| Arkansas/Arkansaw: How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies, and Good Ol' Boys Defined a State Contributor(s): Blevins, Brooks (Author) |
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ISBN: 1557289522 ISBN-13: 9781557289520 Publisher: University of Arkansas Press OUR PRICE: $20.66 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2009 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - South (al,ar,fl,ga,ky,la,ms,nc,sc,tn,va,wv) - Social Science | Popular Culture |
| Dewey: 976.7 |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6" W x 8.9" (0.97 lbs) 250 pages |
| Themes: - Geographic Orientation - Arkansas - Cultural Region - South |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher 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. Winner, 2011 Ragsdale Award |