Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S. state of Alabama, the cultural region of Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions of the range.
Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of itAppalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S. state of Alabama, the cultural region of Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions of the range.
Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th-century writers focused on sensationalistic aspects of the region's culture, such as moonshining and clan feuding, and often portrayed the region's inhabitants as uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence. Sociological studies in the 1960s and 1970s helped to deconstruct these stereotypes, although popular media continued to perpetuate the image of Appalachia as a culturally backward region into the 21st century.
Early Appalachian literature typically centered on the observations of people from outside the region, such as Henry Timberlake's Memoirs (1765) and Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia (1784), although there are notable exceptions, including Davy Crockett's A Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett (1834). Travellers' accounts published in 19th-century magazines gave rise to Appalachian local color, which reached its height with George Washington Harris's Sut Lovingood character of the 1860s and native novelists such as Mary Noailles Murfree. Works such as Rebecca Harding Davis's Life in the Iron Mills (1861), Emma Bell Miles' The Spirit of the Mountains (1905), and Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders (1913) marked a shift in the region's literature from local color to realism. The transition from an agrarian society to an industrial society and its effects on Appalachia are captured in works such as Olive Tilford Dargan's Call Home to the Heart (1932), James Still's The River of Earth (1940), Harriette Simpson Arnow's The Dollmaker (1954), and Harry Caudill's Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1962). In the 1970s and 1980s, the rise of authors like Cormac McCarthy, Breece D'J Pancake, Dorothy Allison, and Lisa Alther brought greater literary diversity to the region.
There is a strong Appalachian folklore tradition, comprised of a mixture of European, Native American (especially Cherokee), and Biblical influences. Appalachian folk tales are rooted in English, Scottish, and Irish fairy tales, as well as regional heroic figures and events. Jack tales, which tend to revolve around the exploits of a simple-but-dedicated figure named "Jack," are popular at story-telling festivals. Other stories involve wild animals, such as hunting tales. Regional folk heroes such as the railroad worker John Henry and frontiersman Davy Crockett are examples of real-life figures that evolved into popular folk tale subjects. Murder stories, such as Omie Wise and John Hardy, are popular subjects for Appalachian ballads. Ghost stories, or "haint tales" in regional English, are a common feature of southern oral and literary tradition. Ghost stories native to the region include the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, which is rooted in a Greenbrier County, West Virginia murder.
Appalachia as an academic interest was the product of a critical scholarship that emerged across the disciplines in the 1960s and 1970s. With a renewed interest in issues of power, scholars could not dismiss the social inequity, class conflict, and environmental destruction encountered by America's so-called "hillbillies." Appalachia's emergence in academia is a result of the intersection between social conditions and critical academic interests, and has resulted in the development of many Appalachian studies programs in colleges and universities across the region, as well as in the Appalachian Studies Association....more
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Then Penny turned off the television, sighed, and said, “I swear that man’s corn bread ain’t done in the middle.
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Ashley Blooms,
Every Bone a Prayer
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She asked me what I wanted to be whenever I grew up. I had to think about that. We went past some barns and tobacco fields with their big yellow-green leaves waving in the sad evening light. She looked over at me and said, Hey, why so glum, chum?
I told her nobody had ever asked me that question before, about growing up and what I wanted to be, so I didn't know. Mainly, still alive.She asked me what I wanted to be whenever I grew up. I had to think about that. We went past some barns and tobacco fields with their big yellow-green leaves waving in the sad evening light. She looked over at me and said, Hey, why so glum, chum?
I told her nobody had ever asked me that question before, about growing up and what I wanted to be, so I didn't know. Mainly, still alive....more
”
―
Barbara Kingsolver,
Demon Copperhead
Timeless stories, writing advice, moving readings and reflections on life, insights on Appalachi…more
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Timeless stories, writing advice, moving readings and reflections on life, insights on Appalachian culture and history, tragedy and beauty.
Using the Voices of West Virginia website you will find deep-dive audio visits with 14 nationally-celebrated West Virginia writers + writing activities for all ages.
https://www.voicesofwv.org/
...November 22, 2013...
Ask Ann Hite any questions you like about her books, Ghost On Black Mou…more
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...November 22, 2013...
Ask Ann Hite any questions you like about her books, Ghost On Black Mountain, Lowcountry Spirit, and her newest novel The Storycatcher.
Appalachia Service Project has brought together many who care about the world and community arou…more
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Appalachia Service Project has brought together many who care about the world and community around us. As we each move on through life, there is a need to connect, encourage and challenge each other. And a continued interest in participating in the important work of giving back. Books on this list are recommended by ASP Alumni old and new.
Useful reading for those covering news in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, especially on econo…more
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Useful reading for those covering news in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, especially on economy, health, energy, environment, infrastructure, and agriculture in the region.
...November 22, 2013...
Ask Ann Hite any questions you like about her books, Ghost On Black Mou…more
Appalachia Service Project has brought together many who care about the world and community arou…more
Useful reading for those covering news in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, especially on econo…more