Grandfather Tales is a compilation of oral stories from various people from Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and other southern states. It is a true work of traditional literature because the book features the stories that were once handed down orally and finally have been placed in written form.
I have to admit that I generally do not pick books from this genre when I want to sit down for a little leisurely reading. I was drawn to this book because some of my fondest memories involve sitting around with my grandfather and listening to him "talk about the old days.” Growing up I never really thought about the fact that my grandfather was basically an amateur folklorist. I believe that a compilation of his stories would have been a bestseller. Another draw for me, when it came to selecting this book is the fact that I am from rural Kentucky and the dialogue used is one I’m accustomed to.
When I first opened the book I skimmed through the titles looking for one story that grabbed my attention. Only a Fair Day’s Huntin’ caught me hook-line-and-sinker. I love to hunt, fish, and most anything relating to the outdoors. My favorite line from the tale was, “Well, I told the other boys to lie low a minute, slipped off my clothes, grabbed up four plowlines was layin’ there on the fence, and eased in that pond.” (You know you are talking about rural America when spell-check goes haywire when you type a specific quote.) This was my favorite quote because it mentioned plow lines. I grew up and still live on a farm, my dad still uses mules to plow his garden (even though he has a brand new tractor), and I get offended when someone calls a mule a donkey. That being said, I was thrilled to see plow line in a book. I could say plow line to 100 students and 99 of them wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about.
Reading the tales within the book brought back a rush of memories. Each story I read reminded me of another story or event that I heard growing up. The irony is that traditional literature has details that over time are forgotten or left out. As memories of old stories from my childhood came flooding back to me I noticed that some of the details had been forgotten but the core of the story was still intact.
In my hometown we have a local legend known as the Mulberry Black-thing. The origin of the legend dates back to when my dad was a child. In an area of Whitley County, known as Mulberry, a few incidents occurred where people walking or riding a horse late in the evening were chased by a dark creature. The culprit was believed to be a panther but over time the “creature” evolved into a two legged beast with long arms and big yellow eyes and an urge to eat children.
My students are not able to read works that fit into this genre but I am able to read them short pieces of traditional literature. They love the Mulberry Black-thing and students who have me for more than one year asked me repeatedly to tell the story again. This year I have also added a new wrinkle to my normal lessons. I have started a class book where my students tell me a “tall tale” and I write them down. Each student gets a turn to provide at least one story for the book. I allowed them to make the book cover and also let them help me put the book together. The book is in my class-library. I plan on adding to the book each year and can only hope that future classes enjoy the process as much as this year’s students have.
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