Jan Harold Brunvand (born March 23, 1933) is an American retired folklorist , researcher, writer, public speaker, and professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah .
80-437: Brunvand is best known for popularizing the concept of the urban legend , a form of modern folklore or story telling. Urban legends are "too good to be true" stories that travel by word of mouth, by print, or by the internet and are attributed to an FOAF: friend of a friend. "Urban legends," Brunvand says, "have a persistent hold on the imagination because they have an element of suspense or humor, they are plausible and they have
160-407: A cryptid —for instance, Bigfoot or Mothman , legendary creatures for which evidence is lacking but which have legions of believers. Research shows that people experiencing sudden or surprising events (such as a Bigfoot sighting) may significantly overestimate the duration of the event. Companies have been accused of hiding "secret messages" behind their logos or packaging, as in the case of
240-463: A friend of a friend ), which serves to personalize, authenticate and enhance the power of the narrative while distancing the teller from the tall tale . Many urban legends depict horrific crimes, contaminated foods, or other situations that would potentially affect many people. Anyone believing such stories might feel compelled to warn loved ones. On occasion, news organizations, school officials and even police departments have issued warnings concerning
320-489: A "Doctoral/Professional University", SIUE offers Baccalaureate, Post-Baccalaureate, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in 48 undergraduate programs and 65 graduate and professional practice programs. In addition, students may enroll in 62 undergraduate minors. In the fall of 2021, SIUE had 13,010 students – 9,967 undergraduates and 3,043 graduate students including 312 professional doctoral students, and 118,029 alumni. The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIU-SOM)
400-400: A 2003 article, "Nowadays it would be naive to ask for mere press releases and print articles when most people turn to websites and on-line databases for information." He recognized that urban legend reference sites, like Snopes.com provide readers with far more timely examples and current information than he could keep up with in his books. The Study of American Folklore. An Introduction is
480-512: A Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. While at Michigan State, he attended a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation. Brunvand went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in English from the same university in 1957. He briefly served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth and was discharged with the rank of 1st Lieutenant. While attending Michigan State, Brunvand met Richard Dorson ,
560-623: A book intended for students of folklore with a particular emphasis on American Folklore as transmitted in the English language. For the purposes of this book, Brunvand defines folklore as "those materials in culture that circulate traditionally among members of any group in different versions, whether in oral form or by means of customary example." The book is divided into three main categories: verbal (dialect and speech habits, proverbs, riddles, tales, rhymes, folk-songs, ballads), partly verbal (superstitions, customs, dances, plays), and non-verbal (gestures, music, handcrafts, folk architecture, food). Within
640-475: A disconnect with his students and their views toward folklore. "They always seemed to think that folklore belonged to somebody else, usually in the past, that was something quaint and outdated." He began asking his students to think about and discuss stories from their own lives. These stories helped form the basis of a collection which Brunvand later included in several popular books on the topic of urban legends. In 1981, Brunvand's first book devoted to urban legends
720-521: A folklorist and professor, who became a mentor. Brunvand took an undergraduate American Folklore course Dorson offered in the fall quarter of 1954 and, in subsequent semesters, completed two of Dorson's graduate courses in folklore as a special enrollee. The work Brunvand and other classmates did for Dorson's classes included "preparing a large and well organized personal collection of folklore garnered from oral tradition and furnished with informant data and background comments." These papers would later serve as
800-427: A friend told me", the friend being identified by first name only or not identified at all. Such legends seem to be believable and even provocative, as some readers are led in turn to pass them on, including on social media platforms that instantly reach millions worldwide. Many are essentially extended jokes , told as if they were true events. Persistent urban legends do often maintain a degree of plausibility, as in
880-830: A highly readable and effective way to both the dynamic narrative process in an urban context and the discipline of folklore and folklife studies." Some of these stories previously appeared in an article Brunvand wrote for the June 1980 issue of Psychology Today . As with Heard About the Solid Cement Cadillac or the Nude in the Camper?, Brunvand categorizes the different legends included in The Vanishing Hitchhiker into classic urban legend types. For each legend type, Brunvand offers samples that show variations on
