American Studies Commons^™

Payne, William Samuel, 1941-2015 (Sc 2968), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2968. Letters of William Samuel Payne to Cora Jane Spiller, Bowling Green, Kentucky, mostly with news of his cousin, Louise (Natcher) Murphy, a novelist and the daughter of Kentucky Congressman William H. Natcher.

“That Paradox Of Unjoyful Joyousness” Or Pure And Impure History: Retrospection And The Past In Robert Penn Warren’S A Place To Come To, Noah Simon Jampol

Robert Penn Warren Studies

No abstract provided.

Peeling The Onion: Satire And The Complexity Of Audience Response, Jane Fife

English Faculty Publications

Satire is a popular form of comedic social critique frequently theorized in terms of Kenneth Burke’s comic frame. While its humor and unexpected combination of incongruous elements can reduce tension that surrounds controversial issues to make new perspectives more accessible, audience response to satire can vary tremendously—including the very negative as well as the very positive. Teaching satire should include exposure to rhetorical theory and audience reception analysis to better prepare students as consumers and creators of satires. With a complex, layered pedagogy, satire can be an important component of the twenty-first-century rhetor’s toolkit.

When Is An Agrarian Not An Agrarian? A Reading Of Robert Penn Warren’S “The Briar Patch”, Clare Byrne

Robert Penn Warren Studies

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Foreword: The Need For “Deep Engagement”: Robert Penn Warren, Malcolm X, And Ta-Nehisi Coates, Mark D. Miller

Robert Penn Warren Studies

No abstract provided.

Gordon, Charles (Fa 834), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 834. This collection of epitaphs was taken from three cemeteries located in Glasgow, Kentucky. Some epitaph examples included contain references to the Bible, children, and were often rhyming. This project was completed by Charles Gordon, a student at Western Kentucky University, for credit in a folk studies class.

Arnow, Harriette Louisa (Simpson), 1908-1986 (Sc 2936), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding Aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2936. Letter, 6 March 1964, of Harriette Simpson Arnow, Ann Arbor, Michigan, to “Mrs. Holland,” in response to a compliment for her novel Hunter’s Horn. Arnow briefly recalls her publications since The Dollmaker and notes “unenthusiastic” reviews in Kentucky of her most recent work. She also mentions an article about her in the previous fall’s Louisville Courier-Journal Magazine [8 December 1963].

Summers, Hollis Spurgeon, 1916-1987 (Sc 2935), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2935. Letter, 8 April 1953, of Hollis Summers, Lexington, Kentucky, to Frances Richards, a member of the WKU English faculty, expressing good wishes to her and her students after his recent visit to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Murton, Jessie Wilmore (Jones), 1886-1973 (Mss 439), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Collection 439. Correspondence, writings, scrapbooks, and financial records of Kentucky native and poet Jessie Wilmore Murton. Although born and raised in Kentucky, she spent most of her adult life in Battle Creek, Michigan. Her poetry and prose was published in several solo books and anthologies and appeared extensively in religious publications of the mid-twentieth century. The contents of Box 9 Folder 7 related to the League for Sanity in Poetry has been scanned and can be accessed by clicking on "Additional Files" below.

Hochstrasser, Maud Adelaide, 1900-1994 (Mss 555), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 555. Correspondence, clippings, photographs and other papers of WKU English instructor “Addie” Hochstrasser, relating almost exclusively to her friendship with and interest in author Jesse Stuart. Includes letters, cards and a holographic poem by Stuart, as well as photographs of Stuart and his home in Greenup, Kentucky.

Stuart, Jesse Hilton, 1907-1984 (Sc 2911), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2911. Correspondence of author Jesse Stuart and David Helm, manager of Books & Records, Inc., Bowling Green, Kentucky. They discuss a book signing event and supplies of books for sale at the store.

Stuart, Jesse Hilton, 1907-1984 (Sc 2910), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2910. Correspondence of author Jesse Stuart and Western Kentucky University administrators and librarians, mostly regarding speaking engagements on campus and the acquisition of his books for the University’s collection. Includes some Stuart family Christmas cards, data regarding foreign language reprints of his books, and Stuart’s letter to WKU President Paul Garrett describing his farm work in the wake of the World War II manpower shortage.

Aging Ragefully: A Look At Aging Women In Four Contemporary American Dramas, Rachel Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the growing feminist discourse in America, ageism continues to be a problem, partially due to stereotypical representations of aging women in the media and in literature. This thesis examines the portrayals of aging women in four American dramas: Zona Gale’s Miss Lulu Bett, Edward Albee’s The American Dream and The Sandbox, and Tracey Letts’ August: Osage County. Each of the aging matriarchs in these dramas plays a different role within her family structure; however, all employ others’ perceptions of them as a means of gaining or keeping control over their own situation. Chapter 1 examines Mrs. Bett from Zona …

The “Fatty” Arbuckle Scandal, Will Hays, And Negotiated Morality In 1920s America, Aaron T. Whitehead

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the autumn of 1921, silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was arrested for the rape and murder of a model and actress named Virginia Rappé. The ensuing scandal created a firestorm of controversy not just around Arbuckle but the entire motion picture industry. Religious and moral reformers seized upon the scandal to decry the decline of “traditional” moral values taking place throughout American society in the aftermath of World War I. The scandal created a common objective for an anti-film coalition representing diverse social and religious groups, all dedicated to bringing about change in the motion picture industry through …

Colonels, Hillbillies And Fightin’: Twentieth-Century Kentucky In The National Imagination, Anthony Harkins

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Kentucky Folklife Festivals - Files (Fa 746), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection 746. This collection contains documentation of various folklife related festivals held within the state of Kentucky that were documented by folklorist Bob Gates. the ones documented in this collection include the Discovery Festival in Mt. Vernon, the International Festival in Bowling Green, the River Folk Arts Festival in Louisville, “A Day in the Country” Festival, the Horse Cave Heritage Festival in Horse Cave, the Ganesha Festival in Louisville, and the Watermelon Festival in Tompkinsville. There are also slides in Folder 6 that document the Michigan Folklife Festival.

