Sawin, Patricia, authorUtah State University Press, publisher2007-01-032007-01-032004http://hdl.handle.net/10217/87776Includes bibliographical references and index.In one sense a folklorist's portrayal of a folk artist's life and art, Listening for a Life is equally a rethinking of the processes involved in such work, not only in how the folklorist conveys her subject but in how her subject constitutes and performs herself into being through dialogue with others: those present, those once present, those imagined and anticipated. Drawing on Bahktinian and feminist theory, Sawin pushes forward our understanding of the interactive roles of ethnographer and subject and in the process gives us a deeper understanding of folk singer and storyteller Bessie Eldreth and her greatest art, herself.--Book jacket.Introduction: dialogism and subjectivity -- "That was before I ever left home": complex accounts of a simple childhood -- "If you had to work as hard as I did, it would kill you": work, narrative, and self-definition -- "I said, 'don't you do it'": tracing development as an empowered speaker through reported speech in narrative -- "He never did say anything about my dreams that would worry me after that": negotiating gender and power in ghost stories -- "I'm a bad one to go pulling jokes on people": practical joking as a problematic vehicle for oppositional self-definition -- "My singing is my life": repertoire and performance -- Epilogue.born digitalbooksengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.All rights reserved. User is responsible for compliance. Please contact University Press of Colorado at https://upcolorado.com/our-books/rights-and-permissions for use information.Women folklorists -- Appalachian Region -- BiographyWomen storytellers -- Appalachian Region -- BiographyFolk singers -- Appalachian Region -- BiographyFolklore -- Appalachian RegionFolk music -- Appalachian RegionAppalachian Region -- Social life and customsEldreth, Bessie Mae, 1913-Eldreth, Bessie Mae, 1913- -- InterviewsTextAccess is limited to the Adams State University, Colorado State University, Colorado State University Pueblo, Community College of Denver, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University Denver, Regis University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, University of Wyoming, Utah State University and Western Colorado University communities only.