Common Characteristics of Urban Legends

Common Characteristics of Urban Legends

Accordingly, a given urban legend will typically exhibit most or all of the following characteristics:

· It is a narrative.

· It is alleged to be true.

· It is plausible enough to be believed.

· Its veracity is unproven.

· It is of spontaneous (or, at any rate, indeterminate) origin.

· It varies in the telling.

· It is likely to take the form of a cautionary tale.

· It is attributed to putatively trustworthy secondhand sources

(e.g., "a friend of a friend," "my sister's accountant," etc.).

· It is transmitted from individual to individual, either orally or in written form (e.g., via

fax, photocopy or email).