Continued: Best Lessons From Southern Literature

A continuation of my previous post on the Best Lessons From Southern Literature, brought straight to your face by the talented folks of the south:

2. Zora Neale Hurston: Be resourceful.


Alabama's very own Zora Neale Hurston published Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937. The dialect sometimes makes the book very difficult to read, and in all sincerity, I actually read a large portion of the novel out loud to myself on the plane, which was probably terrible for everyone around me, but it was the only way I could understand what was going on. The novel tells the story of a young woman named Janie and her search for happiness. She goes through plenty of marriages and relationships, and she constantly faces new troubles. But what's cool about Janie is that she is resourceful enough to latch onto something better when things aren't going right for her. Find a situation in which this isn't true: Do what you can with what you have. That's exactly what Janie does, and it makes you want to try the same. Thanks for the lesson in courage, Hurston. Still not really keen on getting hitched with a guy named "Tea Cake" though.

1. William Faulkner: Crazy runs in the family.

A Mississippi man, Faulkner somehow figured out a way to terrify and disgust everyone. But very eloquently. Faulkner's got some pretty creepy stories, and one of my favorites is The Sound And The Fury, the story of a family and its problems. But when you're thinking of familial problems, you're probably thinking of divorce, a sickness in the family, or sibling rivalry. Those are issues that lots of people face, and although they're unfortunate, nothing compares to The Sound And The Fury. Told in four parts by the autistic son Benjy, the brilliant and tormented son Quentin, the greedy son Jason, and then in third person about a servant named Dilsey, the narrative focuses on a creepy obsession all of the sons share: their sister Caddy's virginity. Really. They each handle their love of her in a different way, but none of the alternatives are good. What's even more bizarre about the story? Caddy, although she is the main focus of the novel, doesn't have a section to speak her own mind in. Thanks Faulkner, now literally everyone feels oppressed. Oh, and one more thing - "A Rose For Emily" gives everyone nightmares. Great job, thanks man. Faulkner really knows how to let us all know that when someone's absolutely nuts, their family is probably worse.

What do you think of these lessons from southern literature?

Cutest Cowboy Boots For The Summer

Last summer I lived in my cowboy boots, and I mean that almost literally. I was thrilled to come back to Tennessee from a freshman year spent in Boston, finally experience some sunlight, and put on my cowboy boots. They're nothing fancy, and they're actually just a pair I picked up at Wet Seal in high school one weekend. Point is, I love them! They go with everything, and they're cute, so there's never really a reason not to wear them. 
But I realized I needed to switch things up a little one day last fall when one of my fellow Northeastern Huskies walked up to me in the dining hall and slurred sarcastically at the sight of my worn out kicks, "Honey, nice boots..." Whether he meant it or not, I decided I needed some kind of update. Since
times are changing, my paychecks are finally getting a little bigger than they were in high school; I'm finally ready to let go, and move on up to something nicer! 
If you're in a similar situation, check out these cute cowboy boots for the summer:

Ariat Women's Heritage Western Boots



These fire engines are from Boot Barn - I know, right? Who would name their store the Boot Barn? - and they're made by Ariat. They run for $149.99, but man, do they make a statement. According to their listing, "They are made with thick and durable full-grain leather that will last through almost anything with the proper care!"

Ariat Ladies Shada Peanut Brittle/Brown Bomber Inlayed Top Western Boots

Saying this as politely as I can, these Ariat Shadas are badass. The pointed toe and the 2" heel? Yes, let's do this. They run for 129.99 with free shipping from Cavender's, and they have an "outsole tread pattern for non-slip traction and minimal tracking of mud and debris."

Corral Rose & Cross Cowboy Boots

I've pretty much skipped the crush stage and moved on to full-blown love with these bad boys. With blue roses and crosses over brown leather, they seriously bring a nice feminine touch to cowboy boots, which are supposed to be manly in the first place. They run for $239.99 at Sheplers, and although they're a bit pricier, they are completely hand-crafted and built to last.

Corral White Leather Inlay Boots

These beauties are also available at Sheplers for $239.99. The darker material? Black goatskin, and I'm not even kidding. I didn't even know they made cowboy boots out of goatskin, but these are incredible. The white patterns bring a real elegance to the whole shoe, making them pretty unforgettable!

Corral red lizard inlay western boots

I'm going to be honest and tell you that I've been trying to figure out why I have spent 20 years of my life without these tall, dark, and handsomes. They are from Corral's Vintage Collection, and they were hand-crafted in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. You can buy these from Sheplers for $157.97.

More to come later! Until then, happy shopping, y'all!

Best Lessons From Southern Literature

Now, just like any other culture, we take our storytelling very seriously in the south. Throughout my career as an English major, I have heard southern authors dismissed as pathetic loonies who only landed publishing deals because some crackpot felt bad for all of them. I can't exactly just accept that all writers from the entire region could be likened to The Jersey Shore's Snooki, so I'd like to share a few of my own thoughts on why some southern authors aren't completely useless.

5 Best Lessons From Southern Literature:

5. Anne Rice - Evil is bad. Real bad.

I've never been much of an Anne Rice fan, but it seems that I am the only one who isn't. If your mother doesn't have an entire collection of the New Orleans' author's novels, something is wrong. Rice's books are all about vampires, God, a struggle between being good and evil, and transformation. After her first novel, Interview With A Vampire was released in 1976 she went on to write. A lot. And she's now an incredibly popular writer, with 100 million copies of her books sold.
"My vampire novels and other novels I’ve written... are attempting to be transformative stories… All these novels involve a strong moral compass. Evil is never glorified in these books; on the contrary, the continuing battle against evil is the subject of the work. The search for the good is the subject of the work… Interview with the Vampire... is about the near despair of an alienated being who searches the world for some hope that his existence can have meaning. His vampire nature is clearly a metaphor for human consciousness or moral awareness."
So, aside from the fact that vampires have become very annoying as of late, her novels have a very heartwarming theme: Don't be bad. Even if you're perfectly good at it.

4. Cormac McCarthy: Act hopeful, even when everyone around you is a cannibal.


The Road was probably the most depressing novel I have ever come into contact with. McCarthy, a fellow Tennessean, really drops a bomb with this one. That being said, it's an incredible one. And I don't want to spoil the ending (it's happy...sort of), but it concludes the story with hope. Somehow. After roving across the desert for months and avoiding being murdered by cannibals in an hellish and post-apocalyptic setting, a father and son finally reach what they've been searching for: The sea. So after assuming they will have to commit suicide to avoid the pain of murder, they eventually do make it. So what's the moral of the story? Even if cannibals are trying to eat you left and right, you still have to act like you have hope. Because you might just earn a spot on Oprah's book list like McCarthy. Or maybe just the no-fly list.


3. Harper Lee: Being brave sometimes means you know you'll fail.


I've only met one person over the age of 12 who hasn't yet read To Kill A Mockingbird. By this I mean, everyone's read To Kill A Mockingbird, and for a good reason. It's full of lessons that make it a delectable work of art. Alabama's very own Lee had it published in July, 1960, and it's been a staple in high schools ever since. One character of immense literary speculation, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is unlike literally any other because he believes in equality under the law (which literally everyone around him thinks is insane). As he prepares to defend an innocent man who has been wrongfully accused, he tells Jem and Scout, "Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." Finch knows that failure is imminent, but he still powers through the case because he knows he has to since no one else will. In case you forgot your middle school education, that is some seriously cool stuff. 


Unfortunately this post was deleted after I published it last week (Thanks Blogger!) but the last two Southern Literature lessons will be here to blow your mind very shortly.