To Carolyn Brown's mind, the tall tale is not necessarily an account of the adventures of a larger-than-life hero, nor is it just a humorous first-person narrative exaggerated to outlandish proportions. The tall tale is also a social statement that identifies and binds a folk group by flaunting the peculiar knowledge and experiences of group members, and it is a tool for coping with a stressful or even chaotic world, for conquering life's problems by laughing at them. Drawing on previous research and her own original fieldwork, the author develops in detail this definition of the tall tale as a genre of folklore, then explores how tall tale methods and meaning have been translated into literary humor. The work moves from the Crockett Almanacs, sketches, newspaper hoaxes, and frontier frame tales to present new readings of such standard works as George Washington Harris’  Sut Lovingood  and Mark Twain’s  Autobiography . Brown probes the ways that writers have used this genre to create a complex theoretical relationship among text, author, narrator, and reader. Finally, the author alludes to the echoes of all tale attitudes and style still found in modern written humor. Brown views the tall tale as both challenge and entertainment, as well as a story that identifies and binds a folk group and helps people to cope with a stressful world. “By approaching her subject with, in her own words, ‘a sense of humor, proportion, and humility,’ Brown has produced the best book we have on the subject. It is sensible, informative, and clearly written and it belongs in all libraries for undergraduates or above with any concentration in American culture.” ― Choice “This work is a significant contribution to American literary scholarship, particularly to the study of American humor. It is large in scope, its procedure is orderly, clear, and knowledgeable, and its conclusions illuminating.” ― Milton Rickels Carolyn S. Brown has a PhD in English from the University of Virginia. She is an independent scholar, curator, and exhibition developer. Her books include  Rosie's Mom: Forgotten Women Workers of the First World War  and  Edwin A. Link and the Air Age: Progress, Technology, & the Romance of Motion. Used Book in Good Condition