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

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Well, I said, if folks have objections, let them come and talk with me. Interestingly, no one ever did. If anyone had confronted me directly, I would have countered with: “But the essay shows clearly that Aun Sis believed in education, which is something that our family has supported strongly since we can remember, so what’s the problem with that? In spite of the humor, Aun Sis is a good woman.” I’m not sure that that “defense” would have convinced anybody, but I would have used it happily. Still, rumors about the displeasure of those descendants persisted for years. I could never zero in on any one person responsible for the displeasure, or any specific complaint, but the overarching sense that I had violated some un-written or un-spoken rule prevailed. Since I moved back to Tuscaloosa in 2009, I have not heard any comment about Aun Sis’s portrayal in the essay and, at this late date, I don’t expect to hear any. I became conscious of the fact, however, that any writer, but especially a memoirist, perhaps needs a bit more schooling in the art of disguise when he or she produces a memoir.