Life Is Like a Chicken COOP Ladder: A Study of German National Character Through Folklore

by Alan Dundes

Book Overview

A work of major importance that demonstrates the value of folklore for understanding national character.

Life Is Like a Chicken Coop Ladder was first published in 1984 and from the outset inspired a wide variety of reactions ranging from high praise to utter disgust. Alan Dundes' theses identifies a strong anal erotic element in German national character, citing numerous examples of scatological data from authentic compilations of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814320384
• ISBN13: 9780814320389
• Release Date: June 1989
• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Colloquial German, not folklore

I first saw this book while living in southwest Germany five years ago. Its less about German folklore than it is about colloquial German. As a linguist, this is a fantastic volume. German language, when compared to English, is remarkably limited in its ability to throw out four-letter words. So the Germanic peoples developed some pretty entertaining idioms over time. If you speak any German, this is a must for understanding colloquial speech and command of the only original swear word in the language. Its insightful but certainly not 'folklore' in the American sense.