Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1982

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

Allison R. Ensor

Committee Members

Paul Bergeron, Mary P. Richards, William Shurr

Abstract

Will Allen Dromgoole (1860-1934), a versatile and popular author In this during the late 1890s and 1900s, was a native Tennessean who wrote novels, short stories, poems, and essays and edited a weekly column, "Song and Story," in the Nashville Banner from 1903 until her death. Dromgoole's literature revolves around her experiences in life, with settings unmistakably derived from her knowledge of Tennessee. study the works in which Dromgoole portrays the mountaineer and his culture are the primary focus. Two of Dromgoole's contemporaries, George Washington Harris and Mary Noailles Murfree, have received acclaim for their efforts in portraying the Tennessee mountaineer, but Dromgoole has been largely ignored since her death. Even though she did not publish as much mountain literature as Murfree, her literature of the mountains, especially the short stories, is as good as any mountain literature published during this time. In order that Dromgoole's contribution to Tennessee literature-and to Appalachian literature in general-may be fully realized and appreciated, this edition of her mountain literature has been compiled. It consists of ten stories, two articles on the Melungeons, numerous column excerpts, and nine poems.

After a brief critical and biographical introduction, Dromgoole's literature is examined by genres. With the short stories attention is given to theme, character, and literary dialect; the Melungeon articles are examined for historical accuracy. The column material is of interest because of the factual accounts Dromgoole presents, and the poetry is analyzed with regard to form and subject matter.

An examination of Dromgoole's mountain literature shows that she excelled in fiction particularly, but was capable of representing the mountaineer in several mediums. An edition of this material shows Dromgoole's value as an accurate depictor of Tennessee mountain life. Additionally, because of the renewed interest in regional literature, a collection of this sort is a useful text through which to study the nineteenth-century mountaineer since it gives the reader a broader sample of nineteenth-century mountain literature.

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