Urbanlegends.com

Urbanlegends.com is run by a group called alt.folklore.urban or AFU.  The site presents and debunks rumors old and new that circulate around the world.  Urban legends are rumors based on often elaborate stories or narratives that spring up and travel through cities and towns with remarkable and—thanks to the Internet—increasing speed. 

The AFU is interested not only in posting the stories and proving or disproving their veracity but also in tracking their origins and movement.  When you go to the website, you will find a categorized archive of "Urban Legend Topics."  One of the topics is "AFU FAQ [or Frequently Asked Questions]," which will provide you with more information about the group and their (often hilariously presented) purposes. Browse through other categories to find out if Hitler really was a vegetarian or if there really are alligators in New York's sewer system. 

As you read, notice how most of the rumors have narrative elements: they describe events in chronological order and present some kind of complication.  The discussions of the rumors both analyze the narrative elements in the rumors and use narrative elements as they try to explain how the rumor got started. Another strategy—Cause/Effect—comes into play as the staff and participants seek to find out how, where, and why the rumor got started and spread.  Part of the fun of the site is that the contributors--while they seriously try to determine cause--have a healthy respect for the mystery of how narrative takes on a life of its own and moves from ear to ear and screen to screen.



Visit Urbanlegends.com

Q & A

1. Select "AFU FAQ" under "Urban Legend Topics."  The section opens with a Mark Twain quotation supplied by Christopher Neufeld, a physicist who often posts on alt.folklore.urban.  The quotation perfectly expresses the all-consuming drive of narrative—to explain how something happened:  "I will set down a tale . . . it may be history, it may be only legend, a tradition. It may have happened, it may not have happened. But it could have happened."

Find any urban legend on the site and describe its relationship to this quotation.  Why does it NOT matter whether the tale is history, legend, or tradition? How does it rely solely on telling how something happened?  How is that enough?  How does it draw a response that does not depend on whether or not it is true?



2.  Select "Collegiate" under "Urban Legend Topics" and click on "Harvard Legends."   Some of the explanations present the myth and then reveal the truth (if it differs from the myth).  Analyze the relationship between the myth and the truth of several Harvard legends.  Can you establish a cause/effect relationship?  What does the writer do to make it possible for you to see cause and effect?



3.  Analyze the success of the site's use of Narrative and Cause/Effect.  Explain how the site does or does not use each strategy effectively.  Provide examples with your answers.



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