23 English eng Baker Jr., Houston A. Contributor <p>The article traces the origins of <span data-start="463" data-end="504">The Signifying Monkey</span> in African American folklore. It argues that the character emerged through generations of oral tradition, where wit, verbal play, irony, and rhetorical skill became important tools for cultural expression and social resistance.<br></p> University of North Carolina Press 2015 pdf ISSN 0012-8163 Oral Literature The Urge to Adorn: Generational Wit and the Birth of "The Signifying Monkey" mixed material University of North Carolina Press