The grateful dead : the history of a folk story

Bibliographic Information

The grateful dead : the history of a folk story

Gordon Hall Gerould ; introduction by Norm Cohen

University of Illinois Press, 2000

1st Illinois pbk. ed.

  • : paper
  • : cloth

Available at  / 3 libraries

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Note

Originally published: London : D. Nutt, 1908

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: cloth ISBN 9780252025754

Description

Who, if not a rock group, were the grateful dead? In this classic study, originally published in 1908, Gordon Hall Gerould explores a body of literature devoted to the ghosts of the departed who showed gratitude to those who took care of their bodies and assisted in getting rid of demons. Typically, the grateful dead stories concern a young hero who takes on the responsibility of seeing that an unburied corpse receives a proper burial. A stranger who offers to accompany and assist him turns out to be the ghost of the dead man, repaying the hero for his good deed. Gerould surveys more than a hundred grateful dead stories, tracing their lineages, describing their common traits, and unraveling their variations. Through a close study of secular as well as religious stories, Gerould demonstrates the remarkable durability and adaptability of the grateful dead. With this book, Gerould established methods that laid the foundations for modern folklore scholarship. Norm Cohen's introduction places Gerould and his legacy in this historical context.
Volume

: paper ISBN 9780252068829

Description

In this classic study, originally published in 1908, Gordon Hall Gerould explores a body of literature devoted to the ghosts of the departed, lost souls who showed gratitude to those who took care of their bodies and assisted in getting rid of demons. Typically, the grateful dead stories concern a young hero who takes on the responsibility of seeing that an unburied corpse receives a proper burial. A stranger who offers to accompany and assist him turns out to be the ghost of the dead man, repaying the hero for his good deed. Gerould surveys more than a hundred grateful dead stories, tracing their lineages, describing their common traits, and unraveling their variations. Through a close study of secular as well as religious stories, Gerould demonstrates the remarkable durability and adaptability of the grateful dead. With this book, Gerould established methods that laid the foundations for modern folklore scholarship. Norm Cohen's introduction places Gerould and his legacy in this historical context.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA49720733
  • ISBN
    • 0252068823
    • 025202575X
  • LCCN
    99047567
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    Urbana
  • Pages/Volumes
    xxxii, 177 p.
  • Size
    21 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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