Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales by Robert Hamill Nassau

"Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales" by Robert Hamill Nassau is a collection of folk tales written in the late 19th century. This compilation introduces readers to a rich tradition of West African storytelling, recounting tales that feature anthropomorphic animals—mainly Leopard and Rat—as they navigate themes of cunning, betrayal, and the complexities of friendship and social relations in their vibrant communities. The opening of the collection emphasizes the oral tradition of these tales, presenting the reader with a preface that outlines the storytelling style characteristic of West African Ekano. It highlights how narrators often adapt stories to suit their audience, injecting personal flair that enhances engagement. Nassau introduces the first tale, "Do Not Trust Your Friend," which revolves around the treachery of Rat and the naive attempts of Leopard to forge friendship, ultimately leading to cautionary lessons about trust and deceit in animal society. This clever interplay sets the stage for captivating narratives that beckon readers into a world where animals converse and display human-like behaviors, shedding light on human nature along with underlying cultural beliefs and values. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Download for free

For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.

Other formats & older devices

About this eBook

Author Nassau, Robert Hamill, 1835-1921
LoC No. 12003830
Title Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
Credits Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net/ for Project
Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously
made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 92.6 (5th grade). Very easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class GR: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Folklore
Subject Animals -- Folklore
Subject Tales -- Africa, West
Category Text
eBook-No. 58900
Release Date
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 535 downloads in the last 30 days.

Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!