{"product_id":"understanding-bobbie-ann-mason-joanna-price-9781570033810","title":"Understanding Bobbie Ann Mason","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReveals the complex nature of the renowned author of\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e In Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Bobbie Ann Mason\u003c\/i\u003e explores the literary accomplishments of a writer whose works straddle the line between highbrow literature and popular culture, an author whose writings are studied in academia and loved by general readers. Best known for her short story collections and her novels \u003ci\u003eFeather Crowns, Spence + Lila, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIn Country\u003c\/i\u003e--the last of which is also a motion picture--Mason writes about small-town life in contemporary western Kentucky. In this comprehensive analysis, Joanna Price offers an introduction to Mason's nonfiction prose, short stories, and novels, and sheds light on the writer's distinctive style and thematic concerns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrice considers the labels frequently attached to these works--\"dirty realism\" and \"minimalism\"--and rejects a simplistic placement of Mason's oeuvre within these categories. Price traces multiple influences on the writer: an interest in Vladimir Nabokov, the cultural study of fiction for female adolescents, a childhood in rural Kentucky, struggles with class and regional differences, and consumer culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn close readings of Mason's works, Price discusses recurrent themes, such as the conflicting desires of clinging to the past and embracing the future, and the multifaceted sense of loss experienced by her characters. Price also addresses Mason's interest in how ideas of self have been affected by the changing ideas of the family, home, and community; the alteration of gender roles; and how femininity is in tension with freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joanna Price\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1570033811\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781570033810\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of South Carolina Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/31\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 187\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.69lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.27h x 5.24w x 0.74d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2001 pg. 1797\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eUniv PR Books for Public Libry\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2001 pg. 71 - Strongly Recommended","brand":"Joanna Price","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48065714094335,"sku":"9781570033810","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e86d6f83-d829-46a5-a433-f30ba34da4ce.jpg?v=1768676772","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/understanding-bobbie-ann-mason-joanna-price-9781570033810","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}