Following his death in 1970, his friend and colleague Américo Paredes described Boatright as "the most distinguished professional folklorist that Texas has produced." For More about Mody Coggin Boatright Unlike other folklorists, who added literary flourishes to the tales they published, Boatright presented his stories in the unadorned voices of their original tellers.īoatright was a fellow of the Texas Folklore Society and edited its annual publications. Boatwright also recorded the folklore of the Texas oilfields, presenting the hardworking drillers and roughnecks as the mythical figures of a new age in American industry. In 1934, Boatright published his first book, Tall Tales from Texas Cow Camps, which gathered stories from his childhood and from his many students who were also raised on ranches. With the exception of one year in El Paso, Boatwright taught in Austin until his retirement in 1968. In 1922, he arrived at The University of Texas, where he ultimately earned his PhD. He grew up immersed in stories of the Texas frontier.īoatright served in World War I and earned his bachelor's degree from what is now West Texas A&M University. Raised in a West Texas ranching family in the early twentieth century, he was descended from pioneers, cattlemen, and merchants. Folklorist and oral history pioneer Mody Boatright was no stranger to the tall tale.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |