Brer Rabbit (also spelled Bre'r Rabbit or Br’er Rabbit) is the trickster hero of an oral tradition passed down by African slave workers of the Southern United States. Dozens of stories tell of the exploits of this trickster bunny, who, though small and weak, constantly outwits bigger and fiercer creatures such as Brer Fox, Brer Wolf and Brer Bear.

The origins of Brer Rabbit can be traced to the folk stories of western, central and southern Africa, where similar tales of trickster heroes continue to be part of the folk tradition. Amongst the Akan traditions of southern Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the trickster is usually the spider, Anansi; his stories are very similar in plot to the Brer Rabbit tales.

Joel Chandler Harris and the Uncle Remus Stories

Br’er Rabbit was first popularised by the American journalist Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908). During his work for a plantation newspaper-owner, Harris became familiar with many of the folktales of the black African plantation workers. He began to write the ‘Uncle Remus’ stories, which began to appear in the Atlanta Constitution in 1879, and in 1880, were published in book form by D. Appleton of New York as Uncle Remus: his songs and his sayings; the folklore of the old plantation. The first section of the book, ‘Legends of the Old Plantation’ consists of tales told by Uncle Remus, an old black man, to the small son of the plantation owner. The hero of most of these tales is the mischievous, troublesome and clever Brer Rabbit. Perhaps the most beloved of these tales is How Brer Rabbit Met Brer Tar Baby. Though Harris insisted that he was not the author, only the reteller of these tales, he retold these tales with great skill and charm, adding depth and detail to the characters and events. He used the dialect of the Georgia plantation worker, which he had studied closely, in his retellings. Later versions of the tales have been in standard English, which makes the tales easier to read but lessens their charm considerably. The other two sections of the book are ‘His Songs’, a collection of African-American hymns and work-songs, and ‘His Sayings’, a collection of humorous anecdotes which Harris attaches to the character of Uncle Remus.

The book was met with great acclaim in America, and, hailed by critics and readers alike, English editions began to appear almost at once. In 1883, Harris published Nights With Uncle Remus, a sequel to his first collection of Uncle Remus stories, compiled partly from folktales sent to him by readers of the first book, and he including other narrators such as African Jack, Aunt Tempy and Tildy. This book was aimed more at folklorists than the first book. However, Harris published several more books in the series; these were meant explicitly for children and include Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), and The Tar-Baby and Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus (1904).

Harris also wrote several other, equally charming, books for children. These include: Little Mr. Thimblefinger and His Queer Country (1894), Wally Wanderoon and His Story-telling Machine (1903), and The Bishop and the Boogerman (1909). 

Now read the stories for yourself, as Joel Chandler Harris collected and retold these tales.

Note: 
Other popular adaptations of the Brer Rabbit stories include Disney’s 1946 animated film, Song of the South, and several stories by children’s writer Enid Blyton.