If you grew up in the state of Georgia, the stories of Brer Rabbit might be ones you knew as a wee kid. And even if you didn't grow up around these briar patches, you should get to know the Uncle Remus stories that revolutionized children's literature, thanks to the culture-rich Wren's Nest in Atlanta's West End. The team there has done an amazing job of preserving all those stories and oral traditions that stemmed from our own Georgia front porches back in the days before Harry Potter and Playstations.
Wren's Nest was Joel Chandler Harris' own home from 1881 until 1908. It's one of only a few remaining Queen Anne Victorian homes in Atlanta, named after a wren made a nest in the mailbox 120 years ago. And as Harris is credited for recreating the oral tradition of the Brer Rabbit tales in print, the gorgeous home serves for a perfect place for today's celebration of storytelling, tours, and local events.
And why are these stories about a rabbit worth celebrating? Even though the Uncle Remus stories weren't the first anthropomorphized animals in literature, they were the first occasions these characters had, for lack of a better word, sass. It was the first time Brer Rabbit, our trickster hero (who didn't always act so heroic) was introduced. And if you were ever a fan of Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny, you have Brer to thank. And while you're thinking of Bugs, think of Peter Rabbit (whose author, Beatrix Potter, grew up with the Uncle Remus stories and professionally illustrated them), of Winnie the Pooh, and many others probably wouldn't exist without Uncle Remus and his stories. They're all cultural descendents of Brer Rabbit. The stories were like the Harry Potters of their day; an international sensation that truly changed how people perceive children's literature. Not too shabby for a Georgia-born storyteller.
Harris' own legend is definitely marked in controversy, but the tales themselves are super subversive; they say it was Harris' own way of tricking his white reading audience into accepting African American culture when, well, that was a pretty tough sell in his day. Think of him, much like Brer, as another trickster hero we like to follow. And speaking of which, Lain Shakespeare, the Executive Director of Wren's Nest, wrote a great essay on Harris' messy reputation and his subversive goals as a writer, which you can read here.
Whether you are an Atlanta native, a transplant resident, or just spending a weekend in the south, take a step back in time and relive your childhood with stories of Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remus.
