The Truth About Tall Tales
American Folklore from Johnny Appleseed to Paul Bunyan
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The Truth About Tall Tales
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Narrated by:
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Chris R. Fee
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By:
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Chris R. Fee
About this listen
What can we learn about our culture from the stories we tell? Join master presenter Christopher Fee to learn what our heroes and monsters - both real and imagined - have to tell us about who we are as Americans.
American folklore is as vibrant and diverse as Americans themselves. Some tales offer embellished accounts of real historical figures, and in others, figures are invented to serve a cultural or commercial purpose. Often didactic and always fantastic, in one way or another these tales help us make sense of the world.
Join Christopher Fee, co-editor of An Encyclopedia of American Myth, Legend, and Folklore, for an entertaining and revealing look at our nation’s folkloric imagination. In this compelling 24-lecture audio series, you’ll meet figures such as Daniel Boone and John Henry, and learn the stories of characters such as Water Jar Boy and the Woodcutter and the Fairy. Specters also abound, and you’ll encounter frightening figures ranging from the Headless Horseman to La Llorona.
Having explored traditional forms of folklore, myth, and legend in America, you will turn to new storytelling methods, discussing genres such as conspiracy theory, urban myth, and “fakelore.” Finally, you will conclude by asking how these kinds of stories represent a search for deeper truths, which suggests why American folklore still matters so much to so many.
This course is part of the Learn25 collection.
©2020 Now You Know Media, Inc. (P)2020 Now You Know Media, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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- By: Gary Gulman
- Narrated by: Gary Gulman
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 353
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 353
For years, Gary Gulman had been the comedian’s comedian, acclaimed for his delight in language and his bracing honesty. But after two stints in a psych ward, he found himself back in his mother’s house in Boston—living in his childhood bedroom at age forty-six, as he struggled to regain his mental health. That’s where Misfit begins. Then it goes way back. This is no ordinary book about growing older and growing up. Gulman has an astonishing memory and takes the listener through every year of his childhood education, with detailed stories that are in turn alarming and riotously funny.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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I get it
- By Karen Johnson on 10-02-23
By: Gary Gulman
-
Eaters of the Dead
- By: Michael Crichton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,136
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,649
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,644
The year is A.D. 922. A refined Arab courtier, representative of the powerful Caliph of Baghdad, encounters a party of Viking warriors who are journeying to the barbaric North. He is appalled by their Viking customs - the wanton sexuality of their pale, angular women, their disregard for cleanliness...their cold-blooded human sacrifices. But it is not until they reach the depths of the Northland that the courtier learns the horrifying and inescapable truth.
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5 out of 5 stars
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FEAR HAS A WHITE MOUTH
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 04-15-17
By: Michael Crichton
-
The Little Book of the Hidden People: Twenty Stories of Elves from Icelandic Folklore
- By: Alda Sigmundsdottir
- Narrated by: Alda Sigmundsdottir
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
In this book, author Alda Sigmundsdóttir presents 20 translated elf stories from Icelandic folklore, along with fascinating notes on the context from which they sprung. The international media has had a particular infatuation with the Icelanders’ elf belief, generally using it to propagate some kind of “kooky Icelanders” myth. Yet Iceland’s elf folklore, at its core, reflects the plight of a nation living in abject poverty on the edge of the inhabitable world, and its people’s heroic efforts to survive, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic
- By Nicholas C Cook on 05-28-19
-
Dark Folklore
- By: Mark Norman, Tracey Norman
- Narrated by: Mark Norman, Tracey Norman
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
The fields of folklore have never been more popular—a recent resurgence of interest in traditional beliefs and customs, coupled with morbid curiosities in folk horror, historic witchcraft cases and our superstitious past, have led to an intersection of ideas that is driving people to seek out more information. Tracey Norman (author of the acclaimed play WITCH) and Mark Norman (creator of The Folklore Podcast) lead you on an exploration of those more salubrious facets of our past.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
There's a whole history of folklore and urban lege
- By Marsha L. Woerner on 12-12-22
By: Mark Norman, and others
-
The United States of Cryptids
- A Tour of American Myths and Monsters
- By: J. W. Ocker
- Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
US Cryptid Tour
- By Admiralu on 10-15-24
By: J. W. Ocker
What listeners say about The Truth About Tall Tales
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily D.
- 08-31-20
Fantastic presenter, meaningful take
Fee is one of those presenters you completely enjoy and instinctively trust. He has an exhaustive knowledge of his topic but also an objectivity that helps you situate each detail in context. It's fascinating to learn the reasons why certain historical figures (or legendary characters) have been memorialized in a certain way for historical or commercial benefit. I also appreciate that Fee isn't delivering a complete debunking--he shows how the true lives of famous figures like Johnny Appleseed were still remarkable even if their stories have been hyperbolized over time. I also appreciate that Fee includes indigenous, African American, Asian American, and Hispanic American and Latinx tall tales, underscoring the point that these are all American tall tales and part of our collective imagination as a nation. Also, I learned that the legend of the Chupacabra started in 1995 on the Internet--wow!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lawrence Clark
- 03-17-24
Comprehensive, Informative & Entertaining!
From storytelling to conspiracy theories, Dr. Fee’s comprehensive course is a perfect primer to differentiate between myth, folklore, legend - often used interchangeably. But Dr. Fee brings it right up until current day with explanations of how ‘Fake News’ has weaseled its way into modern folklore & mythology. This course does an amazing job of explaining just how we got here, as a country! Bravo!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Bloom
- 09-01-20
Masterful series by a master professor
I've enjoyed several titles by Professor Fee. This is his best. We have three young kids with active imaginations and we seek out books and stories encourage their interest in learning and teach moral lessons. This series covers the major stories making up America folklore while providing real insides into the important truths they tell. Fee combines deep knowledge with enthusiasm and humor. You'll enjoy his talks and find much to discuss with your kids.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John Higgins
- 08-28-20
Fee is a Master
Really enjoyed this. It's an in-depth (24 audio lecture) course on the history of myths, legends, and folklore in American history. Folk tales carry far more significance and wisdom than I previously realized. Fee also does a great job of bringing in a diverse set of perspectives; he includes African American folklore; Native American folklore; Hispanic American folklore and more. The presenter himself is highly knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. A must listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-28-20
Brings back great memories
This book brought me back to grade school in learning about these wonderful stories. Looking back, I greatly appreciate the societal context Chris Fee provides. It shines a new light on the stories and I really enjoyed looking at them with a new perspective.
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