Folklore Commons^™

Interview With Acie Carroll (Fa 197), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Acie Carroll conducted by Ricky L. Carroll on 7 February 1983. From folk studies student project concerning Carroll, a farmer of Bee Springs, Edmonson County, Kentucky and his life experiences.

Interview With Acie Carroll, D. 1989 (Fa 197), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Acie Carroll conducted by Ricky L. Carroll on 2 February 1983. From folk studies student project concerning Carroll, a farmer of Bee Springs, Edmonson County, Kentucky and his life experiences.

Rose, Barry L. (Fa 199), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 199. Project includes a paper written by WKU Folk Studies student Rose, about Warren County, Kentucky musician Joe Marshall. Also includes a newspaper clipping and photos (5).

Ua68/5/1 Unto Jarvi, Folk Artist: A Retrospective, Wku Art, Wku Folk Studies & Anthropology, Wku Potter College Of Arts & Letters

WKU Administration Documents

Unto Jarvi: A Retrospective had its genesis when a young folklore graduate student, Eric Larsen, met the artist while working on a fieldwork project for Jay Anderson's course in folk art in 1981. Eric wanted to interview a local folk artist, and Unto Jarvi, who lives nearby in Auburn, Kentucky, agreed to talk with him. In the following weeks, Mr. Jarvi and Eric became close friends, and Jarvi shared rich memories of life in Finland and the United States and numerous thoughts about his painting and wood carving. The result was an oral history from which a portrait of the …

O. Henry’S Use Of Stereotypes In His New York City Stories: An Example Of The Utilization Of Folklore In Literature, Martin Ostrofsky

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stereotyping is a folkloristic process which permits people to reduce the complexities of the real world into simplified, abstract terms. O. Henry one of America’s most popular short story writers, made generous use of stereotypes in his stories. By examining O. Henry’s use of stereotypes, insight may be gained into the essential role which folklore often plays in creative literature. Stereotypes greatly influence the composition, function and reception of O. Henry’s work. O. Henry’s personal habits and circumstances demanded that he produce a prolific stream of short stories which would have the greatest popular appeal. Clever manipulation of stereotypes permitted …

A Contemporary Female Psychic: A Folkloristic Study Of A Traditional Occupation, Jan Laude

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis is a case study of a contemporary woman psychic, Peggy Sue Turner, who resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The traditional aspects of her occupation are balanced with adaptative mechanisms in order to meet current cultural and social needs resulting in a satisfying job for both Turner and her clients. Chapter One provides a review of pertinent literature. Chapter Two details fieldwork methodology. Chapter Three gives the life history of Turner as it relates to the joint development of her femininity and her occupation. Chapter Four describes the overall generalities which Turner applies to all of her work and …

Beshens, Paige A. (Fa 99), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 99. Folklore in "B.C." Examines the comic strip "B.C.", created by Johnny Hart, for examples of traditional and contemporary folklore.

Interview With Shella Ernestine Procter, B. 1901 And Alice Ruth Procter, B. 1911 (Fa 168), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Shella Ernestine Procter and Alice Ruth Procter conducted by Robert J. Gates on 26 February 1982. From folk studies student project documenting Alice Ruth and Shella Procter's memories of their aunt Ora Frances Porter, Warren County, Kentucky's first registered nurse.

Fiddle Songs And Banjo Songs: A Description Index, Gilbert Wayne Howard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

English-language texts associated with fiddle and banjo in the southern United States are described and then indexed for comparative reference. The fiddle songs are typically humorous, very brief, highly variable and disunified. The same is true of many banjo songs associated with the banjo. Ballads in the fiddle and the banjo repertory are not indexed if previously catalogued by Child or Laws.

Fiddle and banjo songs are defined as texts associated with fiddle or banjo playing, either through instrumental accompaniment or because informants mentally associate them with the fiddle or banjo. Various ways of performing the songs are enumerated, with …

"No Bob Yet" A Collection Of Narratives From Nobob, Kentucky, Keith Ludden

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Transcribed naridtives from the community of Nobob (Barren County), Kentucky, and its surroundings. The narratives were tape recorded between October, 1977 and November, 1978. Interpretation is offered in the form of an introduction, which includes a brief history of the area and a discussion of genre and annotations to the narratives. Annotations make use of standard bibliographical reference works and archival sources available at Western Kentucky University.

