{"product_id":"writing-west-virginia-place-people-and-poverty-in-contemporary-literature-from-the-mountain-state-hardcover","title":"Writing West Virginia: Place, People, and Poverty in Contemporary Literature from the Mountain State - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBoyd Creasman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith their stirring depictions of a proud people striving for fulfillment in a land of natural beauty and economic hardship, West Virginia authors have produced a body of work that is worthy of study and of celebration. In \u003ci\u003eWriting West Virginia, \u003c\/i\u003e Boyd Creasman examines the fiction and poetry of eight accomplished writers--Davis Grubb, Mary Lee Settle, Breece D'J Pancake, Denise Giardina, Irene McKinney, Ann Pancake, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Pinckney Benedict--who exemplify the rich but often overlooked literary heritage of the Mountain State. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Creasman identifies the varied ways in which these writers have grappled with the dynamics of place, socioeconomic class, and gender. For Settle, this expression has taken the form of historical novels chronicling the development of the state from its British settlement to the rise of the coal industry and the creation of a wealthy, industrial class. For other authors, the struggle against poverty and lack of opportunity has been a central concern. From the male protagonists of Grubb and Breece Pancake, searching for ways to assert their masculinity when they cannot find gainful employment, to the strong, independent women of McKinney, Giardina, and Ann Pancake, the characters in West Virginia literature have fought to transcend the challenges and limitations of living in the most Appalachian of states. In the recent fiction of Phillips and Benedict, elements of magical realism and fantasy are employed to create the possibility of transcendence for their characters, shifting the focus from landscape to dreamscape and thereby suggesting exciting new directions for Appalachian literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Despite the remarkable talent of these writers, only a handful of book-length critical studies have focused on them, and none have considered them as a group. \u003ci\u003eWriting West Virginia\u003c\/i\u003e helps fill this gap in literary scholarship while opening up new paths for further exploration. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBoyd Creasman\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of English and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he won a number of teaching awards and taught Appalachian literature for fifteen years. He has published scholarly articles in journals such as \u003ci\u003eStudies in Humanities, Studies in Short Fiction, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Appalachian Journal.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBoyd Creasman\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of English and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he won a number of teaching awards and taught Appalachian literature for fifteen years. He has published scholarly articles in journals such as \u003ci\u003eStudies in Humanities, Studies in Short Fiction, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Appalachian Journal.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 183\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.74 x 10.38 x 5.12 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 01, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53246490968371,"sku":"9781621901846","price":73.42,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/mYUqBlXb2Z9781621901846.webp?v=1776286716","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/writing-west-virginia-place-people-and-poverty-in-contemporary-literature-from-the-mountain-state-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}