Mothman, the Silver Bridge Collapse, and the Folklorization and Commemoration of Actual Events
2023; Society for Scientific Exploration; Volume: 37; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.31275/20232599
ISSN0892-3310
Autores Tópico(s)Philippine History and Culture
ResumoBy examining the songs, media, and material culture associated with the legendarymonster Mothman, this paper shows how folklore can become commodified and whatissues may arise as a result. By using Paredes’ theory of “folklorization” and McDowell’sconcept of “commemoration,” legend scholars can track historical developments acrossspace and time to understand the metamorphoses a legend undergoes and why. Ultimately,this paper uses the term “narrative hijacking” to describe the process in which ahistorical event such as the Silver Bridge collapse of 1967 is overshadowed by its associationwith a legend, which in this case, is the story of the Mothman.
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