What is a trickster tale?

Question

Where did Br-er Rabbi come from? Caribbean? What did he represent?

Answer 1

Trickster tales are a type of folktale in which animals are portrayed with the power of speech and the ability to behave like humans. The dominant characteristic of the trickster is his or her ingenuity, which enables the trickster to defeat bigger and stronger animals or humans.

Example would be the Three Billy Goats Gruff, when they convince the Troll under the bridge that a better one is coming, so it should wait and let them go.

Brer Rabbit comes from early African American Literature (based on African verbal tales) of the South. The stories of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby are parables (they are stories that teach a lesson or moral). In them, Brer Rabbit tricked the foolish Brer Fox and Brer Bear. Brer Rabbit was said to represent the Black slave who would one day outwit the dumb slave owner.

Disney made the Brer characters famous in "Song of the South", which they say will never be released on DVD because of the negative connotations. You can, however, see them and hear the tale if you ride Splash Mountain in any of the parks.

You must be getting ready to study "Huck Finn". :)