Audiobook · read by volunteers
Uncle Remus
Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908)
Read by Mark F. Smith · 46 chapters · 6 h 12
About the book
Br'er Rabbit is small, but he is always one step ahead of Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, and he is a master of the trick that turns his enemy's strength against him. In Uncle Remus, an old man sits in the evening and tells the stories of these animals to a little boy, from the unforgettable Tar-Baby to a tale of why Mr. Possum loves peace. The collection is built from forty-six pieces and keeps the sound of the storyteller, with all the humour, rhythm and mischief that go with it. Mark F. Smith reads in just over six hours. Be prepared for a historical dialect that is not always easy, and for the tales' complicated origins; they are lively, sly and full of wit. It is a book to hear with care and curiosity.
Introduction
Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908) was a journalist from Georgia who grew up listening to the folktales told by enslaved people on a plantation. In 1880 he published Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, writing the stories down in a stylised dialect and framing them through a fictional old narrator. The tales, many of which have African roots, feature trickster animals such as Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Fox, and some entered ordinary English: the expression tar baby, for a sticky situation that is hard to escape, comes from them.
Many listeners know the tales indirectly, for instance through the Disney film Song of the South, which was based on them. The books are historically important because they preserved a body of oral tradition, and they are controversial for the same reason. The dialect, the plantation setting and Harris's role as a white collector are all matters of continuing discussion, and a thoughtful listener will keep them in mind.
The recording has 46 chapters and lasts about 6.2 hours. It is read by a single LibriVox volunteer, Mark F. Smith.
Why listen today? Because the stories are lively, clever and clearly rooted in a rich storytelling tradition, and because understanding them, flaws included, is part of understanding American literary history. If you decide to listen, it helps to approach the book as a historical document as well as a set of stories. The tales themselves, with their cunning and humour, are the lasting attraction, but the way they were collected and presented is an important part of the story. Many listeners find that both aspects deserve attention.
Public domain
Joel Chandler Harris died in 1908: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text