Urban Legends
Urban Legends and their
Progression Through Time and
Technology
A Brief History
Urban Legends
A Brief History
Urban legends are commonly referred to
as “contemporary legends,” usually set
against the backdrop of modern times.
Shopping malls
Gas stations
College dormitories
What is an Urban Legend?
What Constitutes an Urban Legend?
Popular stories, sometimes containing moralistic
and cautionary themes
Transmitted through oral or written
communication
Told as if true…alleged to be heard through 2nd
or 3rd hand sources.
§ i.e. “I swear! It happened to my plumber’s, niece’s,
boyfriend!”
The Unbelievers
Those who Refuse to believe….

Common misconception that all urban
legends are false.

But….although most are fictitious,
there are those that are based on true
events.
§
§
Blurring of facts
Constant adaptations
The Fools
Those who Do believe…. Why?
Implicit trust for the story-teller
Usually friend of family member
Urban legends as reflections of our
societal values, fears, concerns
Hence, easy for us to identify with
Aids in the 90’s
University Urban Legends
A perennially successful urban legend
community is the university campus.


Colleges and universities are jam packed with
young people that are eager to spread a good
story on to their friends.
Universities hold a certain nostalgic quality.
University Urban Legends
Campus legends generally pertain to
specific aspects of college life that are
present at most colleges and universities.
Some of the most recurring themes have
to do with:
Common Campus Legends
Dorm life

Scare at PAR
Greek life

Legend of the cadaver arm
Lab myth
Haunted buildings

Legend of the haunted English Building here on
campus
Urban Legends are an integrated part of
university life.
Survey of LIS212A Students
The results of the survey you took and
stories behind them
Out of the Fifteen people surveyed………..
"The 5 minute rule“ ----------- 100%
If your Professor does not
show up after 15 minutes
of the bell ringing, class is
cancelled.
"The Hook“ ------------------------------ 46%
A Couple goes for a make out session and
overhears the news bulletin for the escaped
rapist with a hook for an arm. The girl gets
scared so the couple decides to leave. Once
they get home they see that there is a hook
stuck to their trunk.
"Alligators in the sewers“ -------------------- 54%
In every major city there are reports of alligators seen in
the sewer system.
"Gerbilling“ ------------------------------------- 40%
The gay man that supposedly got a gerbil stuck inside
of him while partaking in some kinky sex act.
"The Spider Bite“ -------------------------- 54%
The woman had an unidentifiable bump on her
face and the doctors told her to disregard it.
Then one day it broke open and dozens of
little spiders crawled out.
Mrs. Fields Cookie fiasco ------------ 62%
A woman mailed in a request for the recipe for
the cookies. She was given
the secret recipe along with a bill of $200,000.
She got so mad that she
emailed the recipe to all of her family and
friends for free
"Death of a roommate“ ---------- 100%
If your roommate dies, you get straight A's.
Pop Culture
Death of A Roommate
Urban Legends in film and literature


“Dead Man on Campus”
“Urban Legends”
Top Ten Urban Legends throughout
the Country
10. Double whammy
9. The choking dog
8. The char-boiled scuba diver
7. Kidney thieves
6. The Mexican pet
Top Five Urban Legends
throughout the Country
5.
4.
3.
2.
Fatal hairdo
Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?
The exploding toilet
Automatic 4.0 GPA if your roommate
committed suicide.
1. Alligator in the sewer.
The effects Computers have on
Urban Legends
Increasing ease of
spreading urban
legends
Computer-related Urban
Legends
McKinley Medical Center Warning
Purported warning about defective
condoms
Reasons why some believed it:



Claimed to have been sent from the office of
student affairs
Composed in the same prose as the true
mass mailings
Preyed upon a common fear
Sources Used
www.About.com
www.vmyths.com
http://www.snopes2.com/
www.urbanlegends.com
More Sources
Dorson, Richard M. Handbook of American Folklore.
Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1983.
Bettelheim, Bruno The uses of enchantment : the meaning
and importance of fairy tales / Bruno Bettelheim. New
York : Knopf : distributed by Random House, 1976.
Genge, Ngaire. Urban legends : the as-complete-as-onecould-be guide to modern myths / N.E. Genge. New York
: Three Rivers Press, c2000.
Clough, Ben C. The American imagination at work: tall tales
and folk tales. New York, A. A. Knopf, 1947
More Sources
Whatley, Mariamne H. Did you hear about
the girl who-- ? : contemporary legends,
folklore, and human sexuality / Mariamne
H. Whatley and Elissa R. Henken. New
York : New York University Press, c2000.
Brunvand, Jan Harold. Too Good to Be True.
New York, W.W. Norton and Company,
1999