Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
“Drop in for a visit”: The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Recent scholarship on representations of Appalachia in literature and popular culture focuses on situations where the bodies, habits, and lifestyles of residents of the region are “exposed” for urban audiences. This is particularly true in the case of reality television, which often accentuates outlandish and unrestrained behavior and gives voice to a broad rural culture – one that “loudly violates the dictates of a white, cosmopolitan, middle-class propriety” (Calvacante 2014, 40). This paper will examine the concept of being “exposed” in relation to the 2009 film The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. In this case, the film-makers and consequently the audience (the film’s tagline reads “Drop in for a visit with one of West Virginia’s most notorious families) were allowed into private and often compromising situations such as substance-fuelled family parties, drug deals, criminal trials, rehab stints, and births. This paper will examine the way in which The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia represents these moments of unfettered access and will consider the film’s treatment of regional identity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Peter Thompson is an Associate Professor in the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. His research examines representations of the natural environment in contemporary literature and popular culture, with a particular focus on Appalachia and Atlantic Canada.
“Drop in for a visit”: The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
Recent scholarship on representations of Appalachia in literature and popular culture focuses on situations where the bodies, habits, and lifestyles of residents of the region are “exposed” for urban audiences. This is particularly true in the case of reality television, which often accentuates outlandish and unrestrained behavior and gives voice to a broad rural culture – one that “loudly violates the dictates of a white, cosmopolitan, middle-class propriety” (Calvacante 2014, 40). This paper will examine the concept of being “exposed” in relation to the 2009 film The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. In this case, the film-makers and consequently the audience (the film’s tagline reads “Drop in for a visit with one of West Virginia’s most notorious families) were allowed into private and often compromising situations such as substance-fuelled family parties, drug deals, criminal trials, rehab stints, and births. This paper will examine the way in which The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia represents these moments of unfettered access and will consider the film’s treatment of regional identity.
