Analysis and Interpretation

In researching urban legends folklorists scrutinize the history, the variations, the distributions, and the structures of individual legends. Studies also focus on the motifs and themes common to several legends and legend-cycles, as well as on the styles and settings in which urban legends are communicated, whether by word of mouth or in written, printed, broadcast, or electronic media. Another avenue of research is evaluating the use of traditional urban-legend plots in literature as well as in films, television, cartoons, songs, advertising, and other pop-culture sources. Basic to all such studies is the fundamental question of definition: What is a legend, as opposed to, say, a rumor, proto-legend, joke, anecdote, or hoax? Also, what distinguishes an urban (or contemporary or modern) legend from the older traditional legends?

The basic requirements for good studies of urban legends are the same as for most other folklore research. Texts must be recorded accurately, and full documentation must be secured as to who has told the stories and to what audience, for what purpose, and with what response. Texts from published sources must be identified as to publication and date; when possible, it is useful to query the author of the work as to his or her sources for the legends.