Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale
Past studies of American nonsense literature have tended to lump it together with the British, for many good reasons. This article, however, distinguishes American nonsense, not just from the British, but from any other tradition, by way of its folk origins and cultural context. One of the least-rec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language Studies
2017-11-01
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| Series: | The European Journal of Humour Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/178 |
| _version_ | 1818870259589840896 |
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| author | Michael Heyman |
| author_facet | Michael Heyman |
| author_sort | Michael Heyman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Past studies of American nonsense literature have tended to lump it together with the British, for many good reasons. This article, however, distinguishes American nonsense, not just from the British, but from any other tradition, by way of its folk origins and cultural context. One of the least-recognized writers of nonsense is Carl Sandburg, who is famous for his iconic American poetry, but his Rootabaga Stories (1922-30) are some of the best and most distinctive representatives of the genre. Sandburg’s nonsense short stories are lyrical and strange, but their value lies also in their distinctive American origins. They are distinguished in having particularly American themes, cultural tendencies, and geography, but also in their formal techniques, which hearken back to American folklore and the tall tale in particular, as in W. B. Laughead’s Paul Bunyan (1922). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T12:04:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a00c5cbe132f40de9ca5741a2d59d888 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2307-700X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T12:04:11Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Cracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The European Journal of Humour Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-a00c5cbe132f40de9ca5741a2d59d8882022-12-21T20:22:24ZengCracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language StudiesThe European Journal of Humour Research2307-700X2017-11-0153566710.7592/EJHR2017.5.3.heyman139Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall taleMichael Heyman0Berklee College of MusicPast studies of American nonsense literature have tended to lump it together with the British, for many good reasons. This article, however, distinguishes American nonsense, not just from the British, but from any other tradition, by way of its folk origins and cultural context. One of the least-recognized writers of nonsense is Carl Sandburg, who is famous for his iconic American poetry, but his Rootabaga Stories (1922-30) are some of the best and most distinctive representatives of the genre. Sandburg’s nonsense short stories are lyrical and strange, but their value lies also in their distinctive American origins. They are distinguished in having particularly American themes, cultural tendencies, and geography, but also in their formal techniques, which hearken back to American folklore and the tall tale in particular, as in W. B. Laughead’s Paul Bunyan (1922).https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/178humournonsense literatureamerican |
| spellingShingle | Michael Heyman Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale The European Journal of Humour Research humour nonsense literature american |
| title | Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale |
| title_full | Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale |
| title_fullStr | Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale |
| title_short | Pigs, pastures, pepper pickers, pitchforks: Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and the tall tale |
| title_sort | pigs pastures pepper pickers pitchforks carl sandburg s rootabaga stories and the tall tale |
| topic | humour nonsense literature american |
| url | https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/178 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelheyman pigspasturespepperpickerspitchforkscarlsandburgsrootabagastoriesandthetalltale |