Tall tale
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- This is about "Tall Tale" in general terms. For the 1995 film "Tall Tale" with Patrick Swayze (aka "Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill"), see Tall Tale.
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A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some such stories are exaggerations of actual events, such as, "that fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely fictional tales in a familiar setting, such as the American Old West or the beginning of the Industrial Age. Tall tales are often told so as to make the narrator seem to have been a part of the story. They are usually humorous or witty.
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[edit] American tall tales
The tall tale is a fundamental element of American folk literature. The tall tale's origins are seen in the bragging contests that often occurred when the rough men of the American frontier gathered. The tales of legendary figures of the Old West, such as Pecos Bill and the lumberjack Paul Bunyan, owe much to the style of tall tales.
The bi-annual speech contests optionally held by Toastmasters International public speaking clubs may include a Tall Tales contest. Each participating speaker is given three to five minutes to give a short speech of a tall tale nature, and is then judged according to several factors. The winner and runner-up proceed to the next level of competition. The contest does not proceed beyond any participating district in the organization to the International level.
The comic strip Non Sequitur sometimes features tall tales told by the character Captain Eddie; it is left up to the reader to decide if he is telling the truth, exaggerating a real event, or just telling a whopper.
Other subjects of American tall tales include:
- Aylett C. (Strap) Buckner - A Native American-fighter of colonial Texas*
- Davy Crockett - A pioneer and U.S. Congressman from Tennessee who later died at the Battle of the Alamo.*
- Daniel Boone - Blazed a trail across Cumberland Gap to found the first English-speaking colonies west of the Appalachian Mountains.*
- Calamity Jane - A tough Wild West woman*
- Febold Feboldson - A Nebraska farmer who could fight a drought
- Joe Magarac - A Pittsburgh steelworker made of steel
- Paul Bunyan - huge lumberjack who eats 50 pancakes in one minute
- Pecos Bill - legendary cowboy who "tamed the wild west"
- John Henry - A mighty steel-driving African American
- Johnny Appleseed - A friendly folk-hero who traveled the West planting apple trees because he felt his guardian angel told him to.*
- Mike Fink - The toughest boatman of the Mississippi and a rival of Davy Crockett. Also known as the King of the Mississippi River Keelboatmen
- Molly Pitcher - A heroine of the American Revolutionary War*
- Alfred Bulltop Stormalong - An immense sailor whose ship was so big it scraped the moon
- Tony Beaver - A West Virginia lumberjack and cousin of Paul Bunyan
(Asterisk indicates legendary figures who are known to be based on actual historical individuals.)
[edit] Australian tall tales
The Australian frontier similarly inspired the types of tall tales that are found in American folklore. The Australian versions typically centre around a mythical station called The Speewah.
The heroes of the Speewah include:
- Big Bill - The dumbest man on the Speewah who made his living cutting up mining shafts and selling them for post holes
- Crooked Mick - A champion shearer who had colossal strength and quick wit.
- Crocodile Dundee-"Thats not a knife, now thats... thats a knife"
Another folk hero in Australian folklore is The Man from Snowy River - A hero (created by author Banjo Patterson) whose bravery, adaptability, and risk-taking could epitomise the new Australian spirit.
[edit] Similar traditions in other cultures
Similar storytelling traditions are present elsewhere. The Cumbrian Liars in the United Kingdom provide one example. The film Laughter and Grief by the White Sea shows an illustration from the Pomors Russians by the White Sea.
[edit] See also
- Baron Münchausen
- Chuck Norris Facts - Tall tales about Chuck Norris.
- Folk tale
- Fairy tale
- Myth
- Legend
- Urban legend
[edit] Further reading
- Brown, Carolyn. (1989). The Tall Tale in American Folklore and Literature. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-627-1.
