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Acknowledgments From the beginning, this seemed to be the least likely of projects to ever see the light of day. It certainly would not have done so had it not been for the extraordinary and singular network that formed to support me and see me through. Sarah Sherman at the University of New Hampshire provided me with much professional and practical guidance during the many years it took to get this work off the ground. Brigitte Bailey, Monica Chiu, and Delia Konzett, also at the University of New Hampshire, and John Ernest at West Virginia University offered critical insights and lively discussion that helped to give my ideas shape and nuance. Siobhan Senier literally steered me to Richard Pult at a conference we were attending , and I thank her for her interest in my work and for acting as a motive force to get it in the pipeline. Richard Pult and Ann Brash at University Press of New England have fielded my queries and shepherded me through the publishing process with kindness and good humor. My work has benefited considerably from the care and expertise of Beth Gianfagna at Log House Editorial Services. Peter Mascuch introduced me to Peyton Place during my last semester of coursework and changed the direction of my life as a result. Jennifer Scanlon has been a gracious and enthusiastic supporter of this project and has worked to create opportunities to discuss new approaches to Peyton Place. Ardis Cameron and Emily Toth did the hard work of bringing Metalious into the academy, and for this I am in their debt. Without their efforts, this one surely would never have come to pass. Rivier College’s Department of English and Communications provided me with a Books and Materials Grant that saw me through to the finish. Sr. Therese Larochelle approved many a travel grant through which I was able to try out these ideas in public forums. More important than these, however, is the collegiality and kindness that I have received from my colleagues at the college: Tim Doherty, Marcoux Faiia, Paul Lizotte, Larry Maness, Virginia Ryan, Brad Stull, Sr. Lucille Thibodeau, and Liz Wright. x Acknowledgments Liz was especially helpful in providing late-stage feedback that enabled me to see my ideas in a fresh light. Karin Lagro was always an interested listener, and Sharon Dean never failed to send kind words when news of the next step reached her. To Karen Pratt I owe deep thanks for administrative support and for the conversations that have brightened many a day in the trenches. Donna Page, Dan Speidel, and the staff at Regina Library have kept me steeped in scholarship. Holly Klump’s warp-speed interlibrary loan volleys never ceased to amaze me. While I was still in the midst of an early draft of this work, ColbySawyer College engaged me as a Visiting Instructor, and I have the following former colleagues, now friends, to thank for their support of my work: Pat Anderson, Donna Berghorn, David Elliot, Hester Fuller, Lynn Garrioch, Craig Greenman, Thomas Kealy, Melissa Meade, Ann Page Stecker, and Margaret Wiley. Landon Hall, Elizabeth Krajewski, and Carrie Thomas at the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library at Colby-Sawyer all acted as sounding boards for my ideas when I found myself in need of a stroll away from my workspace at the window. My colleagues at New Hampshire Public Radio have been wonderfully supportive and have provided me with opportunities to literally broadcast my ideas to whomever wished to tune in. Karol Iwany has been a dream come true, caring for both my baby girl and then my baby boy while I labored over this baby. My appreciation goes also to Denise Daniel, Linda Douglas, Mary Kate Ryan, and Mary Stewart for allowing me to vet academic writing in a creative forum. Marcia and Phoebe Harrison; Sarah Duclos and Norman Sedgley; David and Paula Dickinson; and Jeff, Yangchen, Tenzin, Norbu, and Ngawang Dickinson often entertained my family while I was writing. Sarah gets special credit for commiserating with my husband about what it’s like being married to an academic. Josephine Crisp shook a loving finger in my face and told me to finish already . Laura Smith was indispensable throughout this process, a simply wonderful reader and respondent who never failed to provide levity along with her valuable feedback. Dawn Dreyer and Marlana Patton, two wonderful women with whom I have shared decades of friendship, always reminded me of all that I do have, even when...

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