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Appalachian Women in Literature

In the twentieth century many important books have been written about Appalachia and the Appalachian people. These works present a variety of views about the people and the land they call home. Some specifically characterize the mountain woman. Because the number of such works has increased dramatically in recent years, it is apparent that today as never before the mountain woman has a voice. Students, writers, and others are trying to find out what she is really like and what important social roles she plays. For this paper, I have examined several works published from the early years of this century up through the last decade. The ones selected were chosen because they are, for the most part, well known and widely used today by scholars and students of Appalachia. Excerpts from these books will show the Appalachian woman's relationship to the land and to her family, and will focus also upon her religion, her role in feuds, her activist role, and finally upon her life as a displaced Appalachian. People from outside the area sometimes give a confusing and misleading image of the mountain woman. For example, they often show her seated in her rocker on the front porch, putting the finishing touches to a handmade quilt, a woven basket, or some other handicraft. The truth of the matter is that while she may still rock and quilt, she could have just come in from the textile mill, from walking a picket line, or from working a shift in the mines! The Appalachian woman may be portrayed as