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#1732787538226960-518: A long-running column in The Sunday Times . These include the story that Orson Welles began work on a Batman movie in the 1940s, which was to feature James Cagney as the Riddler and Marlene Dietrich as Catwoman ; the persistent rumour that the rock singer Courtney Love is the granddaughter of Marlon Brando ; and the idea that a famous 1970s poster of Farrah Fawcett contains
1040-487: A moral." Though criticized for the "popular" rather than "academic" orientation of his books, The Vanishing Hitchhiker and others, Brunvand felt that it was a "natural and worthwhile part of his job as a folklorist to communicate the results of his research to the public." For his lifetime dedication to the field of folklore, which included radio and television appearances, a syndicated newspaper column, and over 100 publications (articles, books, notes and reviews), Brunvand
1120-461: A more public forum. I believe that the public and media image of what a folklorist does is in fact part of what we should be doing, whether we were trained specifically for it or not, whether we work in academe or not, and whether we like it or not." Brunvand and his books became so popular, that, when Richard Wolkomir dubbed him "Mr. Urban Legend" in an article for the Smithsonian , the title
1200-520: A paper on Norwegian-American folklore in the archives of Indiana University and one about the Norwegian folk hero Askeladden . In 1957, Brunvand returned to the United States as a graduate student at Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana. He switched majors, from English to folklore, and took a series of classes offered through the university's summer institute. He worked as an archivist in
1280-597: A phenomenon like the ethnic joke, examples of which are told by target groups, or is the urban legend essentially a mainstream occurrence? I don't think the final word has been written yet on the genre, but Jan Brunvand has made admirable strides toward that end." The Mexican Pet: "New" Urban Legends is Brunvand's third book in a series of books about urban legends meant to appeal to a general audience. This time, Brunvand includes stories collected from colleagues, students, professional newscasters and appeals through his own publications, lectures and media appearances. He organized
1360-954: A small campus in Springfield which offers graduate level courses nearby the SIU School of Medicine. The school also operates the Community Nursing Services office at SIUE's East St. Louis Center. SIU Carbondale operates aviation programs at the Transportation Education Center, located at the Southern Illinois Airport , about 15 minutes from the main campus. They have a flight school, and an aviation mechanic school. Students learn to fly, read instruments, and fix aircraft. There are several donated planes that they use to work on, but do not fly. Private citizens, airlines, and
1440-439: A subliminal sexual message concealed in the actress's hair. As with traditional urban legends, many internet rumors are about crimes or crime waves – either fictional or based on real events that have been largely exaggerated. Such stories can be problematic, both because they purport to be relevant modern news and because they do not follow the typical patterns of urban legends. Some legends are medical folklore , such as
1520-566: A typical urban legend is its elements of mystery, horror , fear, or humor. Often they serve as cautionary tales . Some urban legends are morality tales that depict someone acting in a disagreeable manner, only to wind up in trouble, hurt, or dead. Urban legends will often try to invoke a feeling of disgust in the reader which tends to make these stories more memorable and potent. Elements of shock value can be found in almost every form of urban legend and are partially what makes these tales so impactful. An urban legend may include elements of
1600-601: A while, Brunvand's hobbies and academic interests intersect, notably with an article in The American Fly Fisher debunking a fake quotation by Thoreau . He writes a series of columns on Seniors Skiing.com. Brunvand was a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered in September 1999. He spoke to Noah Adams about his book Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends . His Encyclopedia of Urban Legends , illustrated by Randy Hickman,
1680-523: Is a book intended to introduce the idea of urban legends to the general public. Included in the book are such chilling and humorous stories as "The Vanishing Hitchhiker," "The Economical Car," "The Ghost Airliner," The Girl with the Beehive Hairdo," "The Solid Cement Cadillac," and "The Killer in the Back Seat." Brunvand's approach, according to reviewer Janet L. Langlois, "sensitizes the reader in
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#17327875382261760-419: Is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be entertaining but often concern mysterious peril or troubling events, such as disappearances and strange objects or entities. Urban legends may confirm moral standards, reflect prejudices, or be a way to make sense of societal anxieties. In
1840-513: Is a medical education, biomedical research, patient care, and community service facility in Springfield operated by the SIU-SOM. The SIU-SOM operates five satellite family medicine clinics for residential training of family physicians in Carbondale , Decatur , Quincy , ,and Springfield . The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU-SDM or SDM) is a part of SIUE and
