DC Public Library System

The story of corn, Betty Fussell

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 335-344) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The story of corn

bibliography

26264205

Betty Fussell

In an authoritative, wise and wholly original blend of social history, art, science and anthropology, Betty Fussell tells the story of corn in a narrative that is as uniquely hybrid as her subject. It is a story that can be told in the language of myth or industry, of sacred ritual or secular farming, but in any language it makes clear that all the civilizations of the Western Hemisphere have been built on corn. The great epic of this amazing grain and of the people who for seven centuries have planted, eaten, worshipped, processed and profited from it reaches into every corner of American life--not just its food but also its poetry, its commerce, its religion and, of course, its booze. In her beautifully balanced text as well as in hundreds of extraordinary illustrations, Fussell juxtaposes the many facets of corn's history and influence to surprising, dramatic effect. The Story of Corn changes completely one's sense of the shape and nature of the American experience. You will never again munch on a hush puppy, admire a Maya temple, read Hiawatha or simply pass a cornfield in the same way

1. A Babel of Corn. Corn Mad. The Popcorn Connection. What Is the Corn? Corn, U.S.A. -- 2. Seeds of Life. The Language of Myth. The Seed of Blood. Corn Cannibals. The Circles of Chaco Canyon. The Language of Science. Solving the Corn Mystery. In the Name of Divine Progress. The Corn War. The Corn Race -- 3. The Daily Round. The Language of the Seasons. The Sacred Corn of Inca and Aztec. The Desert Farmers of the Southwest. Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden. The Language of the Machine. The Ocean-Desert of Nebraska. The March of Mechanical Time. "Corn Sick" Land -- 4. Flesh and Blood. The Language of Food. From Piki to Cornflakes. Green-Corn Cooking. Ash Cooking. Cornmeal Cooking. The Language of Drink. Chicha in Peru, Moonshine in Arkansas. The Language of Commodities. Squeezing the Molecule -- 5. The Sacred Round. The Language of Ceremony. Dancing Up the Corn. Gathering In the Corn. Tearing Out the Heart. Drinking Down the Sun. The Language of Carnivals and Kings. Hoopeston's Sweet-Corn MagicCourtland's Cornhuskers. The World's Only Corn Palace -- 6. Closing the Circle. The Night of Shalako. The Blessingway