{"product_id":"9781604735963-1","title":"Bloody Mary in the Mirror: Essays in Psychoanalytic Folkloristics","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eBloody Mary in the Mirror\u003c\/i\u003e mixes Sigmund Freud with vampires and \u003ci\u003eThe Little Mermaid\u003c\/i\u003e to see what new light psychoanalysis can bring to folklore techniques and forms. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Ever since Freud published his analysis of Jewish jokes in 1905 and his disciple Otto Rank followed with his groundbreaking \u003ci\u003eThe Myth of the Birth of the Hero\u003c\/i\u003e in 1909, the psychoanalytic study of folklore has been an acknowledged part of applied psychoanalysis. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e However, psychoanalysts, handicapped by their limited knowledge of folklore techniques, have tended to confine their efforts to the Bible, to classical mythology, and to the Grimm fairy tales. Most folklorists have been slow to consider psychoanalysis as a method of interpreting folklore. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e One notable exception is folklorist Alan Dundes. In the seven fascinating essays of \u003ci\u003eBloody Mary in the Mirror\u003c\/i\u003e, psychoanalytic theory illuminates such folklore genres as legend (in the vampire tale), folktale (in the ancient Egyptian tale of two brothers), custom (in fraternity hazing and ritual fasting), and games (in the modern Greek game of \"Long Donkey\"). One of two essays Dundes co-authored with his daughter Lauren Dundes, professor of sociology at Western Maryland College, successfully probes the content of Disney's \u003ci\u003eThe Little Mermaid\u003c\/i\u003e, yielding new insights into this popular reworking of a Hans Christian Andersen favorite. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Among folk rituals investigated is the girl's game of \"Bloody Mary.\" Elementary or middle school-age girls huddle in a darkened bathroom awaiting the appearance in the mirror of a frightening apparition. The plausible analysis of this well-known--if somewhat puzzling--American rite is one of many surprising and enlightening finds in this book. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e All of the essays in this remarkable volume create new takes on old traditions. \u003ci\u003eBloody Mary in the Mirror\u003c\/i\u003e is an expedition into psychoanalytic folklore techniques and constitutes a giant step towards realizing the potential Freud's work promises for folklore studies. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Alan Dundes is professor of anthropology and folklore at the University of California, Berkeley. Among many others, his books include \u003ci\u003eInterpreting Folklore\u003c\/i\u003e (1980) and \u003ci\u003eFrom Game to War and Other Psychoanalytic Essays on Folklore\u003c\/i\u003e (1997). He edited \u003ci\u003eMother Wit from the Laughing Barrel: Readings in the Interpretation of Afro-American Folklore\u003c\/i\u003e (1991), which was published by University Press of Mississippi.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University Press of Mississippi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47130840105200,"sku":"9781604735963","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781604735963_p0.jpg?v=1763826929","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781604735963-1","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}