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Loading... Life is like a chicken coop ladder : a portrait of German culture through folklore (edition 1984)by Alan Dundes
Work InformationLife Is Like a Chicken Coop Ladder: A Study of German National Character Through Folklore (Great Lakes Books (Paperback) by Alan Dundes
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. The author takes a hilarious look at German folklore and its preoccupation with Scheiße. It's liberally sprinkled with quotes from Luther, Goethe, and Mozart among others, some quite shocking (such as excerpts from Mozart's infamous letters to his cousin Bäsle). BTW, the title refers to a German proverb, "Das Leben ist wie eine Hühnerleiter--kurz und beschissen" (life is like a chicken coop ladder--short and shitty). ( ) no reviews | add a review
Life Is Like a Chicken Coop Ladder was first published in 1984 and from the outset inspired a wide variety of reactions ranging from high praise to utter disgust. Alan Dundes' theses identifies a strong anal erotic element in German national character, citing numerous examples of scatological data from authentic compilations of German folklore. The examination of this single trait of German character is used to demonstrate that national character exists and that its existence is unambiguously documented by the folklore of a nation. Dundes is of the opinion that the use of folkloristic data minimizes subjective bias in the study of national character, since unedited or uncensored, it constitutes a unique way of looking at a culture from the inside-out rather than from the outside-in, the more typical situation of an outside observer trying to understand a foreign culture. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)398.0943Social sciences Customs, Etiquette, Folklore Folklore Biography; History By Place Europe Germany & Central EuropeLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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