To Kill a Mockingbird

Prepare to read one of the best books of all time. To Kill A Mockingbird, in addition to selling a few copies (alright, a TON of copies over several editions), winning the Pulitzer Prize, and being a high school staple for years, has one of the most honest depictions of the south I've read in any contemporary literature.

This is one of those things you'll have to take my word on, because if you aren't southern, you probably can't spot the difference between southern literature and faux-southern lit. The elements that come together to make southern fiction are so numerous and complex, the genre borderlines camp in terms of an understanding of its mechanisms. In effect, either you get it, or you don't. Either you were born in the south and have these experiences, or you weren't. Sorry, I didn't create the club, I just belong to it.

What's the difference between real and fake southern literature? Well, you may not feel a sense of harmonic vibration with books like this one, but you can spot cheap, ugly plays on southern stereotypes regardless of where you come from. Faux-southern lit may even be written by a southerner, so don't depend on geographical location to determine this genre. Besides, have you ever actually seen a map of legitimately "southern" states?

As you can see, there's quite a difference between the literal south and the literary south. I was born in Joplin, Missouri, in the southwest corner of the state. By birth, you could say that I'm a fringe-southerner, as I don't hail from a core state such as Georgia or Louisiana. Also, I'm not of the pure heritage considered most desirable by classical southern standards. Those with French, Norman, Spanish, Welsh, Teutonic, and Scottish blood are considered more pure. Excluding small traces of Cherokee, I'm half German and half Irish. German heritage is, by a southern perspective, a bloodline of the northern US. Irish aren't considered a part of the Celtic circle of superiority, as red hair and alcoholism are stereotypically associated with this heritage. If you think this is getting complicated, you just wait. I only scratched the surface. What makes you "southern" is something I could probably spend an entire semester's worth of blogging on, but in the end, I really don't care to.

Despite being born on the fringe, as an Army BRAT, I've lived in several of these states, including Texas for 8 years, Florida for about 4 years, and Georgia. My "home" is a farm in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn, cattle, and searing bigotry. My heart goes out to my own kin, but there is no denying the racism, homophobia, and generalized blanket-ignorance that prevails in my home town. I'm allowed to say that. Don't repeat it. Especially not after the tornado that just wiped half the city off the map... that would just be mean. It may be a contradiction, but pride in your roots comes with the territory. Though I disagree with the general mindset of who I consider to be my people, I am proud of where I come from. Talk about internal conflict!

Anyway, if you were born in the north, you're probably familiar with southern stereotypes. Stupidity. Inbreeding. Racism. Failure to progress "forward" in thought and social structure. All stereotypes get their start somewhere, and many of these are partially, geographically, or situationally true. Faux-southern lit spawns from authors who play on YOUR misguided concepts of the south to appeal to a northern audience. Texts generally boast two-dimensional, cliche characters embodying these stereotypes as personal flaws. It's like beach reading. You aren't particularly wiser or more educated by having read these books. If anything, your sense of southern reality becomes even more twisted. When you spot a southern stereotype in literature, examine it closely. You may be wasting your time.

If you're interested in reading more southern lit (the really good kind), you need to start with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This book isn't just the beginning (and reigning authority) of southern literature, it's the beginning of American literature. The book is incredible. There just isn't much else to say. It's a long one, though, so if this is going on your summer reading list, expect to spend free time on little else.




Join me next time where I'll take a radical turn from the roots of southern literature and tackle the next text assigned to me in my formal education: Romeo and Juliet. I have little peace to speak about the Bard, so just consider the next installment an overall investigation of William Shakespeare. See you next time!