James Still
Critical Essays on the Dean of Appalachian Literature
Published on 23. October 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
260 pages
978-0-7864-3076-5 (ISBN)
Description
Best known as the author of the acclaimed novel River of Earth (1940), Alabama native James Still is one of the most critically acclaimed writers of Appalachian literature. This compilation of scholarly essays (new and reprinted from hard-to-find sources) exploring Still's literary work is the first book-length collection of its kind and features contributions from leading scholars and writers, including Wendell Berry, Fred Chappell, Jim Wayne Miller, Jeff Daniel Marion, Diane Fisher, Dean Cadle, and Hal Crowther. The book explores the full range of Still's literary interests, with separate chapters devoted to River of Earth, his short stories, poetry, folkloric writings, and writings for children.
Reviews / Votes
"the first book-length collection of James Still appreciation/criticism"-Appalachian Heritage; "the first book-length collection of scholarly essays...detailed"-Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine; "scholarly examination...notable literary figures...critical essays...entirely readable"-Metro Pulse; "sheds considerable light on the life, writing and the man"-Appalachian Journal.More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
12 photos, notes, bibliographies, index
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-3076-5 (9780786430765)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ted Olson lives in Johnson City, Tennessee, and teaches Appalachian Studies and English at East Tennessee State University. Kathy H. Olson teaches English and writing classes at Appalachian State University. She lives in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Content
Table of Contents
Introduction Ted Olson
I. EARLY LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INFLUENCES
Rivers of Earth and Troublesome Creeks: The Agrarianism of James Still
H. R. Stoneback
Headwaters: The Early Poetics of James Still, Don West, and Jesse Stuart
Chris Green
Jesse Stuart and James Still: Mountain Regionalists
Dayton Kohler
II. RIVER OF EARTH
The Still Life in River of Earth: Exploring the Novel's Biographical Context
Carol Boggess
Sense of Place in River of Earth
Ruel E. Foster
A Vision of Change: Appalachia in River of Earth
Martha Billips Turner
"This Mighty River of Earth": Reclaiming an Appalachian Masterpiece
Ted Olson
III. THE SHORT STORIES
Slick as a Dogwood Hoe Handle: Craft in the Short Stories
Joe Glaser
"Menfolks Are Heathens": Cruelty in the Short Stories
Fred Chappell
"The Nest": Images of Lost Intimacy
Ron Willoughby
Creative Energy in "Mrs. Razor"
Joyce A. Hancock
Looking the Story in the Eye: "I Love My Rooster"
Randolph Paul Runyon
IV. THE POETRY
Introduction to The Wolfpen Poems
Jim Wayne Miller
The Poetry: "The Journey of a Worldly Wonder"
Jeff Daniel Marion
Still's Poetry and the Western Tradition
Aleksis Rannit
"The Stillness After": Reflections on the Poetry
Robert M. West
"The Long Way Around": Space, Place, and Syntax in "White Highways"
Diane Fisher
V. THE WRITINGS ABOUT AND FOR CHILDREN, AND THE FOLKLORIC WRITINGS
"We'll have to do something about that child": Representations of Childhood in the Short Stories
Kathy H. Olson
Journeys of Childhood in the Fiction
Carol Boggess
"Read my tales, spin my rhymes": The Books for Children
Tina L. Hanlon
The Wolfpen Notebooks: A Record of Appalachian Life
Jim Wayne Miller
VI. THE MAN AND HIS ART: REASSESSMENTS
Man on Troublesome
Dean Cadle
Jim Dandy: James Still at Eighty
Jim Wayne Miller
The Seamless Vision
Fred Chappell
A Master Language
Wendell Berry
Quality of Life, Quality of
Jane Mayhall
A Man of the World
Hal Crowther
Index
Introduction Ted Olson
I. EARLY LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INFLUENCES
Rivers of Earth and Troublesome Creeks: The Agrarianism of James Still
H. R. Stoneback
Headwaters: The Early Poetics of James Still, Don West, and Jesse Stuart
Chris Green
Jesse Stuart and James Still: Mountain Regionalists
Dayton Kohler
II. RIVER OF EARTH
The Still Life in River of Earth: Exploring the Novel's Biographical Context
Carol Boggess
Sense of Place in River of Earth
Ruel E. Foster
A Vision of Change: Appalachia in River of Earth
Martha Billips Turner
"This Mighty River of Earth": Reclaiming an Appalachian Masterpiece
Ted Olson
III. THE SHORT STORIES
Slick as a Dogwood Hoe Handle: Craft in the Short Stories
Joe Glaser
"Menfolks Are Heathens": Cruelty in the Short Stories
Fred Chappell
"The Nest": Images of Lost Intimacy
Ron Willoughby
Creative Energy in "Mrs. Razor"
Joyce A. Hancock
Looking the Story in the Eye: "I Love My Rooster"
Randolph Paul Runyon
IV. THE POETRY
Introduction to The Wolfpen Poems
Jim Wayne Miller
The Poetry: "The Journey of a Worldly Wonder"
Jeff Daniel Marion
Still's Poetry and the Western Tradition
Aleksis Rannit
"The Stillness After": Reflections on the Poetry
Robert M. West
"The Long Way Around": Space, Place, and Syntax in "White Highways"
Diane Fisher
V. THE WRITINGS ABOUT AND FOR CHILDREN, AND THE FOLKLORIC WRITINGS
"We'll have to do something about that child": Representations of Childhood in the Short Stories
Kathy H. Olson
Journeys of Childhood in the Fiction
Carol Boggess
"Read my tales, spin my rhymes": The Books for Children
Tina L. Hanlon
The Wolfpen Notebooks: A Record of Appalachian Life
Jim Wayne Miller
VI. THE MAN AND HIS ART: REASSESSMENTS
Man on Troublesome
Dean Cadle
Jim Dandy: James Still at Eighty
Jim Wayne Miller
The Seamless Vision
Fred Chappell
A Master Language
Wendell Berry
Quality of Life, Quality of
Jane Mayhall
A Man of the World
Hal Crowther
Index