The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus

It’s been more than a hundred years since the publication of the first Uncle Remus book, and it was in 1955 that all of the delightful and inimitable tales of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Wolf were gathered together in one volume. All of the animal tales from eight books are here, along with the illustrations which originally accompanied them.

 (46 customer reviews)

These animal stories were banned in the late sixties from many schools and libraries for being racist (the storyteller in the book, Uncle Remus, is a slave and uses the "n" word). But it seems that it's now ok to like these stories again, and a good thing that is, because they are not only hilariously funny, they are also deeply revealing of the foibles of us humans. But perhaps most importantly, they are a treasure trove of African American folklore.

The stories combine folktale motifs brought from Africa by slaves with those of the native peoples of the south, particularly the Cherokee and Choctaw. Since both cultures had stories with animal characters, and specifically trickster rabbit characters, ethnologists have not been able to completely determine which elements are the African and which are the Native American. No matter, since the two storytelling traditions blend together seamlessly.

This edition is the most encyclopedic of all the Uncle Remus...Read more

Joel Chandler Harris is all anyone needs to know to get a great introduction to and immersion in the folk tales and dialects of the southeastern US. The tales are charming, amusing, instructive. The presentation lives up to the standard set by the tales. Harris had an excellent ear for the rhythms and sounds, and although the text may be difficult to read at times, the effort is well rewarded. The book also contains a glossary of terms that may not be familiar to today's reader. If there is still difficulty, reading the text aloud will alleviate most of them.

Joel Chandler Harris brilliantly recorded the stories told on the southern plantation. Some of these stories have their origins in West Africa and were brought over (obviously) with the slave trade. But the stories are entertaining, laugh out loud funny, and naturalistic. Even though the animals in the stories(Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, etc.) are anthropomorphized, they also convey aspects of their essential natures in the wild. My husband reads me a story every night before we go to sleep. Unfortunately, because Harris was trying to write phonetically the dialect of the black slaves who were telling the stories, reading the stories takes a bit of practice. You have to get used to his spellings. For example, "bimeby" means "by and by." So, children may not be able to follow you if you read this outloud to them. A wonderful book which covers all the famous stories which you have heard of and never read yourself (Tar Baby, Rabbit in the Briar Patch) and also the...Read more