Eudora Weltys The Ponder Heart: A Romance Parody :: Eudora Welty The Ponder Heart

Eudora Weltys The Ponder Heart A Romance Parody Jennifer Lynn Randisis book, A Tissue of Lies, explores several of Weltys works. Chapter III of this book takes a close view at the southerly Romance in Weltys novel, The Ponder Heart. In her search Randisi writes that Weltys novel can be seen as an ironic myth or tap parody (57).This idea of ironic myth or romance parody comes from Northrop Fryes definition ofmyth as an imitation of ritual (e.g. plot) (57). Randisi continues to learn thatthe events of the story comprise a quest, but one that recounts eventsleading to closing off rather than reconciliation, revealed through what the selecter comes to know and what Edna Earle cannot see (that is, what she has edited from her perceptions). (57) The distance, or isolation, Edna Earle finds at the end of her quest, which is the telling of her and her familys story, is the alienation of her audience.This alienation is more good explained by examining different elements of Sou thern Romance. These elementsare, regional myth surrounding the Southern character,geographic legend historical legend, family myth (here incorporating a preoccupation with identity in relation to name), acceptance of the potence of the narrative voice,repetition of incident, belief in the ability of oral communication to order chaos, andthe ultimate need to create a romance. (58) Randisi makes a very well articulated argument that the novel contains elements of a declining Southern Romance through this romance parody (57) theory. She brings to light elements of Edna Earle as a sound Southerner (60), and elaborates on the family myth, which also plays its part in the respectable Southerner (60) motif. She successfully demonstrates how the appearance of being a wealthy and generous family is authorized to the Southern Romance tradition. She then goes on to show that for Ednas story to be believable, readers (listeners) first must accept Edna Earle as a voice of authority an d then readers must recognize that by retelling the story, Edna Earle recreates the ideal version of reality.Randisi helps Weltys readers read between the lines. She shows Edna Earle to be a person who will manipulate her language in order to protect the family name. The narrative is, in fact, a confused family portrait taken over time, but one stylized, or edited, by its Edna Earle is, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson telling all the truth but telling it slant (77).