ABSTRACT
Many scholars have come to folklore via the study of literature; as a result, literary-critical concepts and theories have become an established approach to the understanding of contemporary legend. Barnes has undertaken several studies of folklore and literature, most notably his analysis of contemporary legend motifs in the work of Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Hortense Calisher (“The Bosom Serpent: A Legend in American Literature and Culture.” Journal of American Folklore 85 [1972]: 111–22). Here he argues that, though the importance of context should not be minimized, we should also recognize that there is much to be learnt from legend texts. Consequently, he sets out to reveal one of the typical structures of contemporary legends, in particular their elliptical plots in which information is deliberately withheld by the narrators in order to spring a last-minute revelation on the listeners. This revelation “disequilibrizes” the sequence of events and forces the hearers to reevaluate the story, its characters and its meaning as the story closes. The essay is illustrated by reference to “The Hairy-Handed Hitchhiker,” “The Boyfriend’s Death,” “The Stuck Couple” and other stories. The text below is reprinted from ARV : Yearbook of Scandinavian Folklore 40 (1984):67–78.
