Perspectives on Contemporary Legend (Publication Series)

These five volumes collect papers from the conferences and seminars in contemporary legend held at the University of Sheffield through the Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language (CECTAL). These seminars were the progenitor of our "Perspectives on Contemporary Legend" conferences that now take us to both sides of the Atlantic; it was at the 1987 conference that the idea of ISCLR was first formed; and this pulication series gave way to Contemporary Legend, our journal. For more on the history of these seminars, see Contemporary Legend: The First Five Years (comp. Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990).

Perspectives on Contemporary Legend. Ed. Paul Smith. CECTAL Conference Paper Series No. 4. Sheffield: The Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language, University of Sheffield, 1984.

Ballard, Linda M.: "Tales of the Troubles." 1-17
Beck, Ervin: "Occupational Identity and Legend Decline: The Meat that Never Spoils." 18-44
Bennett, Gillian: "The Phantom Hitcbhiker: Neither Modern, Urban nor Legend?" 45-63
Boyes, Georgina: "Belief and Disbelief: An Examination of Reactions to the Presentation of Rumour Legends." 64-78
Brunvand, Jan: "The Choking Doberman: A New Urban Legend." 79-98
Buchan, David: "Modern Tradition and the Rolls Royce." 99-107
Glazer, Mark: "Continuity and Change in Legendry: Two Mexican-American Examples." 108-127
Grider, Sylvia: "The Razor Blades in the Apples Syndrome." 128-140
af Klintberg, Bengt: "Why are there so many Modern Legends about Revenge?" 141-146
McCulloch, Gordon: "The Tale of a Turkey Neck: A Legend Case Study." 147-166
Nicolaisen, W. F. H.: "Legends as Narrative Response." 179-191
Reaver, J. Russell: "From Rhema to Logos: Contemporary Florida Legends." 179-192
Robe, Stanley: "Legends in a culturally Complex Border Area." 192-196
Smith, Paul: "On the Receiving End: When Legend becomes Rumour." 197-215
Williams, Noel: "Problems in Defining Contemporary Legends." 216-228.

Perspectives on Contemporary Legend Volume II. Ed. Gillian Bennett, Paul Smith and J.D.A. Widdowson. CECTAL Conference Paper Series No. 5. Sheffield: The Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language, University of Sheffield, 1987.

Bennett, Gillian.: “Problems in Collecting and Classifying Urban Legends: A Personal Experience.” 15-30.
Ellis, Bill.: “Why Are Verbatim Transcripts of Legends Necessary?.” 31-40.
Nicolaisen, W. F. H.: “The Linguistic Structure of Legends.” 61-76.
Arora, Shirley.: “Memorate as Metaphor: Some Mexican Treasure Narratives and their Narrators.” 79-92.
Glazer, Mark.: “The Cultural Adaptation of a Rumour Legend: The Boyfriend’s Death in South Texas.” 93-108.
McCulloch, Gordon.: “Suicidal Sculptors: Scottish Versions of a Migratory Legend.” 109-116.
Schmidt, Sigrid.: “Contemporary Legends of Europeans in Namibia.” 117-129.
Hobbs, Sandy.: “The Social Psychology of a 'Good' Story.” 133-148.
Sayers, Stephen.: “The Psychological Significance of Genealogy.” 149-168.
Bowman, Marion.: “Contemporary Legend and Practical Joke.” 171-175.
Smith, Paul.: “Contemporary Legend and the Photocopy Revolution.” 177-202.

Monsters with Iron Teeth: Perspectives on Contemporary Legend Volume III. Ed. Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith. Sheffield: The Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language, University of Sheffield, 1988.

Bennett, Gillian.: “Legend: Performance and Truth.” 13-36.
Ellis, Bill.: “The Fast Food Ghost: A Study in the Supernatural's Capacity to Survive Secularization.” 37-77.
Nicolaisen, W. F. H.: “German Sage and English Legend: Terminology and Conceptual Problems.” 79-87.
Slotkin, Edgar M.: “Legend Genre as a Function of Audience.” 89-111.
Hobbs, Sandy and David Cornwell.: “Hunting the Monster with Iron Teeth.” 115-137.
Glazer, Mark.: “The Superglue Revenge: A Psychological Analysis.” 139-146.
Sobek, Maria Herrera.: “The Devil in the Discotheque: A Semiotic Analysis of a Contemporary Legend.” 147-157.
Ballard, Linda M.: “Three Local Storytellers: A Perspective on the Question of Cultural Heritage.” 161-182.
Cunningham, Keith.: “'Franklin Was Witched by a Horse': Contemporary Zuni Narrative.” 183-199.
Gaudet, Marcia.: “The Curse of St John the Baptist.” 201-210.
Jorgensen, Marilyn.: “The Legends of Sirena and Santa Marian Camalin: Guamanian Cultural Oppositions.” 211-220.
Peters, Nancy Kammer.: “Suburban/Rural Variations in the Content of Adolescent Ghost Legends.” 221-235.
Decotterd, Daniel.: “Gossip, Rumour and Legend: A Plea for a Psychological and Cross-Cultural Approach.” 239-240.
Douglas, Sheila.: “Practical Jokes and the Legends Surrounding Them.” 241-243.

The Questing Beast: Perspectives on Contemporary Legend Volume IV. Ed. Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith. Sheffield: The Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language, University of Sheffield, 1989.

Ellis, Bill.: “'When is a Legend?: An Essay in Legend Morphology.” 31-54.
Hobbs, Sandy.: “Enough to Constitute a Legend?” 55-76.
Nicolaisen, W. F. H.: “Definitional Problems in Oral Narrative.” 77-90.
Smith, Paul.: “Contemporary Legend: A Legendary Genre?” 91-102.
Niles, John.: “The Berkeley Contemporary Legend Files.” 103-111.
Boyes, Georgina.: “Women's Icon, Occupational Folklore and the Media.” 117-132.
Douglas, Sheila.: “The Hoodoo of the Hanging Tree.” 133-144.
Evans, James L.: “The Legend of Joaquin: ‘The Celebrated California Bandit'.” 145-164.
Glazer, Mark.: “Gravity Hill: Belief and Belief Legend.” 165-178.
Schmidt, Sigrid.: “The Stories about the Painted Ceiling of St. Michael's Hildesheim: The Problems of Contemporary Legend.” 179-190.
Bennett, Gillian.: “Playful Chaos: Anatomy of Storytelling Session.” 193-212.
Cunningham, Keith and Kathryn Cunningham.: “The Appearing Hitchhiker: Narrative Acculturation among the Ramah Navajo.” 213-230.
McConnell, Brian.: “The Corporate Folk-Legend: Marketing Invention or Consumer Response?” 231-248.

A Nest of Vipers: Perspectives on Contemporary Legend Volume V. Ed. Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith. Sheffield: International Society for Contemporary Legend Research in association with The Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language, University of Sheffield, 1990.

Campion-Vincent, Veronique.: “Viper-Release Stories; A Contemporary French Legend.” 11-40.
Cattermole-Tally, Frances.: “Male Fantasy or Female Revenge?: A Look at Modern Rape Legends.” 41-47.
Davies, Christie.: “'Nasty' Legends, 'Sick' Humour and Ethnic Jokes about Stupidity.” 49-68.
Fox, William S.: “The Roommate's Suicide and the 4.0.” 69-76.
Glazer, Mark.: “The Contexts of the Contemporary Legend: The Vanishing Hitchhiker' and 'Gravity Hill'.” 77-87.
Goss, Michael.: “The Halifax Slasher and Other 'Urban Maniac' Tales.” 89-111.
Smith, Paul.: “'Aids; Don't Die of Ignorance': Exploring the Cultural Complex.” 113-141.
Wachs, Eleanor.: “The Mutilated Shopper at the Mall: A Legend of Urban Violence.” 143-160.

The International Society for Contemporary Legend Research (ISCLR)

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