Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 4.04 Cultural Integration
Presentation #1 Title
An Aura of Truth? Art as a Mechanism for the Validation of Appalachian Stereotypes
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This paper explores the work of fiction writer and Appalachian resident Donald Ray Pollock and considers the contributions that work makes to the continuation of negative stereotypes and the social othering of people in rural Appalachia. Pollack's award-winning and highly-praised accounts of life in rural Appalachian Ohio are filled with the embodiment of long held and commonly utilized negative portrayals of Appalachian people and culture. For this paper, the authors use a text analysis process to identify themes of praise among literary critics that help to establish and give credibility to "an aura of truth" surrounding the exacerbated, deviant, violent, immoral, incestuous, and drug fueled characters in Pollock's fictional accounts of life in a rural Appalachian community. The authors argue that truth and fiction are blurred by commonly held stereotypes of Appalachian people and the legitimization of these stereotypes under the protective realm of art. Evoking parallels to the photographic work of Shelby Lee Adams, Pollock uses prose as an alternate medium to reimagine negative Appalachian stereotypes, which are then supported and praised by uncritical literary critics—thus providing an external warrant for the implied claims about life in rural Appalachian Ohio. The reviews of Pollock's work offered by the art establishment help to blur the lines between art and truth. This blurring fits the negative stereotypes of the region held by many who are not familiar with the complex realities of Appalachian life.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Michael Hess is an instructor in the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio University a native of Highland County Virginia his research interests includes rural Appalachia and education, the intersections of social class and educational success, critical educational theory and democratic educational leadership. He has worked at both Berea College and Ohio University.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Dr. Sharon Reynolds is Educational Specialist for the Office of Rural and Underserved Programs at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University. Her research interests include adult and community education, resilience, and place-based education..
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Dr. Jerry Johnson is an associate professor in the Department of Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Management at the University of North Florida. His research interests include rural education, school leadership, educational policy, democratic education and leadership, and place-based and community-based learning.
An Aura of Truth? Art as a Mechanism for the Validation of Appalachian Stereotypes
Harris Hall 139
This paper explores the work of fiction writer and Appalachian resident Donald Ray Pollock and considers the contributions that work makes to the continuation of negative stereotypes and the social othering of people in rural Appalachia. Pollack's award-winning and highly-praised accounts of life in rural Appalachian Ohio are filled with the embodiment of long held and commonly utilized negative portrayals of Appalachian people and culture. For this paper, the authors use a text analysis process to identify themes of praise among literary critics that help to establish and give credibility to "an aura of truth" surrounding the exacerbated, deviant, violent, immoral, incestuous, and drug fueled characters in Pollock's fictional accounts of life in a rural Appalachian community. The authors argue that truth and fiction are blurred by commonly held stereotypes of Appalachian people and the legitimization of these stereotypes under the protective realm of art. Evoking parallels to the photographic work of Shelby Lee Adams, Pollock uses prose as an alternate medium to reimagine negative Appalachian stereotypes, which are then supported and praised by uncritical literary critics—thus providing an external warrant for the implied claims about life in rural Appalachian Ohio. The reviews of Pollock's work offered by the art establishment help to blur the lines between art and truth. This blurring fits the negative stereotypes of the region held by many who are not familiar with the complex realities of Appalachian life.
