Title: From trickster to badman : the Black folk hero in slavery and freedom /
Authors: Roberts, John W. 1949-
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press,
Year: 1989
Subjects: African Americans Folklore; Folklore United States History and criticism.; Heroes United States Folklore.; Tricksters United States.; Folklore United States
Abstract: To protect their identity and values, Africans enslaved in America transformed various familiar character types to create folk heroes who offered models of behavior both recognizable to them as African people and adaptable to their situation in America. Roberts specifically examines the Afro-American trickster and the trickster tale tradition, the conjurer as folk hero, the biblical heroic tradition, and the badman as outlaw hero. -- Publisher description from http://www.upenn.edu (Oct. 11, 2011).
Contents: I. Introduction --- II. Br'er Rabbit and : Trickster Heroes in Slavery --- III. The Power Within: The Conjurer as Folk Hero --- IV. Christian Soldiers All: Spirituals as Heroic Expression --- V. "You Done Me Wrong": The Badman as Outlaw Hero --- VI. Conclusion.