As realistic as Harlequin romances, local-color books like Mary Murfree's ''In the 'Stranger People's' Country'' were read and reviewed as journalistic accounts (O'Brian, 2003).
In reading this article, what stood out the most was the outsider's source of information. Of course I find the article upsetting, because I grew up here. However, these people were acting in ignorance to take story fantasy as fact. 21st Century learners and thinkers are urged, encouraged, and almost required to cross examine sources for validity and credibility. Some things we consider as researchers when finding a piece of information is the author and the purpose of writing. It is interesting to me to see how things have transformed with greater emphasis on technology, and higher level thinking skills. This mistake may have still happened today, but it is necessary to teach students to be aware that not all information should be taken as fact.
In attempts to further prove these claims to this book, the additional resource I provided explains the author, Mary Murfee, and her credibility in writing about Appalachian Americans. Let me first state that she is titled a novelist, not a historian, her works are purely fiction. Murfee came from a rich family, and a formal upbringing, to her WV may have appeared uncivilized, but that was written from opinion and emotion, not fact. I have also included a link to Google Book's description of the book, The 'Stranger People’s' Country
Mary Murfee
In The Stranger People's Country
Resources
Chadwick, Patti. (2005). Mary Murfee (Charles Egbert Craddock): Novelist of Southern Life. History's Women, Retrieved from: http://www.historyswomen.com/thearts/MaryMurfee.html.
O'Brien, J. (2003). Tall tales of Appalachia. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm.
It is true that their sources are probably not creditable and that it is fiction look at by some people as a fact. People read this article and come up with their own picture of how they think people in West Virginia really are and the sad part is that they don't care if it is fact or fiction. They just read it and get a certain picture in their mind and it sucks with them that West Virginians are "hillbillies."
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you found these descriptions, for they are very entertaining. It sounds like the NOVELIST wrote quite a soap opera about the “strange people.” I enjoyed how the article kept quietly pointing out the woman’s family wealth and the finer resorts she frequented, as if that was a message in itself. I am impressed she had the nerve to write in a man’s world, but her approach to her subject matter fails to make a similar impression.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it reassuring that today we at least tell ourselves that we always consider purpose and audience of our research material? I say “tell ourselves” because I am sure there are some exceptions that still use lousy fictional material for facts.
I agree, it is interesting how the technology puts a greater focus on validity. The Internet has made instant information and worldwide communication possible, creating access to numerous creditable sources and even more unreliable sources. As you said, we encourage the use of learned resource strategies to be as accurate as possible. Americans in the 1800s would have little access to media or literature of any kind. This makes them much more likely to accept any text as creditable. Many of our Appalachian ancestors probably never had access to “The Stanger People’s Country.”
ReplyDeleteThat was a great idea, researching Mary Murfee. Like many other novelists, she was exaggerating or embellishing her writings to promote interest. Who wants to read about people who live exactly like themselves? The stranger the story is the more interesting the novel. She was writing fiction, and I saw no proof, from this website, that she advertised these novels as acute accounts. However, she may have done so.