The Coon in the Box: A Global Folktale in African-American Tradition

Helskinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 2001.
First Edition.

24cm x 15cm. 112 pages. Illustrated glossy papered boards.

Among the most popular of all African-American folktales is the story folklorists know as The Coon in the Box, itself a derivative of the extremely old and widespread narrative usually identified, after Brothers Grimm, as Doctor Know-All (Doktor Allwissend) (AaTh 1641). Not coincidentally, this item has served as a centerpiece in the debate over the sources of New World black folktales. A detailed analysis of The Coon in the Box, its life history and cultural context thus reveals a great deal not only of the nature of African-American oral narratives in and of themselves, but also of the challenges confronting scholars in investigating the origins, diffusion, and development of these traditions. FF Communications No. 277 published by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

. Fine Condition.

AU$50.00

2 in stock