Richard
M.
Dorson
Born:
03/12/1916
New York City
Died: 09/11/1981
Parents: Louis J. and Gertrude Dorson
Children: Ronald, Roland, Jeffrey, Linda
Died: 09/11/1981
Parents: Louis J. and Gertrude Dorson
Children: Ronald, Roland, Jeffrey, Linda
Writings
| Image | Title | Genre | Audience | Publisher | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folklore and Fakelore: Essays toward a Discipline of Folk Studies | Non Fiction | Adult | Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press | 1976 | |
|
We Americans - Contributor |
Non Fiction | Adult, Teen | Washington : National Geographic Society | 1975 | |
|
America in Legend: Folklore From the Colonial Period to the Present - Book-of-the-Month Club selection |
Folklore | Adult | New York, Pantheon Books | 1973 | |
|
Folklore of the World Series - Editor, 38 Vols. |
Folklore | Adult | Chicago: University of Chicago Press | 1963-1980 | |
| Negro Tales From Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Calvin, Michigan | Folklore | Adult | Bloomington, Indiana University Press | 1958 | |
|
Negro Folktales in Michigan - Editor Republished,1974, by Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press |
Folklore, Michigan | Adult | Cambridge, Harvard University Press | 1956 | |
|
Bloodstoppers and Bearwalkers: Folk Traditions of the Upper Peninsula - (Publication Years: 1952, 1972) |
Folklore, Michigan | Adult | Cambridge, Harvard University Press | 1952 | |
| Jonathan Draws the Long Bow: New England Popular Tales and Legends | Folklore | Adult | Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press | 1946 | |
|
Jonathan Draws the Long Bow: New England Popular Tales and Legends - Republished, 1970 by New York, Russell & Russell |
Folklore | Adult | Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press | 1946 | |
|
Other writings: - Contributor to American Scholar, New Republic, Atlantic, others |
May inquiries be sent to you about doing workshops, readings: No
Donated books to the Authors & Illustrators database project: No
Skills:
Author
Awards:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
|
National Humanities Center in Research - Fellowship |
1978-1979 |
|
American Council of Learned Societies - Fellowships in 1952 and 1961 |
1952-1961 |
|
Guggenheim Fellowships - Three fellowships: 1949, 1964 and 1971 |
1949-1971 |
|
Chicago Folklore Prizes - Award received for following years: 1947, 1965, 1969 |
1947-1969 |
| Library of Congress fellowship in History of American Civilization | 1946 |
| Research grants: Smithsonian Institution, others |
Inclusion in biographical or critical works:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
|
Contemporary Authors - Contemporary Authors, volume(s) 106 Contemporary Authors - Obituary, volume(s) 105 |
1982-1983 |
| Directory of American Scholars | |
| Who's Who in America | |
| Who's Who in the World |
Education:
| Degree | Institution | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1943 |
| Master of Arts (M.A.) | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1940 |
| Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1937 |
Career:
| Position | Organization | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Smithsonian Institution Folklife Council | 1977-1981 | |
| Distinguished Professor | Indiana University | Bloomington | 1971-1981 |
| Director | Folklore Institute | Indiana University, Bloomington | 1963-1981 |
| Founder, Editor | Journal of Folklore Institute | Indiana University, Bloomington | 1963-1981 |
| Vice-President | International Society for Folk Narrative Research | 1959-1964 | |
| Professor | Indiana University | Bloomington | 1957-1971 |
| Assistant professor, Associate professor, Professor | Michigan State University | East Lansing | 1944-1957 |
| Instructor | Harvard University | Cambirdge, Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ViewFeatures.StringHtmlContent | 1943-1944 |
| - Book review editor of others |
Other Resources:
Other Comments:
Richard Mercer Dorson is known as the "father of folklore studies in the United States." The foundations of his career were in Michigan, where Dorson worked as a tireless researcher and professor at Michigan State College (University) where he taught from 1944-1957. Dorson traveled throughout Michigan documenting the folklore and folklife of the state's citizenry for thirteen years.
Dorson contributed two terms to the study of folklore that have common usage. The first is "urban legend"; meaning a modern "story which never happened told for true", and the word "fakelore" - "a synthetic product claiming to be authentic oral tradition but actually tailored for mass edification", which "misled and gulled the public".
Dr. Dorson's papers are held at the Lilly Manuscript Collection at Indiana State University and at Michigan State University.
Last Modified On: 3/26/2017 12:00:00 AM