In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary
What do Scott Joplin, John Grisham, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Maya Angelou, Brooks Robinson, Helen Gurley Brown, Johnny Cash, Alan Ladd, and Sonny Boy Williamson have in common? They’re all Arkansans. What do hillbillies, rednecks, slow trains, bare feet, moonshine, and double-wides have in common? For many in America these represent Arkansas more than any Arkansas success stories do. In 1931 H. L. Mencken described AR (not AK, folks) as the “apex of moronia.” While, in 1942 a Time magazine article said Arkansas had “developed a mass inferiority complex unique in American history.” Arkansas/Arkansaw is the first book to explain how Arkansas’s image began and how the popular culture stereotypes have been perpetuated and altered through succeeding generations. Brooks Blevins argues that the image has not always been a bad one. He discusses travel accounts, literature, radio programs, movies, and television shows that give a very positive image of the Natural State. From territorial accounts of the Creole inhabitants of the Mississippi River Valley to national derision of the state’s triple-wide governor’s mansion to Li’l Abner, the Beverly Hillbillies, and Slingblade, Blevins leads readers on an entertaining and insightful tour through more than two centuries of the idea of Arkansas. One discovers along the way how one state becomes simultaneously a punch line and a source of admiration for progressives and social critics alike.

Winner, 2011 Ragsdale Award

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Contents
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-x
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 3-10
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1. Creating the Bear State
  2. pp. 11-36
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Why Arkansas?
  2. pp. 37-42
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Aboard the Arkansaw Train
  2. pp. 43-64
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. This Hillbilly State of Mine
  2. pp. 65-70
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. Heyday of the Hillbilly
  2. pp. 71-118
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Getting DefensiveCharles
  2. pp. 119-136
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. All Roads Lead to Bubba
  2. pp. 137-184
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Conclusion
  2. pp. 185-196
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 197-220
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 221-230
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 231-242
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.