King College > Appalachian Extension

Appalachian Literature

James Still, Lee Smith, Denise Giardina, Silas House, Wendell Berry, and many others have brought deserved attention to the literature of this land. The values of place, family religion and history are intensified in the poetry, fiction, essays and plays emerging from the region. Students will review a cross-section of books, essays and films and discuss how Appalachian literature is, after all, a universal literature. Studies will also focus on how the region’s identity relates to national issues, party politics, ethnocentrism, stereotyping, folk traditions, and more.