The narratives are divided into legend, tale, and personal experience stories. A number of the narratives refer specifically to the Great Depression. The collection seeks to particularly demonstrate the presence of valuable historical …

A Sourcebook For The Interpretation Of Traditional Dance By Outdoor Museums & Historic Sites, Jan Alm

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Folklife scholars often produce work which is valuable to outdoor museums and historic sites. Folklife scholars deal with functional, contextual, emic, and interdisciplinary studies--all approaches which produce valuable interpretive data for museums and sites. This thesis is an example of folklife work designed for use in the museum field.

Outdoor museums and historic sites are increasingly involved with the interpretation of social and emotional life. Because it is a social and emotional event, dance can be a valuable part of this interpretation.

Sites and museums developing programs of traditional dance interpretation may find it helpful to follow several steps: 1.) …

Folklore, Folklife & Still Photography: A Synergetic Approach, Debbie Gibson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 1973 folklorist Jan Brunvand presented a definition of modern folkloristics that challenged folklorists to take an eclectic approach to the study of traditional culture by employing theoretical and methodological approaches from a variety of disciplines including communications. This thesis represents one effort at addressing part of this challenge by discussing specific folklore and folklife objectives and how still photography can be incorporated in the research process.

Chapter one includes a brief overview of how still photography has been used in social science research, emphasizing use of the camera for examination and communication. Chapter two examines the photographic "moment" and …

Interview With Richard Watson And Larry R. Perry (Fa 319), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Richard Watson and Larry R. Perry conducted by Dennis Paul Angle in 22 February 1981. From folk studies student project concerning the Bowling Green Fire Department.

Interview With Ben Jones, Ii, Michael S. Jent, And Harold Pearson (Fa 319), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Ben Jones, II, Michael S. “Mike” Jent, and Harold “Bucky” Pearson conducted by Dennis Paul Angle in 22 February 1981. From folk studies student project concerning the Bowling Green Fire Department.

Home, Loved Ones & Heaven: Folk Expressin In The Songs Of Katherine O'Neill Peters Sturgill, George Reynolds

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Formation, expression, and function of world view were examined in the life and compositions of folk musician, Katherine O'Neill Peters Sturgill. It was seen that the institutions of home, loved ones, and heaven were dominant themes in the formation of her world view. When twenty-two of Kate's gospel and sentimental song compositions were examined for thematic content, they were found to reflect the predominant formative influences in Kate's life. An interpretive model was developed showing home, loved ones, and heaven to be unified themes in a concept of sacred order--a concept which stood to oppose and defend against the banal …

Interview With David R. Adams (Fa 348), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with David R. Adams conducted by Tammie Pickering and Gary Collins on 24 February 1985. From folk studies student project concerning the connection between trees and traditional folkways and details the medicinal properties of sassafras tea, the production of maple syrup, and the expressive crafts of woodcarving and carpentry.

Tinsley Bottom Tennessee: An Historical Reconstruction Utilizing Oral Narrative Traditions, Rebecca Morse

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Tinsley Bottom lies adjacent to the Cumberland River in Jackson and Clay Counties in north central Tennessee. The rich rolling bottomland totaling approximately two thousand acres on the south bank of the Cumberland River lured several families to purchase land and take residence there in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The history of Tinsley Bottom is not found in written records or annals of Tennessee history. No person of reknown sprang from the cultural context of this community. Yet tales are told of how Daniel Boone hunted in the Bottom and slept in a cave overlooking the River, and …

Interview With Mary C. Bow (Fa 44), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Mary C. Bow conducted by Frankie Hickey on 29 May 1979. From folk studies student project concerning Mary Bow's life and her basket making.

