Cuban Folk-Lore

Terwilliger, L. RoyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 31K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Cuban Folk-Lore by L. Roy TerwilligerAuthor: Terwilliger, L. Roy,Language: English, Class: F1751: History of the Americas: West Indies. Cuba, Release Date: Jan 25, 2016

Editor's review

This book is L. Roy Terwilliger's record of Cuban folklore, released free of charge by Project Gutenberg and classified under Cuban history. Its value lies in presenting, in English, collected Cuban folk tales and customs, offering primary material for understanding Caribbean oral traditions. For researchers of folklore and Latin American culture, such early records can serve as a starting point for comparative study and source tracing; for general readers, the stories and customs offer a glimpse into Cuban folk life. Note that the book was written in an earlier period, and its observational perspective and classification bear the marks of its time; readers should weigh it against later scholarship rather than treat its contents as a full picture of contemporary Cuban culture. The electronic edition is easy to search but lacks a modern introduction, so readers must supply historical context themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the folklore and culture of Cuba and the Caribbean
Students of folklore or Latin American studies who need primary source material
General readers who enjoy folk tales and accounts of local customs
Researchers seeking free public-domain materials through Project Gutenberg

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic introduction to contemporary Cuban society
Readers expecting full scholarly annotation and theoretical analysis
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents, distinguish tale records from custom descriptions, then read chapters according to interest.
Note the collector's observational perspective while reading; avoid treating early accounts as definitive descriptions of contemporary culture.
Read alongside works on Cuban history and Latin American folklore to fill in background and context.
Take brief notes on tales of interest for later comparison with folklore from other regions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What kind of folklore does this book collect?

Judging from the title and classification, it records Cuban folk tales and customs and is a work of folklore collection. For specific contents, consult the original book's table of contents; readers can treat it as an early English-language source on local oral traditions.

Can the records in this book directly represent today's Cuban culture?

They should not be equated directly. The book was written early, and its collecting perspective and classification carry the features of its era; it reflects only the folklore as seen by recorders of a particular period. To understand contemporary Cuban culture, combine it with more recent research and social materials.

Can I read it without a background in folklore?

Yes. The tales and descriptions of customs are readable in themselves, and general readers can browse it as a book on folk culture. For deeper understanding, learn some basics of Cuban history and folklore concepts first; the reading will be more rewarding.

Comments

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About the author

Terwilliger, L. Roy Author

L. Roy Terwilliger is an author about whom very little biographical information is available; the only confirmed details are his name and a single work. His representative work is Cuban Folk-Lore, which, judging from its title, falls within the field of folklore or folk literature studies and likely records and organizes Cuban folk tales, legends, songs, superstitions, or everyday customs. Because public information is limited, his nationality, dates of birth and death, education, professional identity, and academic lineage cannot be verified and should not be speculated upon. Based on the available clues, Terwilliger's writing interest centers on collecting and presenting regional folklore, a kind of work that typically has the character of a source compilation and ethnographic record and can offer reference to readers studying Caribbean culture and the blending of Spanish colonial and African traditions. Although his personal history remains obscure, this work is the only entry point for understanding his scholarly focus and holds a place among English-language documents on Cuban folklore.