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The Stories of Silas House and the “Scent of Words”

This overview chapter covers the full range of House’s work, the influences on his writing, his activism, and the journey he took to become a writer, including his struggles as a young gay man growing up in Appalachia. All the major themes and motifs of his writing are explored in the chapter, as well as the artistry of his lyrical writing style and his richly portrayed working class characters. Central to Shurbutt’s study is the exploration of House’s reaction as an Appalachian being cast by outsiders as “other.” House portrays a region often stereotyped and struggling to tell its own story rather than outsiders portraying the region.