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 1, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

Lewis, Lisa Claire (Fa 193), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 193. Paper written by Lewis entitled "Mur and Granddaddy: An Elderly Couple Adjusting to the City." Concerns her grandparents moving from their Todd County farm to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Folklore, Poetry, And Identity: A Study Of The Archetypes In The Poetry Of Leslie Silko, Kate Grenier

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This paper is a study of folklore in literature; specifically, it is the study of the folklore in the poetry of Leslie Marmon Silko, a Laguna Pueblo women, and a half-breed. Her family situation, its place in the community, and its oral tradition are briefly noted, and the basic works of folklore in literature scholars are cited; therefore, the groundwork is established on which to examine the specific elements of folklore in the poems from Silko’s books, Laguna Woman and Ceremony.

Taking a Jungian approach to the archetypes in these poems, three subsequent chapters deal with three separate item of …

Latent Didactic Functions Of Tlingit Mythology: A Re-Evaluation Of Raven's Role In Northwest Coast Culture, Stephen Poyser

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A comparative study was conducted of several variants of the Raven cycle of myths as manifested among the Tlingit Indians of the Northwest Coast. The results of this folkloristic study indicate that the myths serve several didactic functions. In addition to the manifest function of explaining the origin of the present order of the world the myths also serve to provide members of the society with a classificatory system through which they are able to relate to observable phenomena within their environment. The myths also provide institutionalized behavioral alternatives available to the society as manifested by the actions of Raven, …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 2, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

No abstract provided.

Oystering In Kent Narrows, Maryland, A. Clayton Schofield

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Kent Narrows is one of the many small fishing areas located along the banks of the Chesapeake Bay. The fishing industry located there concentrates on the harvesting and canning of Chesapeake Bay shellfish, specifically oysters, crabs, and clams. This study is concerned with the collection of the traditional elements of the three occupations comprising the oyster harvest at Kent Narrows: (a) handtonging, (b) oyster shucking, and (c) blacksmithing of the oystermen's tools. Although the Kent Narrows oyster industry has developed since the 1930s, many of the traditional tools and work situations were borrowed from other fishing areas of the Bay. …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 1, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

A Folkloristic Approach To Storytelling Performances By A Contemporary Librarian, Victoria Middleswarth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The subject of this study is Thelma Freeman, the children's librarian at the Bowling Green Public Library. Mrs. Freeman has worked for the library for fourteen years, beginning in 1964 as a bookmobile driver and later transferring into the library building as children's librarian. The story hour on which this study centers was instituted in 1967 when Mrs. Freeman became the Bowling Green Library's first children's librarian. Although she probably acquired her storytelling art through observation and adoption of her mother's storytelling technique and through experience with her children and grandchildren, Mrs. Freeman also took an undergraduate-level library science course …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 4, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

Traditional Elements In The Selected Columns Of Allan M. Trout, J. Vaughn Webb

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The first and last three months of Allan M. Trout's newspaper column "Greetings" were analyzed to show Trout's use of traditional material in that feature. An overview of previous scholarship concerning folklore in literature revealed a lack of study of the modern newspaper as a transmitter of folk items. The type of feature which Trout wrote was shown to have developed from pre-Civil War journalism. Trout's conception of folklore as a rural, kinetic process was presented through quotations from his books and columns, and "Greetings" was defined as a part of that process rather than as a static literary work. …

Fandom Is A Way Of Life: A Folkloristic Ethnography Of Science Fiction Fandom, David Axler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A science fiction (“sf”) fan is an individual whose interest in this literary genre has extended past reading into involvement in such things as local science fiction clubs, fan magazines (“fanzines”), and sf conventions (“cons”). Science fiction fandom is the loosely-structured, geographically-dispersed organization of these fans. Drawing on both written sources and field interviews with eight informants, the history, composition and structure of sf fandom is examined from a folkloristic viewpoint. The forms of folklore which serve to bind the individual fan to the larger social entity of fandom are detailed.

Despite its literary orientation, fandom is primarily a social …

A Folkloric Perspective On Traditional Auctioneering, Daniel Steed Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To date, the auction as a type of folklore performance has not been adequately researched. In order to place auctions in perspective as folklore, chapter one of this thesis reviews the history of auctions in the United States. Chapter one further presents the idea of the auctioneer as a folk occupational specialist. The second chapter is concerned with the skills of an active Kentucky auctioneer, who offers, during a series of interviews, insights concerning his performance skills. The third, and final, chapter attempts to construct a theoretical base for researching auctions as folklore performance. The criteria by which any given …