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Urban Legends Explained
Have you heard the story about the choking Doberman? You know, the one where the Doberman bit off the fingers of a man who had broken into the home—but the police didn’t know about the crime until the dog coughed up the fingers at the vet? This is an urban legend, and if you haven’t heard this particular story, you’ve certainly heard others like it. Is it true? Maybe, maybe not. The veracity is less important than what these stories tell us about ourselves, our emotions, and the world as we see it.
In the 12 fascinating lectures of Urban Legends Explained, you’ll hear all types of stories that are being circulated right now, right where you live. Your professors, Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, will share some of the wildest stories circulating now, maybe the wildest you’ve ever heard, and explain why we continue to tell them.
Urban legends are contemporary legends. They can be set in a downtown skyscraper, a suburban school, or on a deserted country road—anywhere really. But they are
Current. These stories take place now or in the very recent past. If your neighbor down the street didn’t report the story, your grandmother might have. They are part of the folklore of daily life—scary, silly, and sometimes dangerous. Told as truth. Not everyone believes every urban legend they hear. But the people propagating the stories tell them as if they’re either true or could be true. It’s commonly assumed there’s a reliable witness just a few people back, i.e. a “friend of a friend” or FOAF. Human. Urban legends involve normal human beings having extraordinary encounters and experiences. They depict realistic events or alleged events with an eventual ironic, bizarre, or supernatural twist. Humans are storytellers by nature. Urban legends, like all other legends, work to help create and maintain invaluable social connections.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
In the 12 fascinating lectures of Urban Legends Explained, you’ll hear all types of stories that are being circulated right now, right where you live. Your professors, Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, will share some of the wildest stories circulating now, maybe the wildest you’ve ever heard, and explain why we continue to tell them.
Urban legends are contemporary legends. They can be set in a downtown skyscraper, a suburban school, or on a deserted country road—anywhere really. But they are
Current. These stories take place now or in the very recent past. If your neighbor down the street didn’t report the story, your grandmother might have. They are part of the folklore of daily life—scary, silly, and sometimes dangerous. Told as truth. Not everyone believes every urban legend they hear. But the people propagating the stories tell them as if they’re either true or could be true. It’s commonly assumed there’s a reliable witness just a few people back, i.e. a “friend of a friend” or FOAF. Human. Urban legends involve normal human beings having extraordinary encounters and experiences. They depict realistic events or alleged events with an eventual ironic, bizarre, or supernatural twist. Humans are storytellers by nature. Urban legends, like all other legends, work to help create and maintain invaluable social connections.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Audible Audio
Published July 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 31, 2026
So many legends, so little time.
What are urban legends?
Why do we love them, why do they resonate with us, and why do we keep telling them?
Remember the couple who were making out in the woods and heard the scrape of the hooked hand of a serial killer scratching on the top of their car? Or the woman who was being chased down the highway by a man in a car, only to find out he was trying to flag her down to warn her of the knife-wielding murderer in her backseat?
I even heard the tale of gangs flashing their lights at cars in some sort of an initiation ceremony from a rather naive friend who thought it was a dangerous practice only a year or so ago.
From Slender Man to Bloody Mary, urban legends give us a peek into the cultural psyche of what we are truly afraid of both in the past and in the present.
And much like turning on a light in a closet or shining a flashlight under the bed, once you strip away the darkness, there isn't anything to fear.
Usually.
On a somewhat unrelated side note, when my youngest daughter was talking about a Creepy Pasta the other day, I got to say I know what that is! - which surprised the hell out of her.
I felt very cool.
Thank you, Sara Cleto.
I enjoy these fun pop culture-y lectures. I usually unintentionally learn something about the wider world around me and have a good time doing it.
Recommended.
What are urban legends?
Why do we love them, why do they resonate with us, and why do we keep telling them?
Remember the couple who were making out in the woods and heard the scrape of the hooked hand of a serial killer scratching on the top of their car? Or the woman who was being chased down the highway by a man in a car, only to find out he was trying to flag her down to warn her of the knife-wielding murderer in her backseat?
I even heard the tale of gangs flashing their lights at cars in some sort of an initiation ceremony from a rather naive friend who thought it was a dangerous practice only a year or so ago.
From Slender Man to Bloody Mary, urban legends give us a peek into the cultural psyche of what we are truly afraid of both in the past and in the present.
And much like turning on a light in a closet or shining a flashlight under the bed, once you strip away the darkness, there isn't anything to fear.
Usually.
On a somewhat unrelated side note, when my youngest daughter was talking about a Creepy Pasta the other day, I got to say I know what that is! - which surprised the hell out of her.
I felt very cool.
Thank you, Sara Cleto.
I enjoy these fun pop culture-y lectures. I usually unintentionally learn something about the wider world around me and have a good time doing it.
Recommended.
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March 12, 2026Audible removed the free option on this book before I could finish it so DNF
March 31, 2026
There are at least 3 "urban legends" that are directly copied from movies or books. I understand explaining the meaning behind these stories, but I expect some acknowledgement regarding their origins
May 5, 2026
This was really interesting! It covers urban legends and where they may have originated from, and/or why they started. I thought I heard them all, but there are a few in here I had never heard of.
July 29, 2026
Free on audible. Fun listen even if I didn’t think it hit a lot of new ground. It’s more of a survey of the subject. But even so I enjoyed it a lot, lots of funny bits and spooky bits.
August 26, 2026
truth is passed down and around.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews