Full Description
Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West opens the door to understanding how legends and traditions emerged during the first decades following the "Rush to Washoe," which transformed the region beginning in 1859. During this Wild West period, there was widespread celebration of deceit, manifesting in tall tales, burlesque lies, practical jokes, and journalistic hoaxes. Humor was central to these endeavors and practitioners easily found themselves scorned if they failed to be adequately funny. This ethos became central to the way folklore emerged during the formative years of the Nevada territory and state.
The tens of thousands of people who came to the West, attracted by gold and silver mining, brought distinct cultural legacies. The interaction of diverse perspectives, even while new stories and traditions coalesced or simply appeared, was a complex process. Author Ronald M. James addresses how the fluidity of the region affected new expressions of folklore as they took root.
Mark Twain, often a go-to source for collections of early tall tales of this region, cannot be overlooked, but his interaction with local traditions was specific and narrow. More importantly, William Wright—publishing as Dan De Quille—arose as a key collector of legends, a counterpart of early European folklorists. With a bedrock understanding of what unfolded in the nineteenth century, it is possible to consider.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: Lost Mines and the First Strikes
Chapter Two: The Earliest Characters
Chapter Three: The Kaleidoscope of Western Folklore
Chapter Four: Dan De Quille the Folklorist
Chapter Five: The Hoax as Folklore
Chapter Six: Tall Tales and other Deceptions as Folklore
Chapter Seven: A Severed Finger and other Disjointed Items
Chapter Eight: More Legendary Characters
Chapter Nine: Ghosts and Tommyknockers
Chapter Ten: Hank Monk and Mark Twain
Chapter Eleven: Sex, Murder, and more Monumental Lies
Chapter Twelve: Ghosts of the Past
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