Kentucky Folklife Program - Subject Research Files (Fa 747), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection FA 747. This collection contains materials relating to a wide array of folklife subjects collected by folklorist Bob Gates for the Kentucky Folklife Program. The majority of the subjects include ethnic or cultural groups, but there is also various information relating to specific arts or traditions. The materials within the folders are mostly articles or copies of articles. Most folders contain information that relates directly to Kentucky, but some are about the topic more in general terms. Files are arranged by subject.

Lincoln Days Festival - Hodgenville, Kentucky (Fa 744), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Colleciton 744. This collection contains the audio recording of an interview conducted by Bob Gates with historian Mac Trumbo about the Lincoln Days Festival held annually in LaRue County, Kentucky.

John Lennon: A Day In The Rye, Derek S. Ellis

Goldenrod Poetry Festival

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/2 2015 Talisman: Resurgence, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

2015 Talisman yearbook.

• Osborne Sam. Into the Woods – Big To-Do Music & Arts Festival
• Spalding, Shelley. The Outliers – Greeks
• Badjie, Haddy. The Right to Live – Racism
• Gibson, Helen. Net Worth – Soccer
• Greer, John. Sustaining Seasons – Sustainability
• Wegert, Sally. Bloom – Eva Ross
• Cislo, Everett. Harvest – Hemp
• Kolb, William. Preserve – John All
• Voorhees, Jessica. Making Strides – Track & Field
• Greer, John. The Science Guy – Bill Nye
• Cole, Tanner. Lip Service – Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Belknap, Abby. Race to the Senate
• Gibson, Helen. Game of Loans – Student Financial Aid
• Belknap, Abby. …

Ua68/2 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Interdisciplinary Studies, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Interdisciplinary Studies which include:

• African American Studies
• Asian Studies
• Canadian Studies
• Film Studies
• Latin American Studies

Mayo, George Morrow, 1896-1983 (Mss 521), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 521. Scrapbooks (2) documenting the life and times of journalist George Morrow Mayo and his fashion designer wife Muriel L. Van Norden. Scrapbooks contain a historical narrative, articles written by Mr. Mayo, as well as photographs and other ephemera such as postcards, small maps, etc. Also includes news clippings, photos of Mayo’s Family and an autographed copy of his book Los Angeles (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 193)

Rulers, Rhetoric, And Ray-Guns: A Post Colonial Look At 90'S Alien Invasion Media, Logan Matthew Hudspeth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis opens discussion on American alien invasion films of the 90s as a self-critique, a reaction to being an imperial power at the end of the Cold War. The alien menace in these films is not the "other" but rather the U.S. itself being the colonizer or conqueror looking to expand its sphere of influence. Furthermore, it discusses how Presidential rhetoric in the films play a role in this postcolonial reading. Specific works studied are: Independence Day (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Babylon 5: In the Beginning (1998), and The Puppet Masters (1994).

Fridy, Wilford Eugene, B. 1934 (Mss 384), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 384. Correspondence, class materials, published and unpublished papers, and research material collected by Dr. Wilford E. Fridy in his study of Robert Penn Warren and his writings. Includes an untitled and unpublished novel by Robert Penn Warren, correspondence between Fridy and Warren, and photos of Warren and Guthrie, Kentucky, Warren’s hometown.

Kingsolver, Barbara, B. 1955 (Sc 2846), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2846. Letter, 10 December 1996, of Barbara Kingsolver, Tucson, Arizona, to Gil Moody of Moody Books Inc., Johnson City, Tennessee. She expresses her support of independent bookstores and her willingness to sign books and bookplates for readers, but places high priority on reserving time for her writing and family life.

Read, Opie Percival, 1852-1939 (Sc 2844), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2844. Letter, 16 May 1884, of journalist and humorist Opie P. Read, written from Little Rock, Arkansas, to an unnamed addressee. Read accepts an offer to exchange magazines (probably his Arkansas Traveler) for a publication called the Voice, congratulates the addressee on a story published in Chicago’s The Current, and acknowledges knowing his name although they have never met.

Rice, Alice Caldwell (Hegan), 1870-1942 (Sc 2817), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text of letter (Click on "Additional Files") for Manuscripts Small Collection 2817. Letter, 28 October 1905, of author Alice (Hegan) Rice, Louisville, Kentucky, to Helen Keller. She praises Keller’s recent autobiography and reports on its popularity with the girls at a Japanese boarding school Rice visited the past summer. Rice encloses a composition of one of the students (not included in this collection) in which she writes that “the eyes of [Keller’s] heart are open.”

Giles, Janice (Holt), 1905-1979 (Sc 1284), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1284. Letters and greeting cards, 1963-1976, written by author Janice Holt Giles, Knifley, Kentucky, to young Memphis, Texas admirer Mike Hughes. Mike initiated the correspondence, which developed into a friendship. Includes three of Mike’s letters, 2000.

John Lennon: A Day In The Rye, Derek S. Ellis

Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing

No abstract provided.

Stuart, Jesse Hilton, 1907-1984 (Sc 1221), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1221. Letter, 25 January 1959, from Jesse H. Stuart to Mrs. Higgason explaining that his poem "Kentucky is My Land" is out of print and regretting that he cannot provide a copy.