Storytelling, Text, and Memory in Robert J. Conley's Mountain Windsong
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Department of English
Abstract
Rabert J. Conley's novelMountain Windsongattempts to recreate the forgetten
history of American natives through the narrative technique of storytelling.Thenovel
is a story toldby Grandfather to Grandsonwhichincludeslegends, historical
documents, anecdotes, songetc.thatforegroundthe oral tradition of nativesas their
cultural identity to resist Anglo-Americans. Conley shelters on natural phenomena
and storytelling tradition as alternative space. He confirms his affinity to the
marginalized natives. The novel presents Oconeechee and Waguli as lovers, whose
separation due to Trail of Tearsresemblesthe plight of Cherokeesas a whole. Conley
narrates the unheard voiceof nativesadopting varities of fragmentationand thus,
deconstructingthegrand narratives. Withthis novel, he gives a voice to those voices,
whichwere unheard in official history of U.S. andgives the shapeof text to recreate
Cherokeecultural identitybyresistingtheAnglo-Americans.