The Bell Witch in Myth and Memory: From Local Legend to International Folktale - Couverture souple

Gregory, Rick

 
9781621908371: The Bell Witch in Myth and Memory: From Local Legend to International Folktale
Couverture souple
ISBN 10 : 1621908372 ISBN 13 : 9781621908371
Editeur : University of Tennessee Press, 2023

Synopsis

Apparently, slumber parties in the mid-South 1970s were plied with a strange ritual. At midnight attendees would gather before a mirror and chant "I don't believe in the Bell Witch" three times to see if the legendary spook would appear alongside their own reflections--a practice that echoes the "Bloody Mary" pattern following the execution of Mary Queen of Scots centuries ago. But that small circuit of preteen gatherings was neither the beginning nor the end of the Bell Witch's travels. Indeed, the legend of the haint who terrorized the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee, is one of the best-known pieces of folklore in American storytelling--featured around the globe in popular-culture references as varied as a 1930s radio skit and a 1980s song from a Danish heavy metal band. Legend has it that "Old Kate" was investigated even by the likes of future president Andrew Jackson, who was reported to have said, "I would rather fight the British ten times over than to ever face the Bell Witch again."

While dozens of books and articles have thoroughly analyzed this intriguing tale, this book breaks new ground by exploring the oral traditions associated with the poltergeist and demonstrating her regional, national, and even international sweep. Author Rick Gregory details the ways the narrative mirrors other legends with similar themes and examines the modern proliferation of the story via contemporary digital media. The Bell Witch in Myth and Memory ultimately explores what people believe and why they believe what they cannot explicitly prove--and, more particularly, why for two hundred years so many have sworn by the reality of the Bell Witch. In this highly engaging study, Rick Gregory not only sheds light on Tennessee's vibrant oral history tradition but also provides insight into the enduring, worldwide phenomenon that is folklore.

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À propos de l?auteur

RICK GREGORY received MA and PhD degrees in history from Vanderbilt University. He is a local historian and lives in Adams, Tennessee, the home of the Bell Witch Legend.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
University of Tennessee Press
Date d'édition
2023
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
1621908372
ISBN 13 
9781621908371
Reliure
Broché
Nombre de pages
136
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible