Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 8.06 Foodways and Nutrition
Presentation #1 Title
"I had a hunger to listen": The Motif of Canning in Appalachian Literature"
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Our research examines canning as a motif in Appalachian literature that exemplifies the preservation of the Appalachian landscape, culture, and folklore. By looking at Robert Morgan’s Gap Creek, Lee Smith’s Oral History, and Fred Chappell’s Farewell, I’m Bound to Leave You, we illustrate how food preservation has come to represent a modern Appalachian way of life. In response to the encroachment of industrialization and urbanization, native Appalachian writers have reclaimed their cultural heritage through literature and storytelling. The stories of this area often revolve around survival in a harsh landscape and the realities that face the inhabitants of a poor, underdeveloped region. In order to survive, the Appalachian people had to adapt to their landscape and utilize food preservation techniques, like canning, that would provide sustenance through the harsh winter months. Well into the 20th century, Appalachian authors are using these same techniques in their novels to represent how Appalachian heritage is tied to land, community, and storytelling. Our paper explains how Morgan, Smith, and Chappell use canning as a motif in their novels in order to define how preservation and survival are intrinsic to Appalachian culture.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
John Crocker is a Career/Transfer Counselor and English Instructor at the University of South Carolina Union in Union, SC. He currently lives in Spartanburg, SC with his wife, Amber, and three-year-old son, Jackson.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Amanda Covington teaches writing at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. She currently lives in Charlotte, NC.
"I had a hunger to listen": The Motif of Canning in Appalachian Literature"
Corbly Hall 268
Our research examines canning as a motif in Appalachian literature that exemplifies the preservation of the Appalachian landscape, culture, and folklore. By looking at Robert Morgan’s Gap Creek, Lee Smith’s Oral History, and Fred Chappell’s Farewell, I’m Bound to Leave You, we illustrate how food preservation has come to represent a modern Appalachian way of life. In response to the encroachment of industrialization and urbanization, native Appalachian writers have reclaimed their cultural heritage through literature and storytelling. The stories of this area often revolve around survival in a harsh landscape and the realities that face the inhabitants of a poor, underdeveloped region. In order to survive, the Appalachian people had to adapt to their landscape and utilize food preservation techniques, like canning, that would provide sustenance through the harsh winter months. Well into the 20th century, Appalachian authors are using these same techniques in their novels to represent how Appalachian heritage is tied to land, community, and storytelling. Our paper explains how Morgan, Smith, and Chappell use canning as a motif in their novels in order to define how preservation and survival are intrinsic to Appalachian culture.