1920-572: Is a part of SIUC that operates its first-year program in Carbondale and the final three years in Springfield. The SIU-SOM also offers a wide range of medical residency programs including; Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Medicine/Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Otolaryngology, Pediatrics, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Urology. The Simmons Cancer Institute
2000-439: Is characteristic of groups within which a given narrative circulates to vehemently reject claims or demonstrations of non-factuality; an example would be the expressions of outrage by police officers who are told that adulteration of Halloween treats by strangers (the subject of periodic moral panics ) occurs extremely rarely, if at all. The Internet has made it easier both to spread and to debunk urban legends. For instance,
2080-719: Is considered to be "the legend scholar with the greatest influence on twentieth-century media." Brunvand was born on March 23, 1933, in Cadillac, Michigan, to Norwegian immigrants Harold N. Brunvand and Ruth Brunvand. He and his two siblings, Tor and Richard, were brought up in Lansing, Michigan . Brunvand graduated from J. W. Sexton High School in Lansing in 1951. From high school, Brunvand attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan , where, in 1955, he earned
2160-591: Is located in Alton on the campus of the former Shurtleff College . The school opened in 1972 and enrolls about 200 dental students. The school also operates the East St. Louis Dental Clinic at SIUE's East St. Louis Center. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing not only has academic programs on the Edwardsville campus, but it operates a cooperative program with SIUC in Carbondale, and it has
2240-623: Is operated by the Organizational Learning, Innovation and Development Department (former Workforce Education and Development) of the College of Education and Human Services at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Programs include Illinois workNet, providing adults and youth with disabilities the resources to help them reach educational and employment goals; the Website Development Project, working with
2320-600: The College of Arts and Sciences and seven schools, including the Graduate School and the new but highly regarded School of Pharmacy on the Edwardsville campus and the School of Dental Medicine in Alton. The SIUE center in East St. Louis provides clinical and practicum experiences for SIUE students and a broad range of assistance to the community in the arts, education, health, and social services. Considered to be
2400-583: The Slender Man , have gained a following of people that do believe in them . Television shows such as Urban Legends , Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction , and later Mostly True Stories: Urban Legends Revealed , feature re-enactments of urban legends, detailing the accounts of the tales and (typically later in an episode) revealing any factual basis they may have. The Discovery Channel TV show MythBusters (2003–2016) tried to prove or disprove several urban legends by attempting to reproduce them using
2480-690: The University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained a professor until his retirement in 1996. By 1967, Brunvand was a member of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association . He had also served as Book Review Editor for the Journal of American Folklore, which he resigned after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship research grant in 1970 to study folklore in Romania. He also won a Guggenheim Fellowship in
Jan Harold Brunvand - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-539: The Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban and several other websites, most notably snopes.com , focus on discussing, tracking, and analyzing urban legends. The United States Department of Energy had a now-discontinued service called Hoaxbusters that dealt with computer-distributed hoaxes and legends. The most notable such hoaxes are known as creepypastas , which are typically horror stories written anonymously. Although most are regarded as obviously false, some, such as
2640-444: The scientific method . The 1998 film Urban Legend featured students discussing popular urban legends while at the same time falling victim to killings re-enacting them. The 1999 film The Blair Witch Project purposefully positioned itself as an urban legend to gain viral hype and succeeded in fooling many that it was based on a real disappearance. The lack of widespread social media and search engines helped it proliferate in
2720-411: The supernatural or paranormal . As Jan Brunvand points out, antecedent legends including some of the motifs, themes and symbolism of the urtexts can readily be identified. Cases that may have been at least partially inspired by real events include "The Death Car" (traced by Richard Dorson to Michigan , United States ); "the Solid Cement Cadillac" and the possible origin of " The Hook " in
2800-583: The 1946 series of Lovers' Lane murders in Texarkana, Texas , United States. The urban legend that Coca-Cola developed the drink Fanta to sell in Nazi Germany without public backlash originated as the actual tale of German Max Keith , who invented the drink and ran Coca-Cola's operations in Germany during World War II . The narrator of an urban legend may claim it happened to a friend (or to
2880-719: The Brunvand text seems to confirm that introducing folklore by way of genres remains an effective and, for many, a preferred teaching tool even if it does not reflect the most current theoretical perspectives." American Folklore: An Encyclopedia is an illustrated volume that contains within its pages more than 500 articles covering American and Canadian folklore and folklife. Subject areas include holidays, festivals, rituals to crafts, music, dance and occupations. The book provides short bibliographies and cross-references for further research. Urban legend Urban legends (sometimes modern legend , urban myth , or simply legend )
2960-664: The College of Agriculture, The College of Science, the College of Arts and Media, the College of Business and Analytics, the College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Social Sciences, and the College of Humanities. It also includes four schools : the Graduate School, the School of Education, the School of Law in Carbondale, and the School of Medicine in Carbondale and Springfield (see below). SIU offers 120 Baccalaureate, 80 Master, and 40 Doctoral degree programs. Its Morris Library has 4 million volumes and 53,000 current periodical subscriptions, placing it in
3040-845: The Humanities (Folklore and Popular Culture) that same year. Throughout the next decade, Brunvand focused his research on Romanian folklore, with a particular interest in Romanian house decoration. He returned to Romania in 1973-74 and again in 1981, receiving grants from the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) to continue his studies. His research would later be published in a single volume collection titled Casa Frumoasa: The House Beautiful in Rural Romania, published by East European Monographs in 2003. In 1968, The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction
3120-606: The Illinois Department of Employment Security to redesign the agency's website to provide improved access to the department's services by individuals, businesses, and the departmental staff; Illinois Pathways, a STEM education improvement program supported by six other State of Illinois agencies; and the SIUC Workforce Education and Development program's Off Campus Undergraduate Program on the campus of Lincoln Land Community College , which provides
3200-527: The Indiana University Folklore Archives from September 1958 to June 1960. During this time, he met Archer Taylor, who, as a visiting professor, taught a course on proverbs and riddles. This course, according to Brunvand, "changed his life." Proverbs became one of Brunvand's favorite topics to study and discuss. In 1961, Brunvand's A Dictionary of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases from Books Published by Indiana Authors Before 1890
3280-738: The SIUE School of Nursing, the East St. Louis Dental Clinic of the SIUE School of Dental Medicine, an eye care clinic, and the adjacent East St. Louis Higher Education Campus which houses the East St. Louis Community College Center . SIUC and SIUE are among the twenty colleges and universities offering classes for degree completion and continuing education through the University Center of Lake County in Grayslake and Waukegan . The SIUC Center for Workforce Development in Springfield
Jan Harold Brunvand - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-594: The School of Dental Medicine campus in Alton , the East St. Louis Center, the School of Nursing's satellite campus in Springfield , and the School of Nursing's program on the SIU Carbondale campus. Begun as residential centers of SIUC in 1957, SIUE celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. Once known as a "commuter school", SIUE has in recent years transformed itself into a residential university. SIUE includes
3440-494: The Way of a Good Story! . He made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and, in 1987, began a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column called Urban Legends. He participated in countless radio talk shows and dozens of press interviews, educating people about this pass-along folk narrative that, typically involves people misunderstanding or making false assumptions about a story they heard. They forget details and fill in
3520-784: The author of The Vanishing Hitchhiker. Includes more recent urban legends such as the Senile President, the Adulterous Evangelist, and the Smelly Gym Sock in the Big Mac. 233 pages hardbound. $ 34.95 (Harvard 1988: 229)." Brunvand retired from the University of Utah in 1996, but continued doing some research and writing as professor emeritus of English. He frequently writes for publications dedicated to skiing, vintage automobiles and fly fishing. Once in
3600-419: The beginnings of a large archive of folklore housed at Indiana University. On June 10, 1956, Brunvand married Judith Darlene Ast, also a student at Michigan State University. Four days later, the couple left for Oslo, Norway, where Brunvand attended the University of Oslo on a Fulbright scholarship . He spent the year studying folklore. He started publishing in academic publications during this period, notably
3680-436: The book for its failure to make explicit the background theory used to evaluate the works and classification system included in the book, contradictions in detail and narrative, its authoritarian tone, and its charismatic or arbitrary approach to knowledge with serious ethnocentric biases. Peter Tokofsky, in his article Introducing Folklore: A Review Essay , suggested that "the longevity and, presumably, continuing strong sales of
