Читать книгу Constructing the Self. Essays on Southern Life-Writing онлайн

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There is thus a kind of self-censorship that a person writing about her own life has to consider. Now, that self-censorship can be minimal, such as leaving out true names, or expansive, such as leaving out years, episodes, events, and characters, but it is something that comes to mind. I am probably much more conscious of these things today than I was when I was actually composing the volume in 2001. A healthy dose of naiveté probably prevented me from being too restrictive. I did consciously make some choices, however, about the composition of the text and how I wanted people to respond to it, even if I were writing about them.

First, I was responsive to the sound of writing. In fact, I actually give a lecture in which I talk about words singing to me. For me, writing is rhythm, and I want readers to hear those rhythms as they read. In Summer Snow, I heard voices from my childhood, and I wanted to capture them, especially in essays such as “Cotton Pickin’ Authority” (29) and “The Overweight Angel” (69). If a phrase or sentence doesn’t sound right, then I will discard it and try again, because I want readers to be as much wrapped up in the voices and rhythms as I am.