| Uncle Remus | |
|---|---|
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| First appearance | Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation |
| Created by | Joel Chandler Harris |
| Portrayed by | James Baskett (Song of the South) |
| Voiced by | Dallas McKennon (record releases) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection ofAfrican Americanfolktales compiled and adapted byJoel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post–Reconstruction eraAtlanta, and he produced seven Uncle Remus books. He did so by introducing tales that he had heard and framing them in the plantation context. He wrote his stories in a dialect which was his interpretation of theDeep South African-American language of the time. For these framing and stylistic choices, Harris's collection has garnered controversy since its publication.[1]
Uncle Remus is a collection of animal stories, songs, and oral folklore collected from Southern black Americans. Many of the stories aredidactic, much like those ofAesop's Fables andJean de La Fontaine's stories. Uncle Remus is a kindly oldfreedman who serves as a story-telling device, passing on the folktales to children gathered around him, like the traditional Africangriot.
The stories are written in aneye dialect devised by Harris to represent aDeep South Black dialect. Uncle Remus is a compilation ofBr'er Rabbit storytellers whom Harris had encountered during his time at theTurnwold Plantation. Harris said that the use of the Black dialect was an effort to add to the effect of the stories and to allow the stories to retain their authenticity.[2] The genre of stories is thetrickster tale. At the time of Harris's publication, his work was praised for its ability to capture plantation Black dialect.[3]
Br'er Rabbit ("Brother Rabbit") is the main character of the stories, a character prone to tricks and troublemaking, who is often opposed byBr'er Fox and Br'er Bear. In one tale, Br'er Fox constructs a doll out of a lump of tar and puts clothing on it. When Br'er Rabbit comes along, he addresses the "tar baby" amiably but receives no response. Br'er Rabbit becomes offended by what he perceives as the tar baby's lack of manners, punches it and kicks it and becomes stuck.[4]
Harris compiled seven volumes ofUncle Remus stories between 1881 and 1907; a further three books were published posthumously, following his death in 1908.
In 1902, artist Jean Mohr adapted theUncle Remus stories into a two-page comic story titledOle Br'er Rabbit forThe North American.[5]
TheMcClure Newspaper Syndicate released aBr'er Rabbit Sunday strip drawn by J. M. Condé from June 24 to October 7, 1906.[6]
AnUncle Remus and His Tales of Br'er Rabbit newspaperSundays-only strip (King Features Syndicate) ran from October 14, 1945, through December 31, 1972, as an offshoot of theDisney comics stripSilly Symphony.[7]
"Uncle Remus" is a song byFrank Zappa andGeorge Duke from Zappa's 1974 albumApostrophe (').[10]
Bob Dylan lists several people that are commonly looked to for hope and inspiration in his poem "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie", saying "that stuff ain't real... And Uncle Remus can't tell you and neither can Santa Claus."[11][12]
Uncle Remus has been claimed as a major influence onBeatrix Potter.[13]
Uncle Remus public domain audiobook atLibriVox| International | |
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