Foxfire Story: Oral Tradition in Southern Appalachia

by Foxfire Fund Inc

Since 1972, the Foxfire books have preserved and celebrated the culture of Southern Appalachia for countless readers all around the world. In Foxfire Story, folklorist (and Foxfire director) T.J. Smith collects some of his favorite stories from the archives to illuminate the oral traditions that have been part of the culture of the mountains for centuries.
 
Here are instances of mountain speech, proverbs and sayings, legends, folktales, anecdotes, songs, and pranks and jests, along with ghost tales and accounts of folk belief, as well as stories from half a dozen of the region’s finest storytellers. Through these examples, Smith examines the role storytelling plays in the Southern Appalachian community, identifying the rich traditions that can be found in the region and exploring how they convey a sense of place—and of identity.

• ISBN10: 0525436316
• ISBN13: 9780525436317
• Publish Date: 28 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Anchor Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780525436317

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Foxfire Story is a retrospective collection of oral tradition stories from the archives of the Foxfire Fund. Released 28th April by Knopf Doubleday on their Anchor Books imprint, it's 336 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

I grew up with the Foxfire books and fell in love with the culture and resourcefulness of the people interviewed and immortalized in the pages of the collections. Besides springing from a noble ideal (to preserve and document the rapidly disappearing culture and traditions of the Appalachian mountain area), the books were deeply interesting and full of old-fashioned, no-nonsense methods of growing and preserving food, crafting, and living, which resonated deeply with me. (I grew up in the 70s and the 'back to the land' movement was in full swing).

This collection contains stories and interviews in the same vein as the original series. It wasn't entirely clear to me (and I have not checked thoroughly), but I believe these stories and interviews weren't previously published and are gleaned from the archives. This collection is full of stories and interviews rich in humor and wit, some pathos, charm, intelligence, and a lot of faith. The photography is, as in the rest of the series, in black and white, and used sparingly but well.

This is a worthy addition to the series, despite the change in content - this collection doesn't contain any recipes or crafting content but includes stories and interviews over decades.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.