Open AccessHidden Voices and Gothic Undertones: Slavery and Folklore of the American South
Author(s) -
Jennifer Dos Reis Dos Santos
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
etropic
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.184
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 1448-2940
DOI - 10.25120/etropic.18.1.2019.3672
Subject(s) - folklore , courage , dance , history , meaning (existential) , folk culture , african american , plot (graphics) , resistance (ecology) , literature , mythology , art , anthropology , ethnology , visual arts , sociology , theology , psychology , philosophy , psychotherapist , ecology , statistics , mathematics , biology
African American folklore embodies themes of the Tropical Gothic. It has an air of mystery as it has a deeper meaning underneath the different layers of plot. Folklore of the American South represents the darkness of the slavery period and its implications for African Americans. This article discusses two folklore collections: Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk lore of the Old Plantation by Joel Chandler Harris, and From My People: 400 Years of Folklore by Daryl Cumber Dance. Both collections illuminate the ways in which West African oral tradition became a source of empowerment, courage and wisdom for the enslaved African Americans. Folk stories served as a means of silent resistance and preserved the cultural heritage of African Americans.