The Annotated African American Folktales

Unlike other volumes in Norton’s Annotated series, this impressive compendium does not focus on a particular text or author, but on an entire genre. In introductory chapters, literature scholar Gates (Life Upon These Shores) reviews the sometimes disputatious history of collecting African-American folklore, while folklorist Tatar (The Annotated Brothers Grimm) clarifies the organizing principle behind the book’s arrangement of stories, which go from continental-African tales to African-American ones to “folkloric cousins abroad” from the Caribbean and Latin America. The editors’ commentaries pay homage to a host of previous story collectors, recognizing pioneers such as Zora Neale Hurston. They also offer other scholars welcome access to excerpts from rare historical periodicals, such as the Brownies’ Book and the Southern Workman. The significance of Uncle Remus author Joel Chandler Harris, as both preserver of history and perpetrator of stereotypes, and of Disney’s controversial big-screen depiction of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, receive special emphasis throughout. The editors explore as well the innovative use of folklore by modern writers, including Ralph Ellison and Toni Morrison. In a hefty volume “driven by an expansive collecting impulse,” Gates and Tatar manage to both entertain and teach, to delight and instruct, as do the folktales themselves. Strengthened by its dense review of scholarship, stunning gallery of illustrations, and comprehensive bibliography, this is a valuable collection. [em](Nov.) [/em]