Appalachian Literature's place in American Gothic Literature

     As mentioned several times, I grew up in rural Virginia.  I stayed near home and attended Radford University and earned both my bachelors and masters degrees from there.  While obtaining my undergraduate degree, I was introduced to Appalachian literature and fell in love with my roots once again.  I signed up for every single course I could.  I could've minored in it had I taken two more electives, but I was ready to begin my teaching career and held off on additional classes.  When I went back for my masters degree, I followed the same path of taking as many elective graduate Appalachian-based courses as possible.  Hence, a world of literature and culture that was buried in my genealogical history was resurrected once again.  Reflecting now, gothic roots were kept deeply embedded in stories and novels that I carry with me today.  I too have stories that would be considered American gothic works in my memories that if I were to ever put them on paper, the reader would definitely categorize them as such.

     American Gothic literature and some Appalachian works go hand in hand.  One story that stands out in particular to me is I Am One of You Forever by Fred Chappell.  As cited in this course earlier, there are elements that present themselves that are interpreted as magical realism.  Chappell's novel is one that does just that.  I argue that the element of magical realism definitely holds a place in American Gothic literature.  In works of magical realism, an object possesses a magical "power" over a character that winds up being a symbol of death on some level.  In "The Shawl," the object is the shawl that swaddles, comforts, and even feeds Magda.  The shawl's displacement was her undoing.  Removing the object that did so much magic of its own gives it a mysterious hold on the characters and the reader.

     In Chappell's work, there are several instances of magical realism, but one that sticks out to the reader more than any other.  It is found in the chapter entitled "The Telegram."  A telegram arrives with the news that the young man the family had taken in, Johnson Gibbs, had been killed in the war.  (World War II)  The telegram takes on different shapes.  It is burned but yet it returns.  From the following example, "My father took it to the top of a pasture hill and laid it in the grass and set fire to it with a kitchen match.  It curled in slow agony and burned away smokeless, leaving an oblong of yellow sear that would never grow green again.  By the time he got back to the house it was waiting for him on the red tablecloth" (Chappell 94).  And in another example, "The telegram had the power of becoming smaller, shrinking to the size of a postage stamp or to a mere speck, a mote" (95).   In "The Shawl," "The shawl's good flavor, milk of linen"(1).  Both objects demonstrate sources of magical realism.  They do not themselves carry magic, but they do carry the reality of death for the characters they represent.

     Sharyn McCrumb, an Appalachian author I personally know, posts on her blog titled, A Good Blog is Hard to Find, "magic realism-- the blurring of the line between the real and the supernatural with the equal acceptance of both-- is a concept that first appeared in art in the early twentieth century, and later became an important element in contemporary fiction."  This concept is not only found in stories like Ozark's "The Shawl" but is found in many Appalachian works as well.  I strongly recommend reading Chappell's work.  I've become a fan of it and realize that it truly embodies American gothic work.  In the list of typical elements, the atmosphere of mystery is evident with the supernatural activities that take place in the stories of Uncle Zeno, or Uncle Runkin who brought his coffin to sleep in in the event he may pass away, he is prepared; or Doc McGreavy's horse that speaks to the scared boys on Halloween night, and so on...  Ghostly legends exists in the stories told by the narrator.  Omens, foreshadowing, and dreams weave themselves through each chapter giving the reader the insight of the narrator's mind.

     Appalachian literature is worth a second look as a fixture of American Gothic literature.

I Am One of You Forever by Fred Chappell