What Happens Next: Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture

(Paperback)

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Description

This fascinating book uncovers the history behind urban legends and explains how the contemporary iterations of familiar fictional tales provide a window into the modern concernsand digital advancementsof our society. What do ghost hunting, legend tripping, and legendary monsters have in common with email hoaxes, chain letters, and horror movies In this follow-up to Libraries Unlimited's Tales, Rumors, and Gossip: Exploring Contemporary Folk Literature in Grades 712, author Gail de Vos revisits popular urban legends, and examines the impact of mediaonline, social, and broadcaston their current iterations. What Happens Next Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture traces the evolution of contemporary legends from the tradition of oral storytelling to the sharing of stories on the Internet and TV. The author examines if the popularity of contemporary legends in the media has changed the form, role, and integrity of familiar legends. In addition to revisiting some of the legends highlighted in her first book, de Vos shares new tales in circulation which she sees as a direct result of technological advancements.

Reviews

While de Vos's background as a librarian, storyteller, teacher, and scholar brings a special perspective to this subject, the material covered goes beyond an application to young adults. In fact, the book comprises an ambitious survey of 'contemporary urban legends.' . . . There is material in this book to inspire a whole new generation of urban legend scholars to investigate folklore forms, once exchanged orally, as transformed into popular culture products circulated electronically or in print and images. * Journal of Folklore Research *
What Happens Next is a unique and explorative book tracing the evolution of contemporary (or urban) legends from their oral storytelling roots through today's immersion in media and technology. . . . An excellent book with creative ideas in an area lacking in research resources. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Gail de Vos is adjunct professor at the School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton.