Arkansas/Arkansaw : how bear hunters, hillbillies, and good ol' boys defined a state / Brooks Blevins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blevins, Brooks, 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bear hunting--Arkansas--History.

Bear hunting.

Mountain people--Arkansas--History.

Mountain people.

Rednecks--Arkansas--History.

Rednecks.

Arkansas--History.

Arkansas.

Arkansas--Public opinion.

Arkansas--Social life and customs.

Arkansas--Biography.

Physical Description:

x, 242 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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

Contents:

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One: Creating the Bear State

First Interlude: Why Arkansas?

Chapter Two: Aboard the Arkansaw Train

Second Interlude: This Hillbilly State of Mine

Chapter Three: Heyday of the Hillbilly

Third Interlude: Getting Defensive

Chapter Four: All Roads Lead to Bubba

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography.

Notes:

Not distributed; available at Arkansas State Library.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781299401952

1299401953

9781610750424

161075042X

OCLC:

769187853