On 28 June 1996 you wrote:
>H'm, I recently saw a movie "based on a true story", which features
>Brainerd, the birthplace of Paul Bunyan. It's Fargo, the most realist
>movie thus far by the Coen brothers. But this link to the
>Munchausen syndrome suggests a few doubts should be held. (I had these
>already, but now I'm certain about my doubts. I think.)
>Can anyone explain who Paul Bunyan was?
>Cheers
>Andrew M. Butler
I have several responses to your request, the first being: Sir, you have
just dealt a mighty blow to my formidable American ego. Imagine your
reaction if I had asked, Can anyone explain who Robin Hood was?
However, on further thought, it occurs to me that (get the tar and feathers
ready, PB fans) Paul Bunyan simply isn't interesting enough to get the kind
of global coverage that RH merits. That is, RH has an entire plotline that
can be, and has been, used again and again with or without the character of
Robin Hood. So we see plenty of novels and films based on the RH legend,
but very few involving ol' Paul. In fact, I can only think of two Disney
treatments, an older cartoon and the recent film Tall Tale which featured
Oliver Platt as a very small and hairy Paul Bunyan. For those of you
unfamiliar with Paul Bunyan, let me state briefly that he is a legendary
character associated with the state of Minnesota, and his main claim to fame
is size. He is supposed to have been a giant, usually accompanied by his
blue ox, Babe, and he was the greatest lumberjack that could be imagined-
cutting down entire forests (not a politically correct behavior today, but
highly respected way back when), and creating Minnesota's many lakes by
leaving large footprints. IMHO, this is a very silly legend (I like it for
that reason), and the Brainerd obsession with PB in the movie (it's mentioned
more than once) is a joke in itself.
The reason I am responding to the entire list is that I have never seen, or
at least I haven't recognized any, fantasy or s/f works that make use of
American (non-Native, that is- those stories pretty much constitute religious
beliefs) legends. Most are just as goofy as Paul Bunyan, like Johnny
Appleseed and Pecos Bill (also in Tall Tale), and I wonder if it is this
reason, or simply that these characters don't have the age-old quality of a
Robin Hood that makes them ineligible. The closest that I have seen are
novels borrowing the Wild West/frontier situation, and an obvious mountain
man or two. Are there any that do this? Please add to my reading list, if
so.
BTW, it's too bad that Fargo doesn't have any elements that relate more
directly to this list, because it is definitely worthy of discussion.
Trina Lorde
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