The Dual Nature of Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus Tales: Literary Research and Analysis as Social Allegory and Folklore
The Dual Nature of Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus Tales is a short literary analysis of Harris’s Uncle Remus Tales as social allegories and folklore. Each of the topics is supported by scholarly works, cited in the ebook. A list of the works cited is also included.
As many already know, the Disney cartoon based on Harris’s Uncle Remus tales is not readily available in the United States. Many of the situations and language in the movie, in Harris’s stories, and in this ebook are considered offensive.
NOTE: Terms used in this ebook are used purely in the context of Harris’s original stories and time period. NO offense is in any way intended.
Irony
Ironically, the Uncle Remus tales were actually a subversive attempt by the Caucasian, Harris to emphasize the irrelevance of race and the injustice of oppression. Harris wrote the Uncle Remus stories during one of the South’s most violently racist periods. As he worked for a major Atlanta newspaper, he had to be very careful to make his points against racism without blatantly making outright statements.
Thus, the framework of Uncle Remus as a story teller, and the characters around the Briar Patch functioned subversively to better influence society. Harris used more covert “nudge and wink” methods to get his message out – without evoking a violent response – by letting the blithely ignorant remain so.
The Dual Nature of Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus Tales examines time period in which the Uncle Remus tales were written, the political climate, the tales as allegory, traditional elements of folklore (including the trickster), characterization, social influence, culture, and dialect.
Included Topics (as taken from the Table of Contents):
Social Allegory or Folklore?
Undermining Racism
Subversion Through Allegory
Smart and Superior
Folklore
Accidental Author
Characterization
Subversion and Manipulation
The Trickster
Culture and Dialect
Social Allegory AND Folklore
Works Cited
Additional Resources
See http://www.amazon.com/author/sherrysnider/ for additional publications by Sherry Snider.