Story summary
Résumé de Les nuits avec Oncle Remus
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On rainy nights in a Georgia cabin, Uncle Remus tells a boy how Brer Rabbit outwits Brer Fox.
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Les nuits avec Oncle Remus in short
Nights With Uncle Remus is a set of evenings by one hearth. A little boy visits an old storyteller after supper, and each visit brings a tale or two about Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf and Brer Terrapin. Daddy Jack, Aunt Tempy and Tildy bring their own versions and jokes.
What Les nuits avec Oncle Remus is about
Why would an old man on a Georgia plantation tell a small boy that a goose once took in washing, or that a rabbit once tied a fox to a horse's tail? On rainy nights, by a pine-knot fire, that is how Uncle Remus keeps a child close.
Nights With Uncle Remus is a book by Joel Chandler Harris, published in 1883 as a second gathering of tales he heard from Black storytellers in Georgia. A little boy slips down to the old man's cabin after supper, and the stories come out of their talk. Across seventy-one short chapters you meet Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf and Brer Terrapin, plus songs, riddles and ghost stories.
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?. You will love this if you enjoy fables with a sly hero, talk around a warm fire, and folk tales full of rhythm, rhyme and song.
The story in 10 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
A rainy night and a question about geese
The book opens on a day of steady rain, with Uncle Remus stuck indoors. The house girl Tildy brings his supper, and the little boy begs to go along. He watches the old man eat by the fire.
Then comes the question that starts everything. Do geese sleep sitting down, or balanced on one leg? Uncle Remus answers that geese were once big people in the neighborhood. Old Miss Goose gave grand dinners, yet she took in washing too. Brer Fox hears her beating clothes at the spring and says he will call on her soon. Brer Rabbit slips off to warn her first.
He tells her to tie up a bundle of white clothes, lay it on the bed, and fly up to a rafter. Mr. Dog agrees to wait with her. Before dawn Brer Fox grabs the bundle, and Mr. Dog bursts out from under the house. From then on the fox and the dog cannot meet without a fight.
A child's small question opens the door, and the old storyteller walks right through.
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Brer Rabbit beats bigger enemies by thinking fast
Brer Rabbit is small and soft, with no claws to speak of, yet he is the hero of nearly every tale.
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Show-offs and copycats pay for their pride
Many tales punish creatures who swell with pride or copy what they do not understand.
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The small and plain survive through sense and caution
Not every winner is Brer Rabbit.
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Brer Terrapin outwits the quick and greedy
Brer Terrapin is the slowest animal in the settlement, and yet he beats the quick ones again and again.
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Daddy Jack brings tales and spells from Africa
About a third of the way through the book a new listener sits by the hearth.
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Aunt Tempy and Tildy join the circle of tellers
Aunt Tempy is a stout, middle-aged woman with real authority on the plantation, and she and Uncle Remus are quietly jealous of each other.
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Trickery is the weapon of those with no other
One theme runs under all the tricks.
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The tales hold the past and bind old to young
The second theme sits in the cabin itself.
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The tales rely on voice, rhyme and a warm frame
The way these stories are told matters as much as what happens.
Read all 10 key ideas now
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Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Uncle Remus An old storyteller and shoemaker who tells the tales by his fire, scolds and teases the boy, and loves Brer Rabbit best.
- The little boy The curious child who slips down to the cabin each night with questions and wants one more story.
- Brer Rabbit The small, quick, cheeky hero who uses wit to dodge every trap set for him.
- Brer Fox A cunning but unlucky creature who keeps trying to catch Brer Rabbit and keeps getting fooled.
- Brer Wolf A greedy, boastful creature who plots against Brer Rabbit and others and often pays for it.
- Brer Terrapin The slowest creature in the settlement, who wins with patience, nerve and sharp wit.
- Daddy Jack A withered old man brought from Africa, who tells tales in his own voice and courts Tildy.
- Aunt Tempy and Tildy A stout, authoritative woman and a lively house girl, both of whom join the circle with tales of their own.
How it ends (spoiler)
As Christmas arrives, people from the River place fill the plantation, and Tildy at last agrees to marry Daddy Jack. The little boy attends their wedding, where Daddy Jack keeps his high hat on throughout. That night the workers dance on a platform lit by pine fires, and Uncle Remus leads a song called My Honey, My Love. The boy falls asleep, and Uncle Remus carries him up to the big house, still singing softly in his ear.
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Questions sur Les nuits avec Oncle Remus
What is Nights With Uncle Remus about?
It is a collection of animal tales told by Uncle Remus to a little boy in his cabin on a Georgia plantation. Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf and Brer Terrapin star, while other storytellers add tales of their own.
Who is Brer Rabbit?
Brer Rabbit is a small, quick creature who survives bigger enemies by tricking them. He is the hero of most tales, and the other animals constantly try to catch him and fail.
Who is Daddy Jack in the book?
Daddy Jack, also called African Jack, is a withered old man brought to Georgia from Africa. He visits Uncle Remus, tells tales in his own voice, and spends the book chasing the house girl Tildy.
Is Nights With Uncle Remus a true story?
No. The tales are folklore that Joel Chandler Harris collected from Black storytellers in Georgia and published in 1883. The cabin, the boy and the plantation setting form a frame he built around them.
Is Nights With Uncle Remus easy to read?
The chapters are short, mixing animal tales with lively talk, sound effects, rhymes and conversations among the listeners. It reads well aloud, and you can open it at nearly any chapter and enjoy a complete story.
Cite this edition
Harris, Joel Chandler. Nights With Uncle Remus. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/nights-with-uncle-remus.
Harris, J. C. (2026). Nights with Uncle Remus. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/nights-with-uncle-remus (Original work published 1883)
Harris, Joel Chandler. Nights With Uncle Remus. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/nights-with-uncle-remus.
@book{harris2026nights,
author = {Harris, Joel Chandler},
title = {Nights With Uncle Remus},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/nights-with-uncle-remus},
note = {First published 1883}
}
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