3760-475: The book in thematic categories: animal stories, automobiles, horrors, contaminations, sex and scandal, crime, and products, professionals and personalities. There are new versions of earlier legends, newly obtained pieces and leftovers from his files. Among the stories included in the book are: "The Mexican Pet," "Cabbage Patch Kids' death certificates," "The Green Stamps." Many of the stories have been disseminated through print and broadcast media. Brunvand wrote in
3840-775: The book, as well as what made the legends American, urban and modern. Reviewer Gary Alan Fine wrote, "The paperback edition makes an excellent supplementary reading for introductory folklore students. It's all good fun, and Brunvand, folklore's Carl Sagan , should thrive and prosper, letting the all-purpose intelligentsia know that folklore is just as much fun as interplanetary travel and not nearly as expensive." To this, Brunvand countered: "I really won't think I have arrived until they refer to Carl Sagan as 'The Jan Brunvand of astronomy.'" Patricia T. O'Connor, writer for The New York Times , described The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends as "a collection of 'urban legends,' fictitious narratives that are passed from person to person in
3920-405: The claim that eating watermelon seeds will result in a watermelon growing in the stomach , or that going outdoors just after showering will result in catching a cold. Many old wives' tales have grown around the identification of ailments, real and imagined, and the recommended remedies, rituals, and home-grown medical treatments to treat them. Internet urban legends are those spread through
4000-772: The degree that establishing non-factuality warrants the assumption that there must be some other reason why the tales are told, re-told and believed. As in the case of myth , the narratives are believed because they construct and reinforce the worldview of the group within which they are told, or "because they provide us with coherent and convincing explanations of complex events". Social scientists have started to draw on urban legends in order to help explain complex socio-psychological beliefs, such as attitudes to crime, childcare, fast food, SUVs and other "family" choices. The authors make an explicit connection between urban legends and popular folklore, such as Grimm's Fairy Tales , where similar themes and motifs arise. For that reason, it
4080-432: The gaps by inventing what they are missing to make sense of the story. Though criticized for the popular orientation of his books, Brunvand was dedicated to publicizing the field of folklore, exploring the roots of the stories, where possible, and, in some cases debunking them. "Folklorists fill different educational roles," Brunvand told members of The Missouri Folklore Society in 2003, "sometimes in classrooms, but often in
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#17327875382264160-446: The goal of making the journal more readable and useful to its major audience, American folklorists. He widened the scope of the journal by including articles written by those outside folklore, but whose work was "relevant to that being done by professional folklorists." He wanted to emphasize folklore and literature, folklore and history, folklife, festival and modern folklore. In 1976, Brunvand's book Folklore: A Study and Research Guide
4240-740: The guise of true stories and sometimes persist until they reach the status of folklore." These stories are bizarre but believable and often attributed to a friend of a friend (FOAF). Like in his book, The Vanishing Hitchhiker , Brunvand provided the reader with a survey of urban legends, stories such as "The Choking Doberman," "The Poison Dress," and "The Death of Little Mikey." Each story, with its accompanying variations, are categorized into themes and motifs: victimized women and children, food and beverage contamination, fearful encounters, sexual embarrassment, and humorous retribution. Though Robert D. Bethke called The Choking Doberman "the kind of work one immediately wants to share with friends," he also criticized
4320-481: The injury wasn't anything a cold towel and a cold beer wouldn't fix"). "Day 10," Jim Reilly wrote in an article describing the competition," was the last we heard from Jan. We assume he made it home, but maybe he...vanished." His favorite hobbies are fly fishing and skiing. He and his wife, Judith, continue to reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings
4400-444: The internet, as through Usenet or email or more recently through other social media . They can also be linked to viral online content. Some take the form of chain letters and spread by e-mail, directing the reader to share them or to meet a terrible fate, and following a recognizable outline of hook, threat, and finally request. Paranormal urban-legend stories usually involve someone encountering something supernatural, such as
4480-554: The latest threat. According to the "Lights Out" rumor , street gang members would drive without headlights until a compassionate motorist responded with the traditional flashing of headlights, whereupon a prospective new gang member would have to murder the citizen as a requirement of initiation . A fax retelling this legend received at the Nassau County, Florida , fire department was forwarded to police, and from there to all city departments. The Minister of Defence for Canada
