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Dixie-Land:TheU.S.SouthasaPerformativeFranchise
derstoodndomestic”relationsofthewhitefemaleemployerandherblackmale
chaufeurmakesaspecialpointofdiscussinghowtheserelationscanberedeemed
throughvariousfoodpractices.Niewiadomska-Flisshowshow,inthecontextof
theverynconsummate”Werthanhouseholdtheerstwhilehegemonicwhite-black
relations”move[…]fromdistrustbasedonstereotypicalantagonism(acusation
ofpilferingfrompantry),throughbenevolenttolerance(DaisyAcceptsHokeand
Idellaeatingandchattingtogetherinthekitchen)tofondnessinoldage”(190)and
beyond.Always,asNiewiadomska-Flisclaims,ninastageofbecoming,”thecon-
temporarysouthernracialrelations,ifnperformedandarticulatedthroughfoot-
ways,”canthereforebeseenasculturallynall-consuming”aswell.
Tatsuchaperceptionofsouthernculturalrelationscanalsobeperformedas
atime-and-space-platformexchange,orelse,thetransmediationofntheoldand
thenewinordertoasserttheirindividualsingularity”(196)iswhatGeraldPreher
demonstratesinhisessayentitlednMannersarenotintelligent,they)rejustauto-
matic:)PerformingtheSouthinElizabethSpencer)sForLeaseorSale.”Teessay
confrontstwoSouths:theOldandtheNewaspresentedintheabovementioned
playbyElizabethSpencer,thatis,viawhatseemstobeacted-out(moreorless
well-mannered)reactionsofhouse-dwellerstoplansofredevelopingadistrict.
Tesereactionsprovokingtheaudiencetogetinvolvedinthesituationintheir
ownway,too,thereforemakethesubjectoftheconflict:thehouse,ergo,South,
initiallymotionless,fortime-and-space-limited,aplace(asplaces,contraryto
spaces,aretypicallyseen)aliving,moving-activething.Showingthis,Preher-
partoftheplay)saudience-thusalsonredevelops”theregionintoastagedcul-
turewhoseparticipants(donot)knowthatthenreality”oftheirperceptionhas
alwaysbeendependentonitsbackcloth:buttonstopress,trapdoors,drops,wings,
doorsleadingintoawall,etc.
TisperformativevisionoftheU.S.SouthisoferedbyCarmenRueda-RamosC
articleStagingSouthernCulture:LiminalityandCulturalPerformanceinDon-
aldDavidson)smeBigBalladJamboree”whichendswiththispartofthebook
andtheentirecollection.Rueda-Ramos)essayanalysesDavidson)snovel(oneand
onlyhewrote,andpublishedposthumouslyatthat)onsouthernmusic,ballads
andhillbilly,asaperformanceofnperformanceandperformersofculture”(218)
ingeneral.Inthislight,hertext,inandofitself,becomesaperformance,too,of
thesouthernidentityasculturallystagedinabroader-world-context.Pro-
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