Annotated Bibliography
“Antebellum Era”. Library of Southern Literature. 6/3/2009 <http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/antebellum.html>.This website gives a brief history of antebellum era literature. Thomas Bangs Thorpe is mentioned as well as many other authors.
Cochran, Robert B. . “Arts, Culture, and Entertainment”. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 6/3/2009 <http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=386>.This website provides an overview of the history and of culture in Arkansas. It mentions A Piano in “Arkansaw” and explains why the piano is a reoccurring theme in Arkansas literature.
Lemay, J. A. Leo. “The Text, Tradition, and Themes of “The Big Bear of Arkansas”". EBSCO. 6/3/2009This essay identifies and analyzes the various allusions to the bible and American folklore in The Big Bear of Arkansas. It then argues that the images related to folklore are more consistent with the theme of the story.
Monteiro, George. “The Great American Hunt in Flannery O’Conner’s ‘The Turkey’”. EBSCOhost. 6/3/2009 <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=10&hid=105&sid=1d091e79-9e64-48e1-89ce-2>.In this essay, George Monteiro compares the scene in Flannery O’Conner’s The Turkey with the bear hunts described by Thomas Bangs Thorpe. In both stories, the hunters never actually have to kill their pray, because the turkey and the bear both die before the hunters get the chance to kill them.
“Southwestern Humor - Introduction”. Short Story Criticism. 6/3/2009 <http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/southwestern-humor>.This website is an introduction to Southwestern humor, the genre associated with Thomas Bangs Thorpe. It explains both how Thorpe fits into this genre and how he is dissimilar to other Southwestern humorists.
Schmitz, Neil. “Tall Tale, Tall Talk: Pursuing the Lie in Jacksonian Literature”. EBSCO. 6/3/2009In this article, Neil Schmitz discusses the use of tall tales in Jacksonian literature. The article examines Jim Doggett’s elaborate narrative in The Big Bear of Arkansas.