4560-559: The legends themselves, historical evidence of how the legend may have originated (often with European or East Asian roots), and an explanation of what the legend might mean in an urban or modern context. Although recognized by critics for its usefulness as an introductory volume and reference point for expanding the field of folklore, reviewers cautioned that The Vanishing Hitchhiker lacked the depth necessary for people actively researching urban legends. Janet L. Langlois, for example, wondered what criteria Brunvand used in selecting stories for
4640-805: The lesson or moral generally remains the same. The term "urban legend", as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968, when it was used by Richard Dorson . Jan Harold Brunvand , professor of English at the University of Utah , introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981. Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales. Many urban legends are framed as complete stories with plot and characters. The compelling appeal of
4720-655: The months leading up to its release. Between 1992 and 1998 The Guardian newspaper "Weekend" section published the illustrated "Urban Myths" column by Phil Healey and Rick Glanvill, with content taken from a series of four books: Urban Myths , The Return of Urban Myths , Urban Myths Unplugged , and Now! That's What I Call Urban Myths . The 1994 comics anthology the Big Book of Urban Legends , written by Robert Boyd, Jan Harold Brunvand , and Robert Loren Fleming , featured 200 urban legends, displayed as comics. The British writer Tony Barrell has explored urban legends in
4800-539: The navy has donated planes to SIU Carbondale. The SIUE East St. Louis Center offers services and training to more than 6,000 people annually. Programs include the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, a Head Start program, a Latchkey Program providing families with after-school care for children ages 6 to 12, the SIUE East St. Louis Center Performing Arts Program , the Community Nursing Services office of
4880-419: The next two decades, Brunvand added to the collection with "new" urban legends: The Choking Doberman and Other "New" Urban Legends , The Big Book of Urban Legends (which was formatted as a comic book), The Mexican Pet: More "New" Urban Legends , Curses! Broiled Again! , The Baby Train: And Other Lusty Urban Legends , Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends , and The Truth Never Stands in
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#17327875382264960-424: The number 666 went viral on Facebook. California drought manipulation Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois . Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois . The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Trustees. Seven members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by
5040-469: The old Procter & Gamble symbol, supposedly an occult figure that gave panache to the brand. (If the thirteen stars in the symbol were connected a certain way, it would show three sixes in a row or looked at the 3 curls at the bottom they form the inverted 6s.) Similarly, a video of a Christian woman "exposing" Monster Energy for using the Hebrew letter vav ( ו ), forming the letter "M", to disguise
5120-426: The past, urban legends were most often circulated orally, at gatherings and around the campfire for instance. Now, they can be spread by any media, including newspapers, mobile news apps, e-mail , and most often, social media . Some urban legends have passed through the years/decades with only minor changes, in where the time period takes place. Generic urban legends are often altered to suit regional variations, but
5200-510: The state senate. Two members are elected by the student bodies of the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses. Founded in Carbondale in 1869 as Southern Illinois Normal College, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC, usually referred to as SIU) is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system and is the third oldest of Illinois 's twelve state universities . SIUC includes eight colleges :
5280-527: The story a serial killer deliberately hiding in the back seat of a car. Another such example since the 1970s has been the recurring rumor that the Procter & Gamble Company was associated with Satan-worshippers because of details within its 19th-century "57" trademark. The legend interrupted the company's business to the point that it stopped using the trademark. The earliest term by which these narratives were known, "urban belief tales", highlights what
5360-472: The structure, morphology and typology of the folktale. Brunvand taught at the University of Idaho , Moscow, Idaho, from 1961 to 1965. He served as associate editor of the Journal of American Folklore from 1963 to 1967. In 1965, Brunvand taught for a year at Southern Illinois University , Edwardsville, Illinois, focusing on folktales, folklore and literature, before moving with his wife and four children to
5440-423: The text, Brunvand provided for the reader information on data collecting methods, a general assessment of folklore material, bibliographic essays, and extensive lists of books and articles. To some, like reviewer Elliott Oring , the classification system used by Brunvand made The Study of American Folklore more of an "index" of American folklore rather than a "study" of it. Reviewer Kenneth Laine Ketner criticized
5520-660: The top 50 research libraries in the United States. In the fall of 2021, SIUC enrolled 18,667 students – 12,647 undergraduates, 5,568 graduate students, and 551 professional doctoral students. It has over 250,000 alumni. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is the St. Louis Metro East campus of the SIU system. The main campus in Edwardsville is situated on 2,660 acres (1,080 ha) of scenic woodland and lakes with bicycle and walking paths throughout. SIUE also operates
5600-449: The work for the "rhetorical devises" Brunvand used "apparently to suit the popular market." Critics also pointed out that Brunvand's urban legend books raise a question about race and stereotypes that, to some, are left unaddressed. Bethke wrote "We are told that the stories are projective of American popular culture, but precisely what racial segment of the culture participates in the currency of such stories? Specifically, we are dealing with
5680-638: Was later added to book jackets and other publicity. In an article for Western Folklore , Brunvand mentioned a notice he found on a computer newsgroup dated 1 March 1989, presumably an insider's joke: "I think Jan Harold Brunvand, alleged author of The Choking Doberman , is an urban legend. Has anybody ever actually seen this guy?" A Harvard Lampoon publication, Mediagate, parodied urban legend books with this fake publisher's notice: "Bookman Publishing's Catalog for Fall '87: The Embarrassing Fart and More New Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand. Yet another set of rumors, tall tales, and fourth-hand hearsay compiled by
5760-612: Was published as Number 15 of the Indiana University's Folklore Series. Of the book, Brunvand says two things: "I've become better at choosing titles since then," and "The price was $ 3.00, and it was worth every penny of it. In 1961, Brunvand also received a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University. His dissertation, The Taming of the Shrew: A Comparative Study of Oral and Literary Versions (Aarne-Thompson type 901), later published by Routledge in 1991, highlighted his interest in
5840-939: Was published by ABC-CLIO in 2001. He gave the keynote address at the 2003 meeting of the Missouri Folklore Society. He was a speaker at the World Skeptics Congress in Italy in 2004. His is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. In 2003 Brunvand was awarded CSICOP's Distinguished Skeptic Award. Brunvand's book Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends
5920-501: Was published by St. Martin's Press. The book, intended for undergraduate folklore students, was a research tool with a bibliographic guide and tips for researching term papers. Brunvand edited two other textbooks: Readings in American Folklore , published by W.W. Norton and Company in 1979, American Folklore: An Encyclopedia , published by Garland in 1996. While teaching folklore at the University of Utah, Brunvand noticed
6000-541: Was published by Utah Publications in the American West in 1971. In the years 1973 to 1976, Brunvand, again, took on the role of associate editor for the Journal of American Folklore. He was named Folklore Fellow by the American Folklore Society in 1974 and was elected president of the organization in 1985. From 1977 to 1980, Brunvand served as editor of the Journal of American Folklore, with
6080-560: Was published by W.W. Norton and Company. Brunvand received an Honorable Mention for this book in a 1969 Chicago Folklore Prize competition. The Chicago Folklore Prize is "supported by an endowment established by the International Folklore Association and is awarded annually by the University of Chicago for an important contribution to the study of folklore." Brunvand's A Guide for Collectors of Folklore in Utah
6160-753: Was published in 2004 by W.W. Norton and Company. In 2003, Brunvand entered the Trout Bum Tournament sponsored by Fly Rod and Reel. He participated in the Solo-Angler category. Known during the tournament as the Vanishing Fly Fisher (a nod to his book, The Vanishing Hitchhiker ), Brunvand spent 10 days alone fishing some of his favorite spots in Utah: Mammoth Creek , Gooseberry Creek, Price River , and Antimony River (where he "fell twice and bashed his knee, though
6240-594: Was published. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings helped to popularize the topic for a student audience. Urban legends, Brunvand explains, are "kissing cousins of myths, fairy tales and rumors. Legends differ from rumors because the legends are stories, with a plot. And unlike myths and fairy tales, they are supposed to be current and true, events rooted in everyday reality that at least could happen." Urban legends reflect modern-day societal concerns, hopes and fears, but are "weird whoppers we tell one another, believing them to be factual." Over
6320-419: Was taken in by it also; he forwarded an urgent security warning to all Ontario Members of Parliament. Urban legends typically include common elements: the tale is retold on behalf of the original witness or participant; dire warnings are often given for those who might not heed the advice or lesson contained therein (a typical element of many e-mail phishing scams); and the tale is often touted as "something
6400-556: Was then thought of as a key property: their tellers regarded the stories as true accounts, and the device of the FOAF (acronym for "Friend of a Friend" invented by English writer and folklorist Rodney Dale in 1976) was a spurious but significant effort at authentication. The coinage leads in turn to the terms "FOAFlore" and "FOAFtale". While at least one classic legend, the "Death Car", has been shown to have some basis in fact, folklorists have an interest in debunking those narratives only to
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