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Jamaica Anansi Stories
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781025333786
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 312
Weight: 0.97
Height: 0.65 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Jamaica Anansi Stories is a comprehensive collection of traditional Jamaican folk tales, songs, and riddles documented by the noted folklorist Martha Warren Beckwith. Centered on the clever and mischievous spider-god Anansi, these narratives highlight the wit and resilience of a character who originated in West African Asante tradition and became a cornerstone of Caribbean cultural identity. The collection provides a rich tapestry of animal fables, magic, and moral lessons, capturing the unique dialect and rhythmic oral storytelling style of early 20th-century Jamaica.
Beyond the adventures of Anansi and his encounters with characters like Tiger and Monkey, the work includes a significant section dedicated to riddles and musical transcriptions. This preservation of oral history serves as an essential resource for those interested in Caribbean anthropology, comparative mythology, and the evolution of the African diaspora's storytelling traditions. Jamaica Anansi Stories remains a vital record of the imaginative spirit and linguistic heritage of the Jamaican people, offering insight into the social values and entertainment of the era through the lens of one of the world's most enduring trickster figures.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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