Several of the stories take the traditional role of the myth, explaining an element of nature. While many of the myths I've previously encountered are from the Greek mythology and explain things like the rise and fall of the sun (Helios's chariot) or the origin of the winter (Demeter's sadness), these folktales explain much less grand aspects of nature, such as the tortoise's beaten shell or the alligator's burned skin.
I found the style of storytelling to be troublesome. The language and detail made the story read as if it were a summary or outline for a greater narrative. This is due to the nature and limitations of folktales; they are told as a series of events. The text lacks a certain flourish. After years of studying literature, it comes off as light in all the elements that I've been taught to look for in works with literary merit.
That is not to say, however, that the works are without literary merit. However, in this instance, the literary merit of folktales such as those found in The People Could Fly comes from their historical place in the culture of a people.
What particularly interested me was the emphasis of cunning and intellect. I enjoy the moral implications of the folktales. The characters (mainly characterized as a rabbit) were clever and willing to take risks in the face of impending doom. This reflected the situation of the enslaved black Americans; while the stories used physical strength, I saw this as being representative of social/political strength. This makes sense that the culture of an enslaved people would admire those who could use their intellect to circumvent the forces working against them.
One barrier I faced in approaching the work was the language. The use of dialectical and African words throughout the stories made it inaccessible to me as a reader. The simple addition of a footnote annotation system would have made the reading much simpler. Instead, the text utilized an endnote system which was impractical for looking up words. While some were fairly clear from the context or from being a cognate to an English word, other words were much less clear. However, the use of traditional language within the folktales enunciates the historical nature of the text. I was interested to learn (what I'm assuming is) the history of the term “tar baby.” I'd only ever heard it used as a derogatory term for black people. After reading the story, I had to look up the term, and it also can be used to describe a “sticky situation,” which I had no idea about.
I did enjoy the titular story, especially with the endnote explaining how it could have been a metaphor for people fleeing. “Euhemerism” is the term for treating mythological accounts as historical events and trying to make sense of the mysticism and supernatural elements. I can see why this story was important.
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