The Old Southwest flourished between 1830 and 1860, but its brand
of humor lives on in the writings of Mark Twain, the novels of
William Faulkner, the television series The Beverly Hillbillies,
the material of comedian Jeff Foxworthy, and even cyberspace, where
nonsoutherners can come up to speed on subjects like hickphonics.
The first book on its subject, The Enduring Legacy of Old Southwest
Humor engages topics ranging from folklore to feminism to the
Internet as it pays tribute to a distinctly American comic style
that has continued to reinvent itself. The book begins by examining
frontier southern humor as manifested in works of Faulkner, Erskine
Caldwell, Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, Woody Guthrie, Harry
Crews, William Price Fox, Fred Chappell, Barry Hannah, Cormac
McCarthy, and African American writers Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph
Ellison, Alice Walker, Ishmael Reed, and Yusef Komunyakaa. It then
explores southwestern humor's legacy in popular culture, including
comic strips, comedians, and sitcoms, and on the Internet. Many of
the trademark themes of modern and contemporary southern wit
appeared in stories that circulated in the antebellum Southwest.
Often taking the form of tall tales, those stories have served and
continue to serve as rich, reusable material for southern writers
and entertainers in the twentieth century and beyond. The Enduring
Legacy of Old Southwest Humor is an innovative collaboration that
delves into jokes about hunting, drinking, boasting, and gambling
as it studies, among other things, the styles of comedians Andy
Griffith, Dave Gardner, and Justin Wilson. It gives splendid
demonstration that through the centuries southern humor has
continued to be a powerful tool for disarming hypocrites and
opening up sensitive issues for discussion.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Southern Literary Studies |
Release date: |
February 2006 |
First published: |
February 2006 |
Editors: |
Edward Piacentino
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 30mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
336 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-3086-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8071-3086-9 |
Barcode: |
9780807130865 |
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