Arkansas/Arkansaw: How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies, and Good Ol’ Boys Defined a State
Product Type: Book
Product Price: $29.95
Manufacturer: University of Arkansas Press
Purchase
Description
What do Scott Joplin, John Grisham, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Maya Angelou, Brooks Robinson, Helen Gurley Brown, Johnny Cash, Alan Ladd, and Sonny Boy Williamson have in common? They’re all Arkansans. What do hillbillies, rednecks, slow trains, bare feet, moonshine, and double-wides have in common? For many in America these represent Arkansas more than any Arkansas success stories do. In 1931 H. L. Mencken described AR (not AK, folks) as the “apex of moronia.” While, in 1942 a Time magazine article said Arkansas had “developed a mass inferiority complex unique in American history.”
Arkansas/Arkansaw is the first book to explain how Arkansas’s image began and how the popular culture stereotypes have been perpetuated and altered through succeeding generations. Brooks Blevins argues that the
image has not always been a bad one. He discusses travel accounts, literature, radio programs, movies, and television shows that give a very positive image of the Natural State. From territorial accounts of the Creole inhabitants of the Mississippi River Valley to national derision of the state’s triple-wide governor’s mansion to Li’l Abner, the Beverly Hillbillies, and Slingblade, Blevins leads readers on an entertaining and insightful tour through more than two centuries of the idea of Arkansas. One discovers along the way how one state becomes simultaneously a punch line and a source of admiration for progressives and social critics alike.
Reviews
Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-16
Summary: "From an Arkansawyer"
Since the only review here so far is actually a review of Amazon's ability to mail quickly, I thought I'd leave a little note here and actually talk about the book itself.
As a native Arkansawyer from the Ozarks, I absolutely enjoyed this book. I read the author's HillFolks book first then read this one. Having seen the national feelings toward this region firsthand, it was nice to actually read about the history of how that came to be. I thouroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-12-05
Summary: "This was purchased as a gift!! I am always impressed with Amazon's prices and fast shipping!"
This was purchased as a Christmas gift. I am always so very impressed with Amazon's prices and fast shipping!