The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 4: Myth, Manners, and Memory

by Charles Reagan Wilson (Editor)

Overview

This volume of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture addresses the cultural, social, and intellectual terrain of myth, manners, and historical memory in the American South. Evaluating how a distinct southern identity has been created, recreated, and performed through memories that blur the line between fact and fiction, this volume paints a broad, multihued picture of the region seen through the lenses of belief and cultural practice.

The 95 entries here represent a substantial revision and expansion of the material on historical memory and manners in the original edition. They address such matters as myths and memories surrounding the Old South and the Civil War; stereotypes and traditions related to the body, sexuality, gender, and family (such as debutante balls and beauty pageants); institutions and places associated with historical memory (such as cemeteries, monuments, and museums); and specific subjects and objects of myths, including the Confederate flag and Graceland. Together, they offer a compelling portrait of the "southern way of life" as it has been imagined, lived, and contested.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807856925
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	09/18/2006
Series:	The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture , #4
Edition description:	1
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Charles Reagan Wilson is director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and coeditor, with William Ferris, of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This volume maintains the project's high standards of writing, scholarship, and coverage. It is an essential work for all southern historians, for myth, manners, and memory lay at the very core of the South's identity as a distinctive region.—David Goldfield, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Editorial Reviews

The cultural, social, and intellectual terrain of myths, manners, and historical memory in the American south are addressed in this volume that offers a compelling portrait of the Southern way of life as it has been imagined, lived, and contested.—Forecast (Bridgewater, NJ)



The collaborative effort of long-time super-star scholars…and a rainbow of rising new lights, The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. . . is living up to its promise of combining old verities with an array of recent scholarly perceptions that make covering everything in only 24 volumes seem to be a short-sighted goal. . . . Wresting a representative snapshot of southern history from the voluminous scrapbooks and long, long library shelves on that subject is a daunting assignment, and Wilson deserves praise for taking the risk of producing a good one.—Index-Journal (Greenwood, SC)



The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture provide[s] wonderful insight into the history and culture of the American South. By publishing the encyclopedia in multiple volumes, the editors have helped make this rich resource more readily available to the reading public. Future volumes… will be highly anticipated.—North Carolina Historical Review



A relaxed yet meticulous prose style suits these eclectic topics. The authors have taken a laid-back attitude, spreading their project over 28 proposed volumes, and ignoring the temptation to cram too much into each book. That's an appropriate decision for an enlightening guide to the mythology and beliefs of the sultry South.—Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)



This set represents a solid improvement on a celebrated work. The individual volumes will be essential for scholars of various Southern studies topics.—Library Journal



A valuable guide to a complex and culturally rich region that remains distinct amidst change.—American Reference Books Annual



The insight, academic excellence, and depth of understanding of many of the topics make reading this volume a great pleasure.—Western Folklore

From the Publisher

Published in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, this work is a significantly expanded update of the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, first released in 1989. While the original was published as a single volume, the New Encyclopedia will be a 24-volume set published over five years, with each relatively small volume devoted to a particular aspect of Southern culture. These inaugural four volumes include Religion; Geography; History; and Myth, Manners, and Memory. Others in the set will include Urbanization, Race, Media, Recreation, Foodways, Law and Politics, and Science and Medicine. Each volume begins with an overview article written by the volume editor, followed by thematic essays arranged alphabetically, then by topical articles, also arranged alphabetically. All essays and articles are signed by the contributor and include bibliographic references. Many new articles have been added, and most of the existing ones have been revised to reflect recent developments in scholarship, especially with respect to race, gender, politics, and the arts. Revised articles also contain updated statistical and bibliographic information. Bottom Line This set represents a solid improvement on a celebrated reference work. The individual volumes will be essential for scholars of various Southern studies topics; the full 24-volume set is highly recommended for all reference collections in the South and larger reference collections elsewhere. [For more information, go to www.uncpress.unc.edu.-Ed.]-Elizabeth L. Winter, Acquisitions Lib. & Information Ctr., Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal