Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
THE TALL WOMAN’S RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC PRIVILEGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Appalachia has endured a history of environmental exploitation, and such exploitation has inevitably lead to uproars regarding environmental, economic, and labor issues in the region. Women in Appalachia have been particularly affected by industrialization and environmental exploitation. For this reason, writing by Appalachian women serves as an essential yet relatively unstudied perspective on environmental issues relevant to Appalachia, and this paper wishes to explore environmental and economic issues as they pertain to women and as they are seen, understood, and written about by women. Wilma Dykeman’s 1962 novel The Tall Woman wrestles with the economic and environmental changes facing Appalachia from the early days of the American Civil War to the turn of the 20th century. This text more specifically shows how women and the poor are disproportionately affected by decisions that are made about the environments in which they live—decisions often made by outsiders. In Dykeman’s novel, the environment is often harmed by economic leaders in community, and women and children suffer the consequences. Ecofeminist criticism of The Tall Woman can examine the intersections between environmental exploitation in the Appalachian region and the industrial or agricultural progress that typically fuels irresponsible or even unethical treatment of the land. Further, study of The Tall Woman reveals the ease at which outside industries harm women, children, and the environment concurrently for the sake of profit—a practice still in use today.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Holly Amann graduated with an M.A. in English from Western Carolina University. She has presented papers on Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World and on violence in Nikky Finney’s “The Aureole.” Additionally, she has published poetry in The Great Smokies Review, Smokey Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, These Fragile Lilacs, and Pinesong. She teaches at East Tennessee State University.
THE TALL WOMAN’S RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC PRIVILEGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Appalachia has endured a history of environmental exploitation, and such exploitation has inevitably lead to uproars regarding environmental, economic, and labor issues in the region. Women in Appalachia have been particularly affected by industrialization and environmental exploitation. For this reason, writing by Appalachian women serves as an essential yet relatively unstudied perspective on environmental issues relevant to Appalachia, and this paper wishes to explore environmental and economic issues as they pertain to women and as they are seen, understood, and written about by women. Wilma Dykeman’s 1962 novel The Tall Woman wrestles with the economic and environmental changes facing Appalachia from the early days of the American Civil War to the turn of the 20th century. This text more specifically shows how women and the poor are disproportionately affected by decisions that are made about the environments in which they live—decisions often made by outsiders. In Dykeman’s novel, the environment is often harmed by economic leaders in community, and women and children suffer the consequences. Ecofeminist criticism of The Tall Woman can examine the intersections between environmental exploitation in the Appalachian region and the industrial or agricultural progress that typically fuels irresponsible or even unethical treatment of the land. Further, study of The Tall Woman reveals the ease at which outside industries harm women, children, and the environment concurrently for the sake of profit—a practice still in use today.
