Term of Award
Spring 2022
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English (M.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Literature
Committee Chair
Caren Town
Committee Member 1
Brad Edwards
Committee Member 2
Hans-Georg Erney
Abstract
Southern literature is well-known for its disabled characters due to the proliferation of the Southern Gothic genre. Many scholars have identified these disabled characters as metaphors for the failure of the Lost Cause, but less attention has been placed on how the internalization of the Lost Cause mythology has caused Southerners to become disabled. Hence, this study aims at understanding the relationship between grand narratives and Southerners through a cultural studies approach. This thesis focuses on short stories, specifically Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” (1955), Breece D’J Pancake’s “Time and Again” (1983), and Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” (1982). The research concludes that various iterations of the Lost Cause mythology, including Southern manners and patriarchal ideologies disable all Southerners regardless of race, gender, or class.
OCLC Number
1368010546
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916470948102950
Recommended Citation
Stickney, Amber L., "Crippling Stagnation: Disability Imagery and the Handicapped South" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2418.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2418
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
