MennoFolkMennonite & Amish Folk Culture Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History Series, Vol. 43 |
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MennoFolk offers the abundance of Mennonite life: jokes, origin tales, trickster tales, and the Reggie Jackson urban legend, along with analysis of folk traditions in the context of Mennonite and Amish history, culture, and beliefs. Ervin Beck studies Mennonite and Amish paintings on glass and family records and considers the Mennonite relief sales as folk festivals. This signature book is a treasure for folklorists, but is also a gift for anyone who cares about the Mennonite experience and is concerned with questions of conduct, community, and conviction.
“What a gift! Ervin Beck has gathered an exquisite bouquet from his own back yard, selecting and trimming essays from at least 20 years of research into the oral and material cultures of Mennonite and Amish people.”
—Julia Kasdorf, Pennsylvania State University
“For years Ervin Beck has been an astute observer, avid collector, and insightful student of Amish and Mennonite culture. This collection of essays creatively negotiates the boundaries between academic and folk culture, reminding us that, for better or worse, our deepest convictions are often embedded unselfconsciously in the warp-and-woof of everyday life.”
—John D. Roth, The Mennonite Quarterly Review
“Although Ervin Beck is an ‘insider’ to the Mennonite culture and community, he has successfully stepped outside the subject and, while always treating his informants with respect, he clarifies the humor and sometimes contradictory nature of the stories as he points out how they illustrate the Mennonite character. The book will be a most welcome addition to any folklore curriculum and approachable for general readership.”
—Betty J. Belanus, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
About the Author
Ervin Beck was Professor of English at Goshen College from 1967 to 2003, teaching English, folklore, and postcolonial and Mennonite literature. He has also been a visiting scholar at the University of Sheffield and the University of Warwick, in England, and Fulbright Professor of English at University College of Belize. Ervin has published widely in scholarly journals on folklore, folk arts, English literature, postcolonial literature and Mennonite studies.
See also MennoFolk 2: A Sampler of Mennonite & Amish Folklore