Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 8.03 Mass Media
Presentation #1 Title
Dollywood: Pigeon Forge's Plastic Pastoral
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Dolly Parton’s “Tennessee Mountain Home” and her hardscrabble rural upbringing are as essential to our idea of her as her stunning voice and her striking visual look. We think we know Dolly Parton because of what we think we know about those mountains. Perhaps we also think we know those mountains because of what we think we know about Dolly Parton. Parton has changed her hometown as much as any entertainer. Her theme park, Dollywood, is one of the largest employers in Tennessee. After the Smoky Mountain National Park, it is the largest draw for tourists in the region. The park allows visitors to experience themes from Parton’s life and her idealized vision of the Smoky Mountains. To create these experiences the park leans heavily on tropes of mountain life, incorporating a carefully crafted blend of stereotype, nostalgia, and anachronism to sell a conception of mountain life those who wish to be immersed in it. Dollywood: Pigeon Forge’s Plastic Pastoral, a forthcoming thesis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, seeks to explore this unique place by drawing on the works of Appalachian scholars like C. Brendan Martin, Elizabeth Englehardt and Anne Whisnant. Finally, there is original fieldwork, which includes numerous visits to the park and interviews with employees, performers and visitors. This exploration reveals that Parton has constructed an immersive act of autobiography that gives visitors a chance to explore the Smokies, not as they are but as they wish them to be.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Graham Hoppe was born in Michigan City, Indiana and grew up in Indianapolis. After graduating with his B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He worked in radio before moving into the culinary arts. After living and working in Chicago for several years he moved to Greensboro, NC where he worked at a bakery, for a minor league baseball team, and for the public library. He lives in Chapel Hill with his wife Amy.
Dollywood: Pigeon Forge's Plastic Pastoral
Dolly Parton’s “Tennessee Mountain Home” and her hardscrabble rural upbringing are as essential to our idea of her as her stunning voice and her striking visual look. We think we know Dolly Parton because of what we think we know about those mountains. Perhaps we also think we know those mountains because of what we think we know about Dolly Parton. Parton has changed her hometown as much as any entertainer. Her theme park, Dollywood, is one of the largest employers in Tennessee. After the Smoky Mountain National Park, it is the largest draw for tourists in the region. The park allows visitors to experience themes from Parton’s life and her idealized vision of the Smoky Mountains. To create these experiences the park leans heavily on tropes of mountain life, incorporating a carefully crafted blend of stereotype, nostalgia, and anachronism to sell a conception of mountain life those who wish to be immersed in it. Dollywood: Pigeon Forge’s Plastic Pastoral, a forthcoming thesis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, seeks to explore this unique place by drawing on the works of Appalachian scholars like C. Brendan Martin, Elizabeth Englehardt and Anne Whisnant. Finally, there is original fieldwork, which includes numerous visits to the park and interviews with employees, performers and visitors. This exploration reveals that Parton has constructed an immersive act of autobiography that gives visitors a chance to explore the Smokies, not as they are but as they wish them to be.
