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Dixie-Land:TheU.S.SouthasaPerformativeFranchise
versestageinwhichawoman,performing,transformsfemininityitselfintoape-
culiarcatwalkforDixietoartisticallyparadeitselfintothelargerworld.
TeSouth)s(Post)GenderPerformances-thetitleofthesecondsectionofthis
book-comprisestheessaysbythefollowingscholars:SusanaMariaJiménez
Placer(UniversityofSantiagodeCompostela),IrinaKudriavstseva(MinskState
LinguisticUniversity),andEmmelineGros(UniversityofToulon).Onthewhole,
theseessaysconcentrateondemonstratinghowDixie,traditionallyunderstood
asawoman)sname,canconsciously(down)playthetraditionsoastoadvanceit-
selfinthelargerworldinculturallybroaderterms.SusanaMariaJiménezPlacer,
theauthorofthefirstoftheessaysinthissectionentitlednPerformingSouthern
WomanhoodinKatherineAnnePorter)sMirandaStories,”seeslanguage,per-
ceivedbothasymbolicandsemioticagent,aslettingthefemale-modelledDixie
intoamoregenerically,ergo,culturallydiversifiedrole.Dependingonhowefec-
tiveausetheSouthcanmakeofthegapexistingbetweenthesetwo(i.e.symbol-
ic-cognitiveandsemiotic-afective)embodimentsoflanguage,thatitsperfor-
mativepotentialcanshowup-claimsPlaceranddemonstratesthisexamining
thewaysMiranda-thecharacterofPorter)smostfamouscycleofshortstories-
givesrepresentationagency.
AccordingtoPlacer,Mirandamanagestodosobyforgingthesouthernfe-
maleheritage-i.e.thepassivelyunderstoodattitudeofnmakingthemostofit”-
intoanembodiedactivityofrole-playing.Tatsuchanactivitynotonlyallows
forself-expressionbutalsoinvitesemotionalconnection,inmaleandfemale
southernersalikeisthetopicofanessaybyIrinaKudriavstsevaentitlednHomo
PerformansinErskineCaldwell)sShortStories.”Discussingvariousaspectsof
Caldwell)sshortproseastheperformanceofancycloramaofsouthernlife”(123),
Kudriavstsevasimultaneouslydemonstrateshowsuchanextendedperformance,
anactionnvaluableinitself(125)forafrmingnindividualandculturalvalues”
(125),additionallyre/createshumanbonds.Kudriavstsevabelievesthat,whenit
comestosoutherners,thesebondsresembleaudience-performerinteractionand,
assuch,aretheartofemotionexchange.Tisexchangeoccurringonnotalways
consciouslevelistoKudriavstsevaasmuchanexpressionofacollectivesouth-
ernidentitythatCaldwell)scharacters(and,infacthisentireliterarywork)areall
partofasitisaprotestagainstanysouthernculturalhomogenization.
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