Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 9.06 Literature, Poetry, and Song in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Title
Silver John the Balladeer: Mountains, Religion, and Folk Songs in the Appalachian Fantasy Stories of Manly Wade Wellman
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Manley Wade Wellman (1903-1986) was a North Carolina writer most widely known for his work in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He also wrote detective fiction and published a number of works in Southern and local history and in historical fiction for young adults. From 1951 until his death, Wellman was a resident of Chapel Hill, NC. Wellman won a number of awards for his writing, including a 1946 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine award in which he bested second-place William Faulkner. Wellman was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1956 for his book on a family of North Carolina soldiers in the Civil War. It is less well known that Wellman fell in love with the Southern Appalachians, building a cabin in Mitchell County, NC, becoming friends with Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and developing a strong love for the people and the folk music of the mountains. Wellman’s sense of place for the mountains increasingly found expression in his writing. In addition to setting a number of works of historical fiction in the mountains, Wellman created one of the most unique characters in fantasy fiction: Silver John. John was a minstrel who wandered the Appalachians, combating evil with folk songs and a magical guitar. From 1951 until Wellman’s death, John appeared in nearly twenty short stories and five novels, all set in the Appalachians. This paper explores the character of Silver John and the strong role played by the mountain setting, mountain religion, and traditional folk songs in the narratives.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Ron Roach is Chair and Professor of the Department of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.
Silver John the Balladeer: Mountains, Religion, and Folk Songs in the Appalachian Fantasy Stories of Manly Wade Wellman
Harris Hall 446
Manley Wade Wellman (1903-1986) was a North Carolina writer most widely known for his work in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He also wrote detective fiction and published a number of works in Southern and local history and in historical fiction for young adults. From 1951 until his death, Wellman was a resident of Chapel Hill, NC. Wellman won a number of awards for his writing, including a 1946 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine award in which he bested second-place William Faulkner. Wellman was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1956 for his book on a family of North Carolina soldiers in the Civil War. It is less well known that Wellman fell in love with the Southern Appalachians, building a cabin in Mitchell County, NC, becoming friends with Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and developing a strong love for the people and the folk music of the mountains. Wellman’s sense of place for the mountains increasingly found expression in his writing. In addition to setting a number of works of historical fiction in the mountains, Wellman created one of the most unique characters in fantasy fiction: Silver John. John was a minstrel who wandered the Appalachians, combating evil with folk songs and a magical guitar. From 1951 until Wellman’s death, John appeared in nearly twenty short stories and five novels, all set in the Appalachians. This paper explores the character of Silver John and the strong role played by the mountain setting, mountain religion, and traditional folk songs in the narratives.
