is generally good-natured. Legends are differentiated from tall tales primarily by age; many legends exaggerate the exploits of their heroes, but in tall tales the exaggeration looms large, to the extent of dominating the story.

United States

The tall tale has become a fundamental element of American folk literature. The tall tale's origins are seen in the bragging contests that often occurred when the rough men of the American frontier gathered. The tales of legendary figures of the Old West, some listed below, owe much to the style of tall tales.

The semi-annual speech-contests held by Toastmasters International public-speaking clubs may include a tall-tales contest. Each and every participating speaker is given three to five minutes to give a short speech of a tall-tale nature, and is then judged according to several factors. The winner proceeds to the next level of competition. The contest does not proceed beyond any participating district in the organization to the international level.

The comic strip Non Sequitur (1992–present) sometimes features tall tales told by the character Captain Eddie; it is left up to the reader to decide if he is telling the truth, exaggerating a real event, or fabricating a story entirely.

About real people

Some stories are told about exaggerated versions of real people:

About imaginary people

Paul Bunyan's sidekick, Babe the blue ox, sculpted as a ten-meter tall roadside tourist-attraction Klamath-CA-Babe.jpg
Paul Bunyan's sidekick, Babe the blue ox, sculpted as a ten-meter tall roadside tourist-attraction

Subjects of some American tall tales include legendary figures:

Australia

The Australian frontier (known as the bush or the outback) similarly inspired the types of tall tales that are found in American folklore. The Australian versions typically concern a mythical station called The Speewah. The heroes of the Speewah include:

Another folk hero is Charlie McKeahnie, the hero of Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River", whose bravery, adaptability, and risk-taking could epitomise the new Australian spirit.

Canada

The Canadian frontier has also inspired the types of tall tales that are found in American folklore, such as:

Europe

The Columnar basalt that makes up the Giant's Causeway; in legend, a fine set of hexagonal stepping stones to Scotland, made by Fionn mac Cumhaill Giant's Causeway (13).JPG
The Columnar basalt that makes up the Giant's Causeway; in legend, a fine set of hexagonal stepping stones to Scotland, made by Fionn mac Cumhaill

Some European tall tales include:

In visual media

Early 20th-century postcards became a vehicle for tall tale telling in the US. [5] [6] Creators of these cards, such as the prolific Alfred Stanley Johnson Jr. [7] and William H. "Dad" Martin, usually employed trick photography, including forced perspective, while others painted their unlikely tableaus, [6] or used a combination of painting and photography in early examples of photo retouching. [8] The common theme was gigantism: fishing for leviathans, [6] [9] hunting for [6] [10] or riding [11] [12] oversized animals, and bringing in the impossibly huge sheaves. [6] [13] An homage to the genre can be found on the cover of the Eat a Peach (1972) album by The Allman Brothers Band.

See also

Related Research Articles

American folklore encompasses the folklore that has evolved in the present-day United States mostly since the European colonization of the Americas. It also contains folklore that dates back to the Pre-Columbian era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Bunyan</span> Giant lumberjack in American folklore

Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His tall tales revolve around his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox, his pet and working animal. The character originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers, and was later popularized by freelance writer William B. Laughead (1882–1958) in a 1916 promotional pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company. He has been the subject of various literary compositions, musical pieces, commercial works, and theatrical productions. His likeness is displayed in a number of oversized statues across North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legend</span> Genre of storytelling that involves heroic humans

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumberjack</span> Worker who performs the initial harvesting of trees

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pecos Bill</span> Fictional cowboy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Henry (folklore)</span> Folklore character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash Cannonball</span> American folk song

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanabozho</span> Ojibwe trickster spirit often in the form of a rabbit

Nanabozho, also known as Nanabush, is a spirit in Anishinaabe aadizookaan, particularly among the Ojibwe. Nanabozho figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creation. Nanabozho is the Ojibwe trickster figure and culture hero.

The Speewah is a mythical Australian station that is the subject of many tall tales told by Australian bushmen. The stories of the Speewah are Australian folktales in the oral tradition. The Speewah is synonymous with hyperbole as many of the tales about the place are used to enhance the storytellers' masculinity by relating events of extreme hardship and overcoming the dangers of the Australian wilderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dorson</span> American folklorist (1916–1981)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fearsome critters</span> Tall tale animals from North American folklore

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<i>Disneys American Legends</i> 2002 American film

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invented tradition</span> Recently invented cultural practices perceived as old

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Kemp Morgan or Gib Morgan is a character from American folklore, particularly appearing in tall tales.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian folklore</span>

Canadian folklore is the traditional material that Canadians pass down from generation to generation, either as oral literature or "by custom or practice". It includes songs, legends, jokes, rhymes, proverbs, weather lore, superstitions, and practices such as traditional food-making and craft-making. The largest bodies of folklore in Canada belong to the aboriginal and French-Canadian cultures. English-Canadian folklore and the folklore of recent immigrant groups have added to the country's folk.

Since the folkloric hero Paul Bunyan's first major appearance in print, the character has been utilized to promote a variety of products, locations, and services. The giant lumberjack's mass appeal has led him to become a recurring figure in entertainment and marketing, appearing in various incarnations throughout popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabian Fournier</span> Canadian–American lumberjack

Fabian "Joe" Fournier was a lumberjack, born in Quebec, who would later emigrate to the United States of America and work as a lumberjack in Michigan. He has often been said to be the man who inspired Paul Bunyan in at least some part.

References

  1. "Buckner, Aylett C." Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association . Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  2. Appalachia Appalachian Mountain Club, 1964.
  3. Monahan, Robert. "Jigger Johnson", New Hampshire Profiles magazine, Northeast Publications, Concord, New Hampshire, April, 1957.
  4. "Cumbrian Liars". grizedale.org.
  5. "Larger Than Life: Tall-Tale Postcards". Wisconsin Historical Society. 3 August 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Storytelling Through the Mail: Tall Tale Postcards in Michigan". Michigan History Online. Archived from the original on 2009-07-08.
  7. "Wisconsin historical images, Keywords: "tall tale", Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr". Wisconsin Historical Society.
  8. "Tall-tale Postcard: Mammoth Strawberries". Wisconsin Historical Society. December 2003.
  9. "Wisconsin historical images, Keywords: "tall tale", "fishing"". Wisconsin Historical Society.
  10. "Wisconsin historical images, Keyword "hunting"". Wisconsin Historical Society.
  11. "Homeward Bound". December 2003.
  12. "Man Riding Sheep (1916)". December 2003.
  13. "Wisconsin historical images, Keyword "hunting"". Wisconsin Historical Society.